LARNED, Kan. (AP) — State officials say the warden at the state prison system’s psychiatric hospital has left the position but offered no details.
The Hutchinson News reports that Wednesday was the last day Douglas Waddington led the Larned Correctional Mental Health Facility.
Kansas Department of Corrections Communications Director Adam Pfannenstiel declined to comment about the nature of Waddington’s departure, citing policy not to speak about personnel matters. Waddington doesn’t have a listed phone number.
Waddington was named warden at Larned in 2011. His biography says he started his career in corrections more than three decades ago in Oklahoma and had served as a warden at three corrections facilities in Washington state before joi
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas faith-based group is hoping to overturn a law allowing concealed weapons to be carried on college campuses across the state.
Lawrence-based Kansas Interfaith Action representatives are visiting state universities to increase awareness of the issue and raise money. The Lawrence Journal-World reports Rabbi Moti Rieber says the group also plans to lobby the Legislature to change the law once representatives return to session in January.
Gov. Sam Brownback signed the law in 2013 requiring concealed carry of handguns to be allowed in all publicly owned buildings unless the owners provide adequate security to prevent anyone from bringing weapons in.
Cities, counties and public colleges and universities were allowed to exempt themselves until July 1, 2017, so they could set new policies and planned for security measures.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A man has been arrested on suspicion of burglary and arson after a small fire in a Topeka apartment.
The Topeka Fire Department said in a news release that the fire started early Thursday in the four-unit building. Crews quickly extinguished the fire, and all of the residents made it out of the building safely.
After a witness pinned the blame on Justin Fish, 18, at the scene, he was taken for questioning and booked into the Shawnee County jail.
The preliminary investigation found that the blaze was “intentionally set.”
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued a boil water advisory for the City of Dorrance public water supply located in Russell County. KDHE officials issued the advisory because of positive bacteriological samples from the distribution system.
The advisory took effect on September 22 and will remain in effect until conditions which place the system at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be adequately resolved.
Customers should observe the following precautions until further notice:
Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation, or use bottled water.
Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.
If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.
Public water suppliers in Kansas take all measures necessary to notify customers quickly after a system failure. Regardless of whether it’s the supplier or KDHE that announces a boil water advisory, KDHE will issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.
Chancellor Gray-Little -photo University of Kansas
LAWRENCE — Bernadette Gray-Little, the 17th chancellor of the University of Kansas, has announced she will step down from the position in summer 2017, according to a media release.
Chancellor Gray-Little announced her plans to the Kansas Board of Regents recently and in a subsequent campus-wide email to the KU community.
“It has been an honor to lead the University of Kansas,” said Chancellor Gray-Little, who came to Lawrence in 2009 as a highly regarded administrator and researcher. “KU has always been a special place with terrific people and an instinctive spirit to change our world for the better. During the past seven years, we have made tremendous strides as a university and positioned KU for even greater achievements in the future. Leading this remarkable institution is a privilege I always will cherish, and I’m grateful to the entire KU community for believing in our mission.”
Chancellor Gray-Little said the timing of her decision makes good sense for the university.
“With many critical initiatives either completed or nearing completion – including a $1.6 billion Far Above campaign and our transformational Central District project – now is an ideal time for the University of Kansas to identify a new chancellor to guide the next chapter in the university’s history,” Chancellor Gray-Little said. “Additionally, by announcing my decision now, we give state and university leaders a full academic year to conduct the important work of recruiting the next chancellor without the need for an interim, which will ensure a smoother transition.”
The university, in conjunction with the Kansas Board of Regents, will announce details of the search process for Chancellor Gray-Little’s successor in the coming weeks.
“Chancellor Gray-Little has been a transformative figure for the University of Kansas and has ably guided the university during the past seven years,” said Zoe Newton, chair of the Kansas Board of Regents. “On behalf of the Board of Regents, I want to thank her for her service and leadership and wish her the very best.”
Since arriving at the University of Kansas, Chancellor Gray-Little has advanced KU’s mission of lifting students and society by educating leaders, building healthy communities, and making discoveries that change the world. Through the Bold Aspirations strategic plan, KU has changed the way it prepares students, fosters research and scholarship across all disciplines, and shares the benefits of a flagship university with the state and world.
Chancellor Gray-Little led the effort to create new admission procedures for the University of Kansas – which took effect in 2016 – and to revamp financial aid by creating four-year renewable scholarships and expanding the Jayhawk Generations Scholarship. She also approved the move to locate admissions recruiters permanently in seven U.S. cities and provided significant additional resources to the university marketing efforts. Due largely to these efforts, the university now has had four straight years of freshman class growth. Moreover, these freshman classes have set records for academic talent and diversity.
During the 2012 session, the Chancellor worked with the Kansas Legislature to secure state funding to bring 12 new Foundation Professors to the university. The Foundation Distinguished Professor initiative is a unique partnership between the university and the State of Kansas to attract eminent scholars to KU in support of one or more of the university’s four strategic initiative themes. Beyond this effort, she also has enhanced efforts to expand the faculty at KU Medical Center and in Lawrence.
Under Chancellor Gray-Little’s leadership, KU launched its first university-wide curriculum, the KU Core, which incorporates both classes and experiences, making KU a leader among its national peers. Additionally, Chancellor Gray-Little has overseen the creation of the Office of First-Year Experience to help new students transition to KU and the establishment of Chancellor’s Doctoral Fellowships to support outstanding doctoral students.
In recent years, the university has partnered with state and industry leaders and private donors on separate projects to expand the schools of Pharmacy, Medicine, and Engineering, meeting a growing demand for graduates in these areas and ensuring the future health and prosperity of Kansas communities.
Chancellor Gray-Little championed the university’s expansion of its KU School of Medicine-Wichita program from a two-year program into a four-year program in 2011, and the creation of the new School of Medicine at Salina that same year. Both expansions were undertaken without any additional state funding in an effort to provide more doctors for underserved Kansas communities.
The university also strengthened its commitment to turning discoveries into treatments and cures under Chancellor Gray-Little’s leadership. In 2011, the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Center received national designation from the National Institute on Aging. In 2012, the University of Kansas Cancer Center achieved National Cancer Institute designation, which Chancellor Gray-Little’s predecessor, Robert Hemenway, had previously anointed as the university’s top priority. In addition to ensuring that Kansans are able to get world-class diagnoses and treatment close to home, the drive for NCI designation has created 1,830 jobs and $930 million in regional economic activity.
With Chancellor Gray-Little at the helm, KU collaborated with the City of Lawrence and other partners on the creation of the Bioscience & Technology Business Center at KU, an on-campus business incubator network that now has more than 30 tenant companies totaling more than 130 private-sector jobs and a combined payroll of more than $8 million.
Chancellor Gray-Little has been instrumental to Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas, KU Endowment’s widely successful $1.6 billion comprehensive fundraising campaign, which concluded July 1, 2016. This historic fundraising effort has provided unprecedented support to fund scholarships, faculty recruitment and new facilities.
Chancellor Gray-Little has overseen the university’s Changing for Excellence initiative, a top-to-bottom review of KU’s business functions designed to make administrative operations more efficient, with the savings being invested in education and research. Those savings have become crucial in the context of declining state support for higher education in recent years.
In 2013, prior to federal sequestration cuts, the University of Kansas’s research expenditures grew to $240.1 million, a 6.9 percent increase over the previous year. This was a record total and marked the fourth consecutive annual increase for KU. In the years since sequestration, the university has maintained its research funding rank.
Earlier this year, the university broke ground on its Central District redevelopment, a once-in-a generation project that will fundamentally change the face of education and research at the University of Kansas. The project will bring to the Lawrence campus a new Integrated Science Building – something KU has sought for decades but until now had been unable to achieve – as well as new living spaces for students, a new student union and crucial infrastructure improvements.
In addition to the Central District project, the physical transformation of the KU campus under Chancellor Gray-Little’s leadership includes construction of the Learned Engineering Expansion Phase 2 building, Capitol Federal Hall, the DeBruce Center, McCarthy Hall, a renovated Swarthout Recital Hall, and the new Self and Oswald residence halls. Other projects still under construction include the Earth, Energy and Environment Center — featuring Slawson and Ritchie halls — the Health Education Building at KU Medical Center, and a renovated Spencer Museum of Art. Athletic facilities also were enhanced significantly with the construction of Rock Chalk Park in west Lawrence.
In 2013, Gray-Little was named to the Boards of Directors of the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). In 2015 she was named APLU’s Chair of the Board of Directors, a position she currently holds. She also serves on the Advisory Committee to the Director of the National Institutes of Health, the National Commission on Financing 21st Century Higher Education, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She previously has served on the board of trustees for the Online Computer Library Center, an international organization dedicated to expanding public access to information and research.
Chancellor Gray-Little also holds the distinction of being the first female and first African-American chancellor in KU history.
Prior to becoming KU’s 17th chancellor, Gray-Little held leadership positions at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, including executive vice chancellor and provost.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yahoo says the personal information in 500 million accounts was stolen in a massive security breakdown. The breach disclosed Thursday, the latest setback for the beleaguered internet company, dates back to late 2014.
The stolen data includes users’ names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords and security questions for verifying an accountholder’s identity. Yahoo is blaming the hack on a “state-sponsored actor.”
Yahoo is recommending that users change their passwords if they haven’t done so since 2014.
SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Shawnee County are investigating a suspect for carjacking.
Late Thursday morning police arrested Andrew Igashosky Vanderblomen, 20, Topeka, for involvement in a Wednesday morning carjacking on Topeka Boulevard, according to a media release.
He is being held in the Shawnee County jail.
No additional details were released.
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SHAWNEE COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Shawnee County are investigating carjacking and searching for the suspect.
Police have identified Andrew Igashosky Vanderblomen, 20, Topeka, as a person of interest in connection with the car jacking. He is wanted for Aggravated Robbery and Criminal Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.
Just after 2a.m. on Wednesday, police officers were dispatched to the 1700 Block of Topeka Boulevard for a reported carjacking, according to a media release.
The victim reported a young Hispanic man entered the victim’s 4-door sedan while he was fueling it at the Kwik Shop. The suspect then pointed a silver handgun at the victim and drove away.
Approximately 15 minutes later, officers spotted the vehicle near SE 2nd and SE Rice Street. They attempted to stop the car and the driver refused to comply.
They chased the stolen vehicle on SE 2nd to SE Golden where the suspect wrecked the vehicle down an embankment of Shunga
Aaron Dunkel, deputy secretary for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, told a legislative committee that the number of backlogged Medicaid applications as of Sept. 2 was 3,385. CREDIT JIM MCLEAN / HEARTLAND HEALTH MONITOR
By ANDY MARSO
Legislative auditors said Wednesday they can’t confirm that the Medicaid application backlog numbers state officials have reported are correct.
Applications have been backlogged for about a year following the rocky rollout of a new computer system, an administrative decision that funneled all applications through a single state agency and a larger-than-expected influx of applications during the Affordable Care Act open enrollment period.
The auditors said the Kansas Department of Health and Environment gets the backlog number from Accenture, the contractor that built the new software platform known as the Kansas Eligibility Enforcement System, or KEES.
Accenture pulls the number by querying the KEES database. Auditors said they watched one query, but without having access to the underlying data they could not determine the accuracy of the state’s numbers.
“Although the query appears to be written by knowledgeable staff with considerable programming expertise, its complexity results in a greater chance of error,” the auditors wrote. “In this report we will use the numbers generated by the programming language, but the reader should be aware that the actual number of backlogged applications may be higher or lower to an unknown extent.”
Head auditor Scott Frank told members of the Legislative Post Audit Committee that KDHE gave all access requested. Auditors did not request access to the underlying data because combing through it would have been time-consuming, and they wanted to ensure they could give legislators at least a preliminary look at the causes of the backlog before the next session.
Frank said if the committee decided to request a more thorough vetting of the backlog, his team would seek access to the raw data.
The auditor who presented the report, Brad Hoff, said that although the state’s backlog numbers could not be independently confirmed, the auditors believe they’re “not grossly inaccurate.”
Earlier estimates were low
Medicaid is funded by federal and state dollars, and federal rules dictate that applications be processed within 45 days unless they require a federal disability designation, in which case they are to be processed within 90 days.
Federal officials began monitoring the Kansas backlog in February, requesting twice-monthly status updates.
KDHE Secretary Susan Mosier notified federal officials in June that those reports had been underestimating the application backlog and the actual number was about four times higher.
She placed responsibility for the error on Accenture. After the reports were corrected, the number of applications waiting 45 days or more topped out near 14,000 in June.
KDHE took a number of steps to reduce the backlog, including adding personnel to Maximus, the contractor that staffs the facility where most applications are processed.
They also borrowed 50 workers from the Kansas Department for Children and Families, which had been responsible for long-term care Medicaid applications until Gov. Sam Brownback transferred those responsibilities to KDHE with an executive order that went into effect Jan. 1.
Aaron Dunkel, KDHE deputy secretary, said Accenture also has made a number of improvements to KEES so it is easier to use.
Dunkel said the number of backlogged applications as of Sept. 2 was 3,385, including 1,740 that can’t be processed without a disability designation.
“We continue to see good progress,” he said.
The agency plans to have the backlog down to its historic average in the low hundreds before the next ACA open enrollment period opens in November, Dunkel said.
Sen. Julia Lynn, a Republican from Olathe, said she was pleased with the progress.
“That’s a dramatic drop in just a short amount of time, so I see that as a positive,” Lynn said.
Consequences linger
The extra staffing has cost KDHE about $2.3 million, according to the audit. Dunkel said that would be reflected in the agency’s next budget request. But Shawn Sullivan, the state’s budget director, has estimated that the state saved about $10 million due to lagging Medicaid enrollment following the KEES switch.
About 35,000 annual renewals are pending for Kansans already on Medicaid.
As the backlog grew, KDHE officials set aside annual the renewals to focus resources on new applications, while promising that Kansans awaiting renewals would not be dropped from the Medicaid rolls.
KDHE officials told the auditors that historically no more than 5 percent of renewals have been denied and therefore agency leaders “are not concerned that a significant number of individuals who currently receive services are no longer eligible.”
But Rep. Virgil Peck, a Republican from Tyro, said 5 percent of the 35,000 would be about 1,700 and asked if there would be any efforts to “recapture those benefits.”
Nursing homes also have reported long-term damage to their finances and their relationships with vendors as they care for residents who wait months for Medicaid coverage.
Dunkel said the agency had improved its process of working with the facilities to get the long-term care applications done so they can be reimbursed.
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
Sam Vanochen in court during his August murder trial- pool photo Hutch News
HUTCHINSON– Reno County District Attorney Keith Schroeder has filed a petition against Judge Trish Rose with the Kansas Supreme Court to have a Kansas teen convicted of murder moved from a juvenile facility to an adult jail
On Thursday, the high court was asked to force Judge Trish Rose to move 17-year-old Samuel Vonachen, convicted of killing his mother and sister by setting fire to the family home from the Reno County Juvenile Facility to the Reno County Correctional Facility because he was convicted as an adult.
District Attorney Keith Schroeder also argues that he wants the high court to order Judge Rose to go ahead with sentencing and skip another mental evaluation as part of the presentence investigation.
Schroeder says that there is no need and that Vanochen has already been diagnosed as a psychopath.
Sentencing for Vanochen was originally scheduled for September 30.
On September 7, the judge ordered another mental evaluation for Vanochen prior to sentencing.
In August, a jury convicted Vanochen of first-degree murder for setting the September 2013 fire at the family’s home in Hutchinson that killed his mother and sister.
From left: Zimmerman, Flax, Wellbrock, Moeder, Schibi, Loftus, Koenigsman, Rhoades, Werth and Lowe.
Thomas More Prep-Marian has announced its Homecoming court for 2016.
King and queen candidates are Katelyn Zimmerman, daughter of Keith and Anne Zimmerman; Joseph Flax, son of Tim and Michele Flax; Deonna Wellbrock, daughter of Darryl and Deanna Wellbrock; Matthew Moeder, son of Eric and Karen Moeder; Alison Schibi, daughter of Eric and Kelly Schibi; Mark Loftus, son of Dan and Katie Loftus; Megan Koenigsman, daughter of Joe and Tami Koenigsman; Tucker Rhoades, son of Tom and Robin Lovewell and Chris and Leah Rhoades; Kendra Werth, daughter of Craig and Rosie Werth; and Hayden Lowe, son of Jeff and Jana Lowe.
TMP-M plays its Homecoming game Friday night against Plainville.
SALINA – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigate a reported threat at
Kansas Wesleyan University.
A statement was made by a family member of a student that had been dismissed from a school activity, according to Salina Police Captain Mike Sweeney.
The threatening statement, which was made by phone, was a non-specific statement directed at school officials that could be interpreted as a threat.
“There were no specific actions against the school made within that statement,” Sweeney said.
The Salina Police Department was notified of the statement within the last two days.
“We’re working closely with Kansas Wesleyan to make sure the school is safe,” he said.
On Wednesday, the school emailed students a message in conjunction with the Clery (notice of campus security) Act, according to school spokesperson Paula Hermann.
“We are issuing a timely notification that specific officers of the institution have received a verbal threat by an out of state non-student.
The threat is related to a specific incident and is not racially motivated. We believe the campus community is safe and our security personnel are fully aware of the situation.
Students are advised to call 911 if they see anything suspicious.
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SALINA -Officials at Kansas Wesleyan University took steps to protect students and staff after report of a threat at the school, according to school spokesperson Paula Herrmann.
On Wednesday, the school emailed students a message in conjunction with the Clery (notice of campus security) Act, according to Hermann.
“We are issuing a timely notification that specific officers of the institution have received a verbal threat by an out of state non-student.
The threat is related to a specific incident and is not racially motivated. We believe the campus community is safe and our security personnel are fully aware of the situation.”
Students are advised to call 911 if they see anything suspicious.
“We have very good campus security and a great relationship with Salina police,” said Hermann.
FRANKLIN COUNTY – A Kansas man died in an accident during a police pursuit on Thursday in Franklin County.
Just after 1 a.m., officers with the Quenemo Police Department in Osage County, Kansas became involved in a pursuit with a 2003 F150 eastbound on Kansas 68 at Hoover, according to a media release.
The pursuit continued into Franklin County. The driver lost control of the pickup inside the Pomona city limits and it rolled.
A passenger in the vehicle Mario Calderon-Orozco, 29, Roeland Park, was ejected from the pickup, pronounced dead at the scene and transported to First Call.
Another passenger Rigoberto Valdovinos-Orozco, 32, was transported to Overland Park Regional Medical Center.
Two other passengers in the pickup were not injured.
Two occupants of the pickup were detained, at the scene, according to the Franklin County Sheriff.
None of the occupants of the pickup were wearing seat belts.
Name of the driver and what prompted the chase has not been released. The accident remains under investigation.
