LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A civil rights group says the transgender soldier imprisoned in Kansas for sending classified information to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks now faces possible punishment for offenses stemming from a suicide attempt.
The American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement that Chelsea Manning, a 28-year-old transgender soldier, received a document from Army officials Thursday saying she’s being investigated for “administrative offenses,” including “conduct which threatens,” related to her July 5 suicide attempt.
The ACLU says if Manning’s convicted of the offenses she could be placed in indefinite solitary confinement.
An Army spokesman didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Manning, arrested as Bradley Manning, was convicted in 2013 in military court for leaking more than 700,000 secret military and federal documents when she was an intelligence analyst in Iraq.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — U.S. officials say applications to drill for oil and gas on federal and Indian lands are expected to decrease 40 percent in coming years versus their historical average.
The projection comes as cheap prices have curtailed domestic energy exploration, driving down state and federal revenue.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Thursday will announce a proposal for all drilling applications to be filed online, in an effort to streamline the approval process.
The move follows years of criticism from the energy sector over the Obama administration’s handling of drilling applications. Industry groups say lengthy delays drive up costs.
Bureau spokeswoman Bev Winston says the move to online permitting will allow 90 percent of applications to be completed within 115 days. The average time in 2015 was 220 days.
Emergency crews work to recover a body from the Arkansas River photo courtesy KAKE
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A body has been found in the Arkansas River in Wichita.
The Wichita Eagle reports that kayakers found the body near Herman Hill Park on Thursday afternoon. Authorities responded to the scene where the body was hung up on a sandbar in the middle of the river.
Wichita police Sgt. Nikki Woodrow says the body hasn’t been identified. She says the body will be taken to the coroner’s office, where a medical examination will be performed.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Topeka Correctional Facility has a new warden.
The Kansas Department of Corrections said in a release Thursday that Shannon Meyer has been named warden of the Topeka women’s prison.
The department says Meyer began her corrections career as a corrections counselor in 2002 at the Lansing Correctional Facility, and was most recently deputy warden of programs at Lansing.
She replaces warden Hope Cooper, who was named deputy secretary of community and field services.
GREENWOOD COUNTY – A Kansas boy died in an accident just after 11 a.m. on Thursday in Greenwood County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Polaris ATV driven by Blake D. Stapleford, 11, Fall River, was southbound in the field on the west side of Road GG six miles south of U.S. 54.
The driver turned hard to the right. The ATV went up on two wheels, rolled over and landed on top of the driver.
Stapleford was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Koup Funeral Home.
Saturday, July 23rd, Downtown Hays Development Corporation (DHDC) had the honor to help host the inaugural Thunder on the Bricks Car Show.
As registration opened, it was a quiet and overcast morning. But, once the sun came out, 229 cars and motorcycles rolled into Municipal Park in Downtown Hays to be admired and judged making this the largest car show Hays has ever seen.
Visitors enjoyed viewing an impressive variety of stock, restored, modified, and custom cars plus motorcycles ranging from a rusted, but beautiful, antique truck to a car covered front to back with pennies. With each entry most likely averaging $40 to $50,000 in value, close to ten million dollars worth of rolling stock could be enjoyed
A crowd favorite was the 1921 REO Speedwagon that served as the Hays Fire Department’s first motorized fire truck. It was brought all the way from Wichita Falls, Texas, and was awarded the Fire Chief’s Choice Award.
Cars were brought from all over the state of Kansas plus Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas as well. The show was hosted in conjunction with Bargains on the Bricks, the annual Downtown Sidewalk Sale.
The success of this show is owed all to Harold Bettis and Rod Roy who came into my office six months ago to tell me it was high time Hays had a decent car show. After some discussion about how we could help each other they hit the ground running. Their team pulled off an incredible event.
DHDC wants to thank each volunteer, sponsor, entry, vendor, and spectator who came out to be a part of this special event. The goal was to create a family orientated event in Downtown Hays and to be able to give back to the community.
DHDC is excited to announce that the profits from the show, a sum of $4,000, will be given to local charities and organizations in Hays including Cancer Council of Ellis County, Hays Fire Department (to go towards the purchase of the REO Speedwagon), DSNWK, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Options, and NCK Tech Automotive Technology Program.
This will definitely be an annual event for Downtown Hays and the Thunder on the Bricks Committee looks forward to reaching their 2017 goal of 300 entries!
Sara Bloom is the Downtown Hays Development Corporation Executive Director.
By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN FHSU University Relations and Marketing
Everyone has a story about how Fort Hays State University became his or her destination of choice for post-secondary education.
For Coleen Ellis, it was her parents’ love for the university that inspired her, although they barely ever set foot on campus.
“Growing up, I remember Mom and Dad always talking about how much they loved Hays and Fort Hays State,” Ellis said. Her parents, Larry and Ann, worked at a hair salon and barbershop across from campus for four years in the early 1960s before moving to Pawnee County.
An FHSU graduate and successful entrepreneur, Ellis is excited about being a part of a budding entrepreneurship program at her alma mater.
Following the loss of a pet dog, Ellis started her own business, a pets-only funeral home, with the motto of “Honoring the Journey.” Now, Ellis is looking forward to honoring her educational journey that began at Fort Hays State more than 30 years ago.
Ellis was one of numerous donors who were on campus this week for a recognition news conference for their contributions to, and support of, the entrepreneurship program.
Naming rights are available in the new Dane G. Hansen Scholarship Hall for those donating to the program, and Ellis will have one of the bedrooms named in honor of her pet dog, Mico, who died in 2003.
The hall became a possibility after a $3.5 million gift by the Dane G. Hansen Foundation in Logan. It will house up to 32 entrepreneurial-minded students and a resident assistant.
“This hall is a nationally unique living and learning environment dedicated to student entrepreneurs,” said Dr. Mark Bannister, FHSU dean of the College of Business and Entrepreneurship. “It is a first of its kind.”
The facility will include a community room, equipped with the latest teaching and learning technologies. Construction crews broke ground on the three-story, 12,775 square-foot building last October, and it is expected to be completed in less than a month for its first residents to move in.
Students with at least a sophomore classification, of any academic major, who have expressed a passion for entrepreneurship can apply to live in the hall. They have to meet certain requirements and fill out an application that is reviewed by an application committee. More information on how to apply for residence in the scholarship hall can be found at www.fhsu.edu/scholarshiphall.
It was the love of her dog that spurred Ellis to start her own business, and she opened a pets-only funeral home in Carmel, Ind., in 2004, the first of its kind in the country.
Ellis now has six pet loss centers in Texas and Florida and expects to have three more open by the end of the year. Ellis and her business partner, Nick Padlo, are backed by private equity and individual investor. More about those centers can be found online at thepetlosscenter.com.
Ellis met some FHSU representatives at an alumni function last spring in Texas, where she now lives in a suburb of Fort Worth. They told Ellis about Hansen Hall and FHSU’s entrepreneurship program. A Fort Hays State Tiger through and through, Ellis immediately jumped on board with the idea of supporting any kind of entrepreneurship project at FHSU.
“This is an incredible program, one that I’m really excited about being a part of,” Ellis said. “When I heard about it, I definitely wanted to be a donor and a coach and a mentor for these students. I know how hard it is to be an entrepreneur.”
FHSU offers a unique program that enables students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and competencies that are necessary to compete in today’s global economy.
“The marketing area was really good back then; it allowed me to tap into the creative part of business,” Ellis said. “This program now is incredible.”
Ellis grew up in Rozel and graduated from Pawnee Heights High School in 1983, then came to Fort Hays State to major in accounting.
“I had a choice where I wanted to go to college and was blessed with a lot of scholarship offers,” she said. “But it was never really a choice. Mom and Dad always loved Fort Hays State. I always wanted to go to Fort Hays.”
So Ellis headed north to Hays, and her two younger brothers, Chris and Curtis, followed in her footsteps and also attended FHSU. Ellis said she and her siblings all developed a strong foundation of business education at Fort Hays State. Like their older sister, both of Ellis’ brothers also started their own businesses.
“Our goal with the entrepreneurship program is to attract other students like Coleen Ellis and to help them launch their dreams,” Bannister said. “We are thrilled that she is paying forward to others the benefits she received at Fort Hays State.”
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Latest on the Democratic National Convention and 2016 presidential campaign. (all times EDT):
2:37 p.m.
President Barack Obama’s mention of “fascists” and “homegrown demagogues” in his convention speech wasn’t aimed at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
That’s what White House press secretary Josh Earnest is telling reporters the day after Obama argued for Democrat Hillary Clinton’s election over Trump.
Obama said “anyone who threatens our values, whether fascists or communists or jihadists or homegrown demagogues, will always fail in the end.”
Obama had criticized Trump several times before arriving at that particular line in the speech, including saying that American power “doesn’t come from a self-declared savior promising that he alone can restore order as long as we do things his way.”
Trump said in his acceptance speech at last week’s GOP convention that “I alone can fix” a political system he says is rigged.
ELLIS–A number of recent complaints from the public about Ellis Public Works Director Alan Scheuerman prompted city council members to consider whether Scheuerman should wear a body camera while on duty. The discussion took place during the July 18 city meeting, with no action taken.
Fire Chief Denis Vine reported the Ellis Fire Department has its first female member. Brianna Witchey is the newest Ellis firefighter.
Council members agreed to approve a change order relocating a fire hydrant on a resident’s property at her request. The fire hydrant was installed in her yard as part of the city’s waterline improvement project. The $5,800 cost will come from USDA funding.
The complete meeting minutes follow.
ELLIS CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING Minutes July 18, 2016
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor David McDaniel called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Present were Council members Bret Andries, Holly Aschenbrenner, Gary Luea, Jolene Niernberger, Bob Redger, and John Walz. Also present were City Clerk Amy Burton, Police Chief Taft Yates, Fire Chief Denis Vine, and City Prosecutor Cassy Zeigler. Public Works Director Alan Scheuerman and City Attorney Olavee Raub were absent.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
AMENDMENTS TO AGENDA
None
PUBLIC PRESENT
Larry Parke, Buck Driggs, Sylvia Kinderknecht, Glen Keller, Brandon Tippy, Maysyn Tippy, Aaron White, and Cheryl Kinderknecht.
CONSENT AGENDA
Council member Bob Redger moved to approve the consent agenda containing the Minutes from the Regular Meeting on July 5, 2016, and Bills Ordinance #2001. Council member Jolene Niernberger seconded the motion. The Council approved the consent agenda 6-0.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Brandon Tippy spoke to Council regarding a recent code violation he received.
Cheryl Kinderknecht distributed a formal funding request letter on behalf of the Tourism Task Force.
PRESENTATIONS OF AWARDS, PROCLAMATIONS, REQUESTS & PETITIONS (HEARINGS)
None
SPECIAL ORDER
General Government: Financial – Budget Request
Aaron White provided an update on current Ellis County Coalition projects and developments and also presented the Coalition’s 2017 budget request in the amount of $4,000. Council took no action and will consider the request during budget preparation.
Sewer: Petition
Larry Parke asked for Council consideration on extending the City sewer line to his property on Spruce Street. Council took no action being the Public Works Director and City Attorney were both absent.
Fire
Fire Chief Denis Vine gave his monthly Fire Department report. Ellis will host a mutual aid drill on September 17th. The scenario will be a tornado hitting Ellis. Council member Gary Luea inquired about reports of firefighters running stop signs and disobeying speed limits when responding to a fire call. Chief Vine stated firefighters still have to follow all traffic laws.
Fire: Entry
Chief Vine noted that Ellis Fire Department has made history – Brianna Witchey is the newest member of the Department. Ms. Witchey is believed to be the first female firefighter to serve on the Department.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
General Government: Contracts
Council reviewed and discussed an updated Eagle Communications proposal for the installation of WIFI at City Hall. The latest proposal excludes the City Shop area. After further discussion, Council directed City Clerk Amy Burton to contact Golden Belt Telephone for an additional proposal to consider.
Sanitation: Special Project
Council discussed a special pickup charge in which a volunteer group cleaned up a resident’s property on Maple Street. Public Works Director Alan Scheuerman noted in his memo to Council that he visited with the group’s supervisor and the group has no funds to pay the bill, nor does the resident. After additional discussion, Council member John Walz stated he would personally pay the $60 charge for the resident. Council member Bob Redger suggested the City set up a separate fund whereby the City could use funds in that account to help pay special pickup charges in these situations. City Clerk Amy Burton will contact another City that operates such a fund to gather more information on determining qualifications for the resident to be eligible for aid and also how they fund the account. Council reiterated that the volunteer organizations and the residents need to know ahead of time that charges apply to the special pickups.
NEW BUSINESS
Water: Special Project
City Clerk Amy Burton presented the first Contractor’s Pay Estimate for the Waterline Improvement Project. Council member Holly Aschenbrenner moved and Council member John Walz seconded a motion to approve Contractor’s Pay Estimate #1 and authorizing the Mayor to sign the pay document. The motion carried 6-0.
Water: Special Project
Buck Driggs, Driggs Design Group, presented a request from the resident at 13th Street and Dorrance to relocate the fire hydrant placed in her yard as part of the Waterline Improvement Project. The placement of the hydrant was included in the initial project plans with no opposition until now. APAC has quoted $5,800 to relocate the hydrant. Council member Bob Redger moved to approve the change order from APAC to move the fire hydrant to the north side of the property in the amount of $5,800, with funds to come from the USDA funding. Council member John Walz seconded the motion. The motion carried 6-0. Council instructed Mr. Driggs to consult with Fire Chief Denis Vine to ensure the hydrant placement will still be accessible for the Fire Department.
Sewer: Special Project
Council reviewed the fourth set of Pay Applications for work performed to date on the Wastewater Treatment Plant Project. Council member John Walz moved and Council member Bret Andries seconded a motion to approve Pay Application #4 to APAC in the amount of $243,102.24. The motion carried 6-0.
Council member John Walz then moved to approve the invoice from Northwest Kansas Planning & Development in the amount of $4,000 for work performed to date administering the KDHE loan. Council member Holly Aschenbrenner seconded the motion. The motion carried 6-0.
Council member John Walz moved to approve Payment Request #4 to the Kansas Department of Health & Environment in the amount of $247,102.24. Council member Bret Andries seconded the motion. The motion carried 6-0.
Council member John Walz moved to authorize the Mayor to sign the necessary pay documents for the Wastewater Treatment Plant Project. Council member Jolene Niernberger seconded the motion. The motion carried 6-0.
General Government: Licenses/Permits
Council member Holly Aschenbrenner moved to approve the Application for License to Sell Cereal Malt Beverages for the Ellis Volunteer Fire Department, pending successful background check. Council member Bob Redger seconded the motion. The motion carried 6-0.
Tourism: Committee
Council discussed whether to formally create a City Tourism Committee or to have the volunteer group continue as a task force. By creating a formal committee, Council would have more control of funds and projects, and members would serve under the appointment of the Mayor with Council’s approval. After further discussion, Council member John Walz moved to direct City Attorney Olavee Raub to draft a resolution creating a Tourism Committee with seven members to serve in staggered two year terms. Council member Bob Redger seconded the motion. The motion carried 5-1, with Council member Holly Aschenbrenner abstaining due to perceived conflict of interest and Council member Gary Luea voting opposed.
Water: Repair/Maintenance
Council considered two bids for a high service pump for the Water Treatment Plant. Council member John Walz moved to accept the low bid from Layne for a high service pump and installation in the amount of $11,008.11, with funds to come from the Water Depreciation Reserve fund. Council member Jolene Niernberger seconded the motion. The motion carried 6-0.
Public Works: Acquistion
In light of recent complaints against Public Works Director Alan Scheuerman, Council discussed if Mr. Scheuerman should wear a body camera while on duty. Mr. Scheuerman is in favor of the idea and is willing to cover the $475 cost out of his department budget. Council directed several questions to Police Chief Taft Yates regarding the battery life and effectiveness of the body cameras. Chief Yates stated he wasn’t in favor of Mr. Scheuerman wearing a body camera at first; however, the Public Works Department encounters similar accusations and hostilities as the Police Department, and the cameras do tend to calm people down. Council took no action on the purchase.
REPORTS FROM CITY OFFICIALS
Public Works
Council reviewed the Comparative Water Report for the period May 10th to June 10th. Council expressed appreciation to the Public Works Department for keeping the burn pile open over the weekend for residents to deposit limbs and branches after the storm.
Police
Police Chief Taft Yates gave an update on the Police Department. Chief Yates reported the individuals responsible for damaging the toilet at Chrysler Park have been located and they are paying restitution and performing community service for the crime.
City Clerk
City Clerk Amy Burton noted the Ellis Recreation Commission’s 2015 Financial Statements have been included in the packets as requested. The June Health Insurance Savings report was reviewed. Ms. Burton reminded Council of the budget work session on July 19th at 6:30 p.m.
Water: Financial
Ms. Burton reported that she has been in contact with Gilmore & Bell regarding the issuance of General Obligation bonds for the Waterline Improvement Project. Council should have a bond resolution for approval at the August 1st meeting.
Attorney
Mayor Update and Announcements
Mayor David McDaniel reminded Council of the KOMA/KORA training in Hays on August 5th.
ADJOURNMENT
Council member Bob Redger moved and Council member John Walz seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried 6-0. The meeting adjourned at 9:35 p.m.
CLOUD COUNTY – A Kansas man died in an accident just after 9a.m. on Thursday in Cloud County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Kawasaki motorcycle driven by Timothy Paul Jarrard, 49, Miltonvale, was southbound on 260th Road at Bell just southeast of Miltonvale.
The driver lost control of the motorcycle. It overturned and slid through intersection.
Jarrard was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Chaput Funeral Home.
Republican primary voters have clear alternatives in most of the 52 contested primaries for state legislative races next Tuesday, but many of the half million postcards inundating mailboxes this month are designed to hoodwink these voters.
The fundamental choice is simple: Do you support the direction that Governor Sam Brownback and his political patrons are taking Kansas state government? Or do you believe reassessment and course corrections are in order?
H. Edward Flentje is professor emeritus at Wichita State University.
This postcard campaign is being dominated by the Kansas State Chamber with assistance from the Kansas Club for Growth and Americans for Prosperity–Kansas, three groups that have championed huge income tax cuts for the richest Kansans and elimination of income taxes on business owners. These groups have successfully engaged in recent primary elections and enforced their agendas upon Republican lawmakers. Their radical tax policies have created the state’s fiscal mess—unbalanced budgets, unfair sales and property tax increases, and a mountain of new state debt.
These groups also advocate unraveling safety nets and targeting budget cuts on the state’s most vulnerable residents. Their policies have diminished core state obligations for highways and universities. They also promote handing taxpayer dollars over to private schools while shortchanging funding for public schools.
Their postcard campaign does not defend the tax cuts or their policies but seeks to befuddle voters into thinking that voting for a state legislator is about other issues, such as “fighting Washington,” “standing up to the establishment,” calling opponents “school yard bullies,” or besmirching local “politicians.” After driving the state broke, forcing record-high sales and property tax increases, and earning repeated credit downgrades, these groups claim to know the true “conservative” in each contested race.
On top of this deception the State Chamber finances last-minute attacks on opponents so scurrilous that the Chamber itself hides from voters in making such specious charges. The latest piece of hogwash slanders Republican candidates who have not pledged allegiance to the Chamber. The mailer smears candidates with scaremongering, such as “taxing seniors” and “raiding Medicare,” the latter a federal program for which the Kansas legislature has no responsibility. The Chamber resorts to unsubstantiated allegations, guilt by association, and innuendo to denigrate its opponents.
The State Chamber conceals its eleventh-hour mudslinging behind front groups with pleasant sounding titles, for example, “Main Street Kansas PAC,” a group solely financed by the Chamber and run by its vice president for political affairs. Further, the Chamber evades campaign finance laws by delaying its reports. Postcard smears go out across the state well before reporting deadlines, but the Chamber’s payment for the postcards will occur after the deadline. So, voters will never know.
The Chamber’s descent into gutter politics stains every candidate it has endorsed, as well as its donors, and further sullies the already dismal reputation of the governor.
So, Republican voters, if you like the direction Brownback and his allies have taken the state over the past five years, and the political tactics they employ to stay in power, their postcard endorsements tell you exactly who to vote for.
If on the other hand, you believe that Kansas state government has gotten off track and the radical tax policies should be reassessed, go to the Women for Kansas website for another perspective on these contested races. This group of volunteers has given a grade to every candidate based on voting records and responses to questionnaires across a broad range of issues.
The choices you make will determine the future direction of our state and the character of the Kansas Republican Party for years to come.
H. Edward Flentje is professor emeritus at Wichita State University.
SHAWNEE COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities in Shawnee County are investigating a murder.
Police are requesting the public’s assistance in identifying a person of interest related to the homicide of Curt A. Cochran on May 9, and have released a photo.
Workers found 64-year old Cochran’s body on May 9, in the back room of a warehouse in Topeka He was part owner of 3 Men with Truck & Trailer moving company.
He was a teacher at Northern Hills from 1975 to 1991 and was principal from 1991 to 2000. It is now called Seaman Middle School.
Any information on this suspect please Email the TPD Criminal Intelligence Unit ([email protected]) or TPD DET Lance Green ([email protected]) or call #785 368 9569 or Crime Stoppers at #785 234-0007.
ELLIS–A number of recent complaints from the public about Ellis Public Works Director Alan Scheuerman prompted city council members to consider whether Scheuerman should wear a body camera while on duty. The discussion took place during the July 18 city meeting, with no action taken.
