WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 79-year-old Kansas man is dead after his riding lawnmower rolled into a creek near his Wichita home and trapped him underneath.
The Wichita Eagle reports police responded to the 911 call around 3 p.m. Thursday after the man’s wife found him. Police spokeswoman Nikki Woodrow says he was pronounced dead at the scene.
It wasn’t clear how long the man had been trapped.
It was the second fatal Wichita lawnmower mishap in as many days.
On Wednesday, a 63-year man who owns a lawn care business was trapped under a mower he was repairing at his home. The motor was still running when he was found.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas tax revenue receipts have come up $34.5 million short for June, pushing the fiscal year-ending shortfall to $76.2 million.
The state Department of Revenue said on Friday receipts for corporate income taxes missed estimates by $20.3 million, or 25 percent. The department says those taxes were not part of the 2012 income tax reductions championed by Gov. Sam Brownback.
The revenue gap is forcing the state to make adjustments previously outlined by budget director Shawn Sullivan to balance the fiscal year 2016 budget.
The state is withholding $75 million from the June payment to schools and will distribute that on July 7. Also, a total of $23.6 million will come from the Department of Transportation, Department of Corrections and unspent funds from the Kansas State Department of Education.
LANSING, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Department of Corrections says the maximum-security unit at the state’s largest prison is on lockdown after “altercations” involving inmates and staff.
Corrections spokesman Adam Pfannenstiel said in an email Friday the maximum-security unit at the Lansing Correctional Facility is on lockdown after four “separate incidents” early Thursday. He described the incidents as “altercations initiated by inmates against staff.”
He says there were no serious injuries, and the incidents appear unrelated.
During the lockdown, which will be reevaluated Tuesday, inmates will remain in their cells and won’t move throughout the facility. Visitation for the maximum-security unit is also canceled during the lockdown.
The Leavenworth Times reports the lockdown comes as Sam Cline became the prison’s new warden last week, replacing former Warden Rex Pryor, who retired.
Patricia Mai was born December 2, 1926 to Frank J. and Blanche (Lindsay) DeJarnette, in Miami, Oklahoma. She passed away Thursday, June 30, 2016 at Trego County Lemke Memorial Hospital.
As a young girl, Patty was baptized in the Christian Church faith. She spent most of her young life in Baxter Springs, Kansas, and with her grandparents, George and Mattie DeJarnette in WaKeeney. Patty was united in marriage to Emil Mai on June 20, 1946, in WaKeeney, and became a member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, in WaKeeney. Emil passed away on November 23, 2003, after 56 years of marriage together.
She worked as a telephone operator, nurse’s aide, and physical therapist at Trego Lemke Hospital, and at WaKeeney Manor. She was a member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Daughters, Em Kro Knit, American Legion Auxiliary, Locust Club, and PEO Chapter CT.
Patty is survived by two grandsons, Bryce of Littleton, Colorado, and Darin of Greensborough, North Carolina; and six great-grandchildren, Elyssa, Jordyn, Madeline, Avry, Tristin, and Ryker Mai. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; a son, Sammy; and two sisters, Dolly and Polly.
Funeral services will be 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 5, 2016 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, WaKeeney. Burial will be in the WaKeeney City Cemetery.
There will be a visitation, with family present, for one hour prior to services at the church.
Memorial contributions are suggested to the Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Donations to the church may be sent to Schmitt Funeral Home, 336 North 12th, WaKeeney, KS 67672.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.schmittfuneral.com.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Former five-star recruit Malik Newman is transferring to Kansas, where he will be forced to redshirt during the upcoming season and be classified as a sophomore beginning in 2017-18.
Courtesy of KU AthleticsThe 6-foot-3 Newman started 21 of 29 games as a freshman at Mississippi State last season, averaging 11.3 points. He hit seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 25 points in a game against rival Ole Miss.
Newman declared for the NBA draft following the season, but chose to return to school after the annual scouting combine. At that point, he decided to continue his career at a different school.
Kansas coach Bill Self said he recruited Newman hard coming out of high school, and that his coaching staff jumped at getting a second chance with him. Self said the year Newman will spend as a redshirt will help him to address the things NBA scouts wanted to see out of him.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas secretary of state’s office has asked a judge to throw out the federal lawsuit filed by a former employee who claims she was fired for not attending Bible study sessions at the office.
Assistant Secretary of State Eric Rucker argued in a filing Thursday that Courtney Canfield cannot prove discrimination and any remaining claims are barred by sovereign immunity.
The state contends Canfield was terminated from her clerk’s job because of disruptive workplace behavior, poor attendance and excessive personal phone use — not because of “religious animus.”
Kansas contends that that the only evidence of religious discrimination is a statement Rucker allegedly made to another woman that Canfield was fired because she did not go to church. Rucker argues he was not the decision maker in her firing.
By RANDY GONZALES FHSU University Relations and Marketing
Do I want to be a teacher?
Some undergraduate students at Fort Hays State University can find out firsthand if they want to become math or science teachers through a grant received from the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. For the third year, six Noyce Scholars participated in FHSU’s Science and Mathematics Education Institute’s summer camps throughout the month of June.
There were six, four-day SMEI camps on the FHSU campus for students ranging from second graders to eighth graders. FHSU students selected as Noyce Scholars were provided hands-on experience in teaching the youngsters. They helped keep things running smoothly, engaging with the students and putting them in groups for the experiments.
“The instructors very much appreciate the help of the Noyce Scholars,” said Ann Noble, program specialist and financial administrator for the Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science, who is also SMEI’s financial administrator.
Alyssa Gottschalk, from Broomfield, Colo., who will be a junior at FHSU this fall, majoring in biology education. Teaching at the SMEI camps led Gottschalk to reconsider her future plans.
“I just kind of decided I was interested in teaching; I wanted to see what it was like,” she said. “I was planning on majoring in secondary education. Now, working with the younger kids, I’m actually thinking I want to (teach) younger, middle school, maybe. It’s got me thinking a little bit.”
Raquel Tomsic, from Goodland, will be a sophomore at FHSU, also majoring in biology education. Teaching at the SMEI camps reinforced her career choice.
“It really confirmed my calling into teaching,” Tomsic said. “I really enjoyed it; it’s been a lot of fun. I’m on board now — 100 percent.
“I think it just built more confidence that I can do it,” she added. “We each teach a lesson. We have to teach each week, one-on-one with the kids. It just built more confidence in me.”
Gottschalk taught the children about the science of aerodynamics using balloons in hovercraft experiments. She had to prepare for that day’s activities.
“I had to go and research it and put together a lesson,” Gottschalk said. “It was kind of a good experience.”
On another day during aerodynamics week, campers built kites to see which ones worked best in low wind. They built and tested three kites, then recorded the results on personal log sheets.
“They practice being scientists,” said Dr. Valerie Zelenka, assistant professor of teacher education at FHSU. “They make predictions, then they record their experiments. They also design their own kite based on what they learned.”
Cari Rohleder, project director in the Science and Mathematics Education Institute, sees campers come back from one summer to another in her role as camp director.
“It’s fun to see the repeats come back and see what they remember from year to year,” she said. “Even the new children we have come, what they come up with is amazing.”
On the day campers worked on their kites, 7-year-old Jaylen Hughes said she was having fun.
“I like building things,” she said. “I like to fly kites.”
Rohleder starts working on the following summer’s SMEI camps in the fall, recruiting instructors to help out, ordering supplies, brainstorming new ideas. It all comes to fruition four weeks in June.
This year, in the first week, there were two camps involving robotics, one just for girls. In the second week, there was a camp for improving math skills while incorporating physical fitness. That week, there was also a camp involving rockets and the engineering design process. In the third week, campers discussed different engineering fields. They built everything from robots to flashlights and designed things like bridges and aerodynamic cars and planes. The final week was devoted to the study of aerodynamics.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Gottschalk said. “Each camp is a little bit different. They’re all different science activities.”
Teachers and administrators agree on the necessity of having SMEI summer camps.
“It is very important for children to have a fun summer activity outside of the regular school classroom because they are not being tested, but instead having fun while learning math and science,” Rohleder said. “We hope the students can take the knowledge they learn at summer camps and apply it to everyday life.”
“We really do focus on the STEM disciplines. (The camps) have been fun in different ways,” Noble said. “I love the little kids because they’re so excited and eager to learn.”
“The one thing I think is the neatest is that we get to offer this to all the community members but also faculty and staff at Fort Hays State,” Zelenka said. “I think it’s awesome they can send their children and grandchildren right here on campus.”
“The FHSU Science and Mathematics Education Institute feels it is necessary to give back to the community,” Rohleder said. “These opportunities give children a fun and safe environment to learn about STEM and the endless possibilities available in these areas.”
Photo by KHI News Service File Tom Bell, left, president and CEO of the Kansas Hospital Association, sent a letter to federal officials asking them to immediately intervene to stop $56.4 million in Medicaid cuts set to take effect Friday.
By JIM MCLEAN
The Kansas Hospital Association is urging federal officials to stop Gov. Sam Brownback from implementing $56.4 million in Medicaid cuts set to take effect Friday.
Brownback ordered the cuts in May to cover shortfalls in the fiscal year 2017 budget approved by the Legislature. The hospital association is asking the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to immediately intervene to stop the cuts, which include a 4 percent reduction in provider payments.
“Kansas is attempting to fund its self-inflicted budget deficit in substantial part on the backs of Medicaid patients and hospitals and other health care providers,” wrote Tom Bell, KHA president and chief executive, in a June 29 letter to Andy Slavitt, the acting administrator of CMS.
Under normal circumstances, the state would be permitted to implement the cuts before submitting a Medicaid plan amendment to CMS for approval. But Bell argues federal officials need to act quickly to prevent cuts that he and others say could limit Medicaid beneficiaries’ access to care.
“CMS should become directly involved at this point by insisting that the state promptly submit required amendments in a form that can permit immediate action by CMS,” Bell wrote.
In the letter, Bell said the state’s budget problems aren’t enough to justify the cuts, which also would trigger a loss of $72.3 million in federal matching funds.
“The state of Kansas advances no justification for the payment reduction beyond its budget shortfall,” he wrote.
“CMS cannot approve a state plan amendment solely driving by budgetary concerns.” Kansas officials have directed the three managed care organizations that oversee the day-to-day operations of KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program, to implement the cuts.
Angela de Rocha, a spokesperson for the state’s Medicaid agencies, declined comment on the KHA letter except to say that state officials weren’t aware of “any instances in which CMS has blocked a state plan to reduce Medicaid provider rates.”
Mike Randol, director of the Division of Health Care Finance in the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said in an interview Thursday that the agency was on track to implement the cuts on schedule.
“We’re on our timeline to implement the reduction on July 1,” Randol said. “We are on target internally to have our state plan amendments changed to reflect the reduction, and those will be submitted to CMS on the appropriate timeline.”
Normally, Kansas officials would have until Sept. 30 to submit the plan amendments for CMS approval.
CMS officials didn’t immediately respond when asked whether the agency would alter that schedule in response to the KHA request.
Jim McLean is executive editor of KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team.
The general fund mill levy is not expected to increase under a proposed 2017 Ellis County budget.
The Ellis County Commission held a final budget work session Thursday to discuss eight more department budgets. The rest of the departments presented their budget proposals to the commission at a prior meeting.
Department heads were instructed by the commission to cut their 2017 budgets by 3 percent from the previous year in an effort to close a close to $3.7 million shortfall.
Ellis County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes told the commission, under the current budget proposal, the general fund mil levy will remain the same as the 2016 fiscal year, 36.561.
Most of the departments reached or exceeded the 3 percent reduction.
Rural Fire has been hit especially hard by the drop in oil prices and, because it is its own taxing entity, it will likely raise its mill levy. The increase would only affect the unincorporated areas of Ellis County and Schoenchen.
A number of the departments chose not to fill or eliminated open positions within their department as a cost-cutting measure.
One department in “desperate need” of staff is the jail, according to Undersheriff Bruce Hertel.
Sheriff Ed Harbin said they need three more jailers because the newly remodeled jail doubled the inmate population. It will cost the county $138,000, including benefits, to hire three new jail employees.
Hertel said they have been using officers off the street to fill in when needed and ,if something happens on the jail floor, they have to call in officers, even from the Hays Police Department, to respond.
When it comes to the jail budget, Commissioner Dean Haselhorst said, “We really won’t have any idea what the new jail is going to cost us until we really have it for a year.”
Smith-Hanes presented the commission with a budget that would take money from the special highway fund and the administrator’s contingency fund to pay for the three new jail employees. The commission had already committed to dramatically increase the amount of money transferred to the highway fund.
The commission also continues to be at odds with the county Treasurer Ann Pfeifer. Last year, Pfeifer filled two open positions within her department despite the commission’s telling employees to hold off on hiring employees.
Pfeifer, at a meeting last year, told the commission the two positions were in the department’s budget for 2016 and 2017 and, because she is an elected official, she has the right to run her department. The county had received complaints about the wait-times at the treasurer’s office, she said.
Commissioner Barb Wasinger again voiced he displeasure over the hirings at Thursday meeting.
“The only control we have over any other elected official, not that I want control over any other elected official, is budget,” said Wasinger, Wasinger added she wants to look into the issue further and see about getting more control from the commission over the hiring of employees.
Smith-Hanes said they are working to have more transparency on all department positions.
“The problem is that when you are an elected official and you have a budget,” Wasinger said, “it was made clear to us at that meeting that you can spend anything you want too.”
Commissioner Dean Haselhorst also questioned Pfeifer on the need for nine full-time and one part-time employee.
“I know Russell County is a lot smaller than you,” said Haselhorst “but they also do driver licenses transactions and all that good stuff with four employees.”
Pfeifer said because the population difference is so much greater, “even if there’s not taxpayers in front of us, there is still work to be done.”
Ellis County’s population is more than four times the size of Russell County.
Smith-Hanes said the nearly 5 percent reduction in the treasurer’s budget from last year was among the largest of all departments.
He also said the county staffing levels are “pretty minimal” and said departments need to be able to fill the positions allocated to them and said “the idea of a freeze needs to thaw.”
The county previously combined the county health department and emergency medical services and the emergency management department with rural fire to save a significant amount of money.
County Appraiser Lisa Ree said she eliminated one position from her department and said, because they have fewer employees than similarly sized counties and they are dealing with shorter deadlines, they could have a difficult time meeting those.
Smith-Hanes will present the commission with the budget proposal at the July 11 meeting.
Marcia Lynne Van Conet, 62, died June 26, 2016, at St. Francis Hospital, Wichita, Kansas.
She was born February 2, 1954, in Hoisington, Kansas, the daughter of Theodore Roosevelt Guliford, Jr. and Josephine D. Guliford.
Marcia was a longtime resident of South Hoisington. In 1972, she wed Booker T. Cartwright in Hoisington, Kansas. They lived in Russell for three years before returning to South Hoisington.
In 1990 she then wed George Anthony Van Conet. They lived in Alma, Nebraska for a short time, until moving back to Olmitz and later LaCrosse, Kansas. He died in 2003. Marcia has been a resident of Great Bend, Kansas, for the last sixteen years.
Marcia was a homemaker and a professional cosmetologist since 1981.
Marcia grew up in First Baptist Church of South Hoisington where she was the choir director and then in 2010 she became a member of the Myers Chapel, A.M.E., in Great Bend.
Survivors include; a sister, Karen Jo Guliford of Olathe, KS; sisters/aunts, Marilyn Overton and Theodora Singleton both of Kansas City, MO; her children, Dradeana K. Cartwright of Great Bend, KS, Brandon T. Cartwight and wife Mistee of Sterling, CO, Braylan T. Cartwright of Russell, KS, Barrian T. Cartwright of Oklahoma; and nine grandchildren, Kordyante Leum San-Teall , Remahliel Deanalon – Sakai, Adaighzion Pearl Junae, Jossie Arlene, Trennary Shai, Jalan Jsaiha Keysean, Kyona Lynne, Braxton, and Braddy Tre-Teagg; two nieces, Kya M.Gibbs and Homega K. Guliford.
She was preceded in death by her parents, three sisters, Sheryl June Guliford, Toi-San Guliford, Gayle F. Guliford–Locke.
Funeral service will be 10:00 a.m., Friday, July 1, 2016, at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, with Rev. Dr. Akiiki Daisy Kabagarama presiding.
Friends may call 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., with family to receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Burial will be in Hoisington Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Myers Chapel, A.M.E., in care of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, PO Box 146, Hoisington, KS 67544.
Marietta Ann Lichter, 78, died June 29, 2016, at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS. She was born November 30, 1937, in Great Bend, Kansas, the daughter of Leo P. and Anna (Schreiber) Ohnmacht. Marietta graduated from Otis Rural High School in 1955.
On August 31, 1955, she married Alvin E. Lichter at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Olmitz, Kansas.
A lifetime Barton County resident, she worked for Fuller Brush, retiring after 36 years. Marietta was a member of St. Ann’s Catholic Church where she was active in the Altar Society. She was also a member of the D.A.V. Auxiliary of Great Bend.
She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Alvin E. Lichter; three children, Terry L. Lichter of Great Bend, Brenda A. Dreiling and husband Jerry of Pfeifer, KS, Lynn A. Lichter of Topeka, KS; a sister, Loretta Southard and husband Joe of Great Bend; sisters-in-law, Rosemary Linn and husband Harvey of Albert, KS, Mary Evelyn Linenberger of Great Bend; and six grandchildren, Andrew Lichter of Corpus Christi, TX, Erin Lichter of Lake Charles, LA, Brett Lichter of Topeka, KS, and Isaac, Noah, and Wyatt Dreiling all of Pfeifer, KS; and several cousins, nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, daughter-in-law, Kyle A. Lichter, a brother, Marion Ohnmacht and his wife Lillian, and brothers-in-law, John Raymond Lichter and his wife Christine, Joseph Marvin Lichter and his wife Irene, Henry Lichter, and Sylvester Linenberger.
Vigil with Altar Society Rosary will be at 7 p.m., Friday, July 1, 2016, with Mass of Christian Burial 10 a.m., Saturday, all at St. Ann’s Catholic Church, Olmitz, celebrated by Fathers Anselm Eke and Ultan Murphy. Friends may call 2 to 5 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will follow in St. Ann’s Cemetery, Olmitz. Memorials may be made to St. Ann’s Catholic Church in care of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, PO Box 146, Hoisington, KS 67544.
The Kansas Farm Management Association, part of Kansas State University’s Agriculture Economics Department, released its annual member data June 15. Net farm income plummeted last year to $4,568, less than five percent of the 2014 average of $128,731.
“It’s a huge, huge, significant difference,” said Ellis County Extension Agriculture Agent Stacy Campbell. The 2015 level was the lowest average level of nominal net farm income since 1985.
Farmers pay to be in the association and “receive extensive help with record keeping,” Campbell explained. “The whole point is to figure out just what it’s costing to produce a bushel of wheat or corn, or a calf, to where you can try to get leaner and hone down where you can cut some expenses and try to have a little profit margin.”
In 2015, northwest Kansas farms averaged a loss of $2,972, while southwest Kansas farms fared best in the state, with net farm income of $37,423.
U.S. beef cattle prices dropped from an average $166 per hundredweight (cwt) in January 2015 to $132 by January 2016 – the largest one-year drop on record, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. Grain prices also dropped significantly over the past four years.
“I think that’s why sometimes the public thinks it can’t be that bad for the farmer and they say the farmers are always complaining. Yeah, you can have a few good years, and it seems like there’s some really bad ones. Last year was not a good year,” Campbell said.
“It’s not that they can’t produce it most of the time; it’s just the marketing of it. It’s really frustrating and nobody’s got the answer.
“Guys try it. When you’re a dryland farmer, you can’t forward-contract too much of your crop–that’s when you can set the price a year out when it’s maybe better–but you have to deliver those bushels. If you can’t, you gotta go out and literally buy those bushels for the elevator or whoever you forward-contracted with,” he explained.
This year’s wheat harvest may be one for the record books with reports of 60 to 100-plus bushels an acre in Ellis County. However, “when you have great crops, that’s what happens,” Campbell said, “the law of supply-and-demand.”
Thursday’s closing cash price for wheat at Midland Marketing in Hays was $3.03 a bushel.
According to Campbell, the wheat price “a few months back wasn’t great, but it was still well over $4 a bushel and teetering around $5 during the winter.
“It’s a very tough game to play,” he added.
Not all Kansas farmers are KFMA members, but the annual report can be viewed as a reflection of financial conditions for farmers across the state, especially when comparing one year to the next. The data presented in the 2015 analysis came from 1,159 KFMA member farms and ranches.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) reminds outdoor enthusiasts that no alcohol is allowed at posted state fishing lakes (SFL) and wildlife areas (WA). The no alcohol list includes beer, wine, liquor and spirits. Osage SFL was recently added to those regulations, so no alcohol will be allowed at that lake, according to a media release.
Other state fishing lakes and wildlife areas in northeast Kansas where alcohol is not allowed include:
Atchison SFL, Benedictine WA, Brown SFL and WA, Buck Creek WA, Burr Oak WA, Dalbey WA, Douglas SFL and WA, Elwood WA, Jeffery Energy Center WA Area 2, Kansas River WA, K-18 River Access, La Cygne Lake and WA, Leavenworth SFL, Lyon SFL and WA, Middle Creek Lake Area, Miami SFL, Pillsbury Crossing WA, Pottawatomie SFL’s 1 and 2, Rising Sun (Perry-Lecompton) River Access, Shawnee SFL and WA, and Osawatomie Dam and Parking Area.
Fireworks are not allowed at state fishing lakes and wildlife areas. In addition, no swimming is allowed at Melvern WA Quarry Pond and Pillsbury Crossing WA.
A complete list of all department state laws and regulations can be found at KSOutdoors.com, then click on Laws, Regulations & Enforcement on the left side of the page.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 79-year-old Kansas man is dead after his riding lawnmower rolled into a creek near his Wichita home and trapped him underneath.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas tax revenue receipts have come up $34.5 million short for June, pushing the fiscal year-ending shortfall to $76.2 million.
LANSING, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Department of Corrections says the maximum-security unit at the state’s largest prison is on lockdown after “altercations” involving inmates and staff.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas secretary of state’s office has asked a judge to throw out the federal lawsuit filed by a former employee who claims she was fired for not attending Bible study sessions at the office.
By BECKY KISER
