KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Justin Upton hit a two-run homer with two out in the eighth inning off Joakim Soria, sending the Detroit Tigers to a 6-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.
Upton also doubled in J.D. Martinez in the second. He has seven homers and 18 RBIs in his past 14 games.
Miguel Cabrera was on first after a leadoff single when Upton drove a fastball from Joakim Soria over the wall in center for his 20th homer, giving Detroit a 6-5 lead. Soria (4-7) blew his fourth save in five opportunities.
Shane Greene (3-3) pitched 1 1/3 innings for the win. Francisco Rodriguez worked the ninth for his 38th save in 42 opportunities.
Alcides Escobar led off the ninth with a double them moved to third on a Jarrod Dyson groundout. Dyson barely missed a potential game-winning home run that landed inches foul down the right field line. Alex Gordon lined out then Paulo Orlando grounded sharply to third to end the game.
The Royals finish the homestand 2-4 with all four losses by one run.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The 37 wastewater disposal wells to be shut down in north-central Oklahoma, where a 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck this weekend, are just a fraction of the state’s total number.
Oklahoma Corporation Commission spokesman Matt Skinner says the wells are among about 4,200 across the state. They’re also among the about 700 in a 15,000-square-mile “Area of Interest” created by the commission to address earthquakes in the area near Pawnee.
An increase in magnitude 3.0 or greater earthquakes in Oklahoma has been linked to underground disposal of wastewater from oil and natural gas production.
Skinner said it isn’t clear how many wells under the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency are in an adjacent county.
Saturday’s earthquake tied for the largest in the state. No major damage was reported.
The Hays Lions Club is selling homemade cinnamon rolls and bierocks with proceeds used for the club’s vision screenings and eye glasses for those in need.
To place an order call (785) 628-6009. Order deadline is Fri., Sept. 16.
Bierocks are $48 for one dozen or $24 for six. Cinnamon rolls are $36 a dozen or $18 for a half-dozen. The are frozen; cinnamon rolls may be fresh or frozen.
Delivery is Sept. 21 and 22 between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Payment is due upon delivery with cash or a check.
SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) — Public schools around the country are joining an educational movement that changes how students learn and teachers work.
It’s called the “maker movement,” which encourages students to direct their own education by tapping their creativity and collaborating with others.
The Shawnee Mission, Kansas, and Liberty, Missouri, school districts are among many that have created “makerspaces.” The spaces include a wide range of materials, from 3-D printers to simple building blocks. Students use the materials to solve problems, with teachers watching but not directing the work.
Advocates say the maker movement is a better way for students to learn. But others are worried already-busy teachers will not be able to fit the new makerspace effort into test-based curriculums that need to meet education standards.
As area residents awoke Sunday morning, there were numerous reports of flooding in Ellis and Russell Counties after rainfall totals near eight inches were reported in some areas.
The storm that produced the flooding moved slowly over the east portion of Ellis and west portion of Russell Counties creating significant flooding of roads.
“The Saline River and Paradise Creeks are out of their bank,” according to the Russell County Sheriff. “Low areas are also under water. Russell County Road and Bridge have barricaded several areas.”
The department also reported a water rescue of 12 people in one location took place early this morning.
Ellis County residents are being asked to avoid traveling in the county because of the road conditions.
Ellis County Public Works Director Bill Ring said there are numerous roads throughout the county there are closed because they are underwater, blocked with debris or washed away by the flood waters.
Ring said if you must travel in the county they are asking motorists to be very careful and aware of the road conditions.
To report road issues residents are asked to call non-emergency dispatch at 625-1011.
In Ellis County a flood warning will continue through 8:45 p.m. with widespread flooding of roads and fields reported by the Ellis County Sheriff.
“Many roads across northern Ellis county are under water this morning as over 5 inches of rain fell during the overnight hours,” according to the Ellis County Sheriff.
The national weather service predicts the remainder of the weekend will be dry.
Nine out of 500 monarch butterfly tags recovered recently in Mexico were from butterflies tagged at the KWEC last year.
FHSU University Relations and Marketing
Nine out of 500 monarch butterfly tags recovered recently in Mexico were from butterflies tagged at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center in 2015.
Individuals of all ages will have the opportunity to tag and release their own monarch butterflies during KWEC’s annual Butterfly Festival from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 17, at the center.
“Of the nine butterflies recovered, one was tagged during the festival last year, while others were from school programs and butterflies captured during evenings in fields,” said Pam Martin, festival coordinator.
“This is an extremely high number of tag recoveries,” said Curtis Wolf, KWEC manager.
Until recently, Martin had seen only four tags recovered in the previous 23 years.
The center, 592 NE K-156 Highway, is on the southeast side of the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, northeast of Great Bend.
After the butterflies are captured, volunteers will assist in placing adhesive tags with identifying numbers on the underside of the wings. The butterflies are then released. Tagging helps biologists to learn about the monarch’s migration to its wintering grounds in central Mexico.
Nets and tags will be available. Participants will receive information about the tagging process before heading out to the field with a tagging leader.
Wading through sunflowers with a captured monarch butterfly, a monarch tagging participant brings his catch in to be tagged. Tagging is just one of many butterfly-themed activities planned at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center’s butterfly festival Sept. 17.
“We don’t always hit the peak monarch migration, but there are always some monarch butterflies to chase and capture in addition to caterpillars and chrysalises,” said Martin.
“Last year was a good migration year and the numbers were up. The drought had eased, and scientists think that helped the monarchs migrate,” she said.
Other activities will be provided, such as an insect zoo with an exhibit beehive (weather permitting), giant walking stick insects, hissing and peppered cockroaches, and butterflies, caterpillars and chrysalises.
“From making milkweed seed bombs to tagging monarch butterflies, kids and adults will find plenty to do during this free event,” said Wolf.
Kids and adults will be able to play in the mud and make milkweed seed bombs to take home. Milkweed seed bombs are composed of clay, compost, water and native flower seeds. Pre-made milkweed seed bombs will be available to practice slinging into KWEC’s prairie area using giant slingshots.
Free milkweed plants, with growing instructions, will be available to those who would like to encourage monarchs to their yards and gardens.
The festival will include monarch butterfly and caterpillar photo boards, temporary tattoos, games, a butterfly mural, and drinks and refreshments.
Information on butterfly-friendly plants and other attractants will be available. Visitors may also walk through the wildflower and butterfly garden to view examples of such plants.
ELLIS – For 30 years, Arthur’s Pizza and Mexican Foods, 103 W. Ninth in Ellis, has delivered a unique combination of food to locals. And, in celebration of three decades, the restaurant will have special deals through the week.
While serving food is a big part of their lives, for owners Gilbert and Cheryl Kinderknecht, being involved in the community is an important part of working and living in Ellis and something Gilbert attributes in part to their sustained success.
“I think a lot of it’s that we’re local ourselves. My wife is from Hays and she been a longtime resident there. I’ve been lifelong here,” Gilbert said. “We do a lot of local history, as you can see on the walls. Everything is about Ellis.”
They bought the restaurant 19 years ago after the original owner was open for 11.
“I decided that I wanted to be home and this actually fell in our lap in about a three-month period,” Gilbert said, noting previous employment required a lot of time away from his young daughter.
And even though his daughter is now out of the home, he has no plans on moving on from the restaurant.
“I plan on being here for quite a while yet,” he said.
As for the unique fare, it was just a part of what the original owner wanted in a restaurant.
“The reason there are pizza and Mexican foods is because, 30 years ago, there were really no restaurants in town except hamburgers,” Gilbert said. “So the gentleman that started it worked for a pizza place, started his own restaurant and liked Mexican also.”
Over the years, he said the popularity of the unique menu allowed for even more menu items.
“It’s a niche, even though there are more restaurants in town now. We have everything from Mexican, breadwiches, pasta, Mexican food, pizzas, specialty pizza. So we’ve got a lot of items,” Gilbert said.
But that doesn’t mean they cut corners.
“Our food is fresh, we make it every day here, five batches of different kinds of dough. We think we care enough. We hope that’s a part of it,” Gilbert said.
The exclusive rights to sell Popt popcorn in Ellis was recently brought into the restaurant as well.
While unique food may make the restaurant stand out, a strong connection to the community makes it a local favorite.
“We just believe in being community minded,” Gilbert said, noting recent projects with the Ellis Recreation Commission and the public library.
“I just like visiting with people,” he said.
Arthur’s Pizza and Mexican Foods is open Thursday through Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., with closing hours extended until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Delivery is also available.
To find out more about the restaurant, or see specials for the anniversary month visit their facebook page here.
BUNKER HILL – Smoky Hills Public Television is gearing up for the 5th annual Family Fun Day in Hays on Sept. 24, featuring The Cat in the Hat. This free family event will again be held at Big Creek Crossing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
During the event, children will be able to take a picture with The Cat in the Hat, learn about some of the creatures provided by the Sternberg Museum and sing and dance with Jammin’ Randy. Each child also will receive a gift bag.
The Hays Lions Club will return this year to continue their mission of providing vision screenings, especially for children. The Lions Club also works to educate the public about the importance of early detection of vision issues.
“We are pleased to bring Family Fun Day to Hays for a fifth year and to be able to partner with great organizations to provide education and entertainment for the kids,” said Tricia Flax, event coordinator.
I’ve done a couple columns over the years on how dry it has been, so I thought why not try something about how wet it’s been of late? Who’d have thunk’ that we Kansans would ever be complaining about too much rain?
Then when it finally stops raining and the sun comes out, the humidity is so high you feel like it’s raining again! Even though I know how high rivers and streams get around here when we’ve had big, hard rains, I can take solace in the fact that we live well above sea level, unlike the poor southern states that have nearly washed away lately. I’ll always remember a picture I saw the other day on Fox News of a casket floating down the street in Louisiana.
Steve Gilliland
I just don’t think I could live somewhere that was below or barely above sea level.
Wildlife are greatly affected by floods too as it temporarily drives some from their homes. It’s quite common to see more snakes, rats, mice and rodents during and after a flood, as animals that would normally not dream of parking themselves in your yard this time of year are suddenly there in abundance. So if you suddenly see more critters around your home and buildings after an extended time of heavy rain don’t worry; the Ark has not suddenly unloaded in your backyard! As the water recedes they’ll be gone.
So with that in mind, here are some zingers I came up with that play on our recent glut of rainy weather.
It’s been so wet that the other day I watched some rodeo cowboys practicing calf roping from seahorses.
I noticed a fire hydrant near the dog park yesterday that was so tired of getting wet it had on a raincoat.
It’s rained so much lately that last night the ducks in the park were all wearing floaties and carrying canoe paddles.
The other day I was walking along a creek where I trap beavers and heard a strange sound coming from the weeds ahead. It’s rained so much lately it was a beaver trying to blow up a life raft, but his teeth kept getting in the way.
I got stopped for speeding the other night, and it’s rained so much lately that the officer also gave me a citation for not having the specified number of life jackets in my pickup.
It’s rained so much lately that all the “crabgrass” in my lawn is pulling itself out of the ground and heading for drier land.
It’s rained so much lately that now when our dogs have to go out to pee, I strap each one to a pool noodle and just toss them off the deck.
I heard on the news that it’s been so wet lately the walking catfish at the zoo are wearing boots and carrying umbrellas.
It’s been so wet lately that a fish I caught the other day actually climbed into the boat on its own and thanked me for finally pulling it from the lake.
During the summer we pick up unwanted apples and feed them to the deer by scattering them on the ground around our deer feeders, where we have trail cameras. It’s rained so much lately that we actually have pictures of deer bobbing for apples.
Mosquitoes love wet weather, but it’s rained so much lately that our Kansas mosquitoes are flying around with protest signs.
A bull frogs call sounds like a deep base “harum, harum, harum,” but it’s been so wet lately that the other night I would swear one frog was saying “enough, enough, enough.”
As the saying goes here in Kansas, “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change.” Today it’s nice and sunny, but when it gets hot I’m sure I’ll complain about that too.
I guess it all boils down to which I dislike the most, but at least sunny days won’t cause the local ducks to wear floaties and carry canoe paddles….Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.
Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].
The Kansas Department of Transportation expects to begin work the week of Sept. 5 on a project to resurface a portion of U.S. 36 in Decatur County. The project will cover an 18-mile stretch of road from near the U.S. 36 and 83 junction in Oberlin to the Norton/Decatur county line.
Project work includes a 3-inch mill, followed by application of a 3 1/2-inch inlay and 1 1/2-inch overlay of new asphalt material to improve roadway conditions and extend pavement life. Traffic in the construction zone will be reduced to one lane and controlled by flaggers and a pilot car operation during daylight hours. Minor delays, not exceeding 15 minutes should be expected. KDOT urges all motorists to be alert, obey the warning signs and “Give ‘em a Brake!” when approaching and driving through work zones. Work is expected to be completed by the end of October, weather permitting.
Venture Corporation of Great Bend is the primary contractor on the project, with a total contract cost of approximately $5.8 million. The project is funded by T-WORKS, the transportation program passed by the Kansas legislature in May 2010.
The Hays Symphony Orchestra, the longest continuously running community orchestra in Kansas, has an exciting season of Russian masterworks in store.
To get its 103rd season off to a flying start, the first concert will be a gala occasion. All tickets are free thanks to a generous donation from Auto World. Music Director Shokhrukh Sadikov, Shah for short, has planned a program of exciting music by Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Rachmaninoff. Sadikov is an assistant professor of music and theatre at Fort Hays State University.
Guest conductor Benjamin Cline, chair of Fort Hays State’s Department of Music and Theatre, is looking forward to showing off the orchestra of about 60 people — students, faculty and other Hays-area musicians — at their very best. Former music director Jeff Jordan, associate professor of music and theatre at FHSU, will give a brief pre-concert introduction to the music.
The Gala will be Saturday, Sept. 10, beginning with Jordan’s introduction at 6:45 p.m. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. All events will be in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center on the FHSU campus.
Gala offerings will include a display of Russian artifacts from the Ellis County Historical Society, highlighting Volga-German music and traditions. The exhibit will include a display on the development of area bands as well as the Hays Symphony Orchestra. A Kid’s Corner will have musical activities, and the lobby will have an exhibit of Russian paintings and other artifacts.
Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s “Marche Slave,” Opus 31 (1876), will certainly provide a lively beginning to the concert. Ironically, in view of recent history, the short, fast march was commissioned for a concert to benefit Serb and Russian soldiers wounded in an uprising against Turks of the Ottoman Empire.
The orchestra will get another good workout with Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s irresistible “Capriccio Espagnol,” Opus 34 (1887), based on Russian folk music and composed as a showpiece for orchestra. Rumor has it that the melodies, dances, imitations of guitars, and cadenzas have been known to leave audiences dancing in the aisles.
Dr. Irena Ravitskaya
Internationally known pianist Dr. Irena Ravitskaya, an associate professor of music and theatre at FHSU and originally from the Republic of Moldova, formerly part of the USSR, a specialist in Russian repertoire, will collaborate with the orchestra as soloist in a performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, one of the composer’s best-loved works. Over the years, its beautiful melodies have been copied into popular songs like “Full Moon and Empty Arms” or the marvelous “All by Myself.”
But the concerto offers much more that this — it gives breathtaking depth and breadth to the music that only the orchestra can provide.
After a few more melodies and dances to round out the concert, the evening will conclude with a reception sponsored by the Friends of the Hays Symphony and Cathy’s Breads, starring Russian desserts and honoring the performers and audience alike.
“The opening gala and free concert are our gifts to the community. We hope everyone will come explore and celebrate the rich and vibrant music of Russia,” said Cathy Drabkin, volunteer director of marketing for the orchestra.
Tickets are free and can be picked up at the box office starting 30 minutes before the performance or reserved in advance by contacting the HSO at [email protected].
For more information, call Drabkin at (785) 623-4187.
Showers and thunderstorms will move out of the area during the early morning, but there is a chance for thunderstorms again this late this afternoon and tonight. Temperatures will be warmer today, with highs in the 80s. Labor Day is still expected to be dry with highs around 90 degrees. Thunderstorms are possible again for Monday night into Tuesday.
The Eagle Media Center received .90 of an inch of rain overnight.
Today: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Windy, with a south wind 13 to 18 mph increasing to 24 to 29 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Breezy, with a south wind 16 to 24 mph.
Labor Day: Sunny, with a high near 93. Windy, with a south wind 15 to 25 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 72. Breezy, with a south wind 16 to 22 mph.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 15 to 20 mph.
Judy Talbot, left, talks with her daughter, Jill, who is 32 and has autism and post-traumatic stress disorder. ANDY MARSO / HEARTLAND HEALTH MONITOR
By ANDY MARSO
Like most moms, Judy Talbot has photos and videos of her daughter on her smartphone.
But some of the images Talbot keeps on her phone show her daughter smacking herself in the face repeatedly or strapped to a bed, writhing against restraints with bruises up and down both legs.
“From her kicking,” Talbot explained.
Talbot’s daughter, Jill, is 32 and has autism and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Because of that combination, Jill recently spent six days isolated in the emergency department of a Kansas City area hospital while Talbot and Jill’s case manager scrambled to find her a better option.
Jill was taken to the hospital because she was having a psychotic episode. She had become violent, even with her mother. But the hospital, Shawnee Mission Medical Center in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, wouldn’t admit her to its psychiatric floor. Talbot said she was told Jill’s developmental disability would prevent her from participating in group therapy the hospital requires as part of psychiatric treatment.
Hospital staff and Talbot called one psychiatric facility after another, looking for one that would take Jill. All declined.
So Jill stayed for almost a week in a holding unit in the emergency department that Talbot said usually is reserved for criminals. She was strapped to the bed for part of each day.
“It was absolutely the cruelest thing I’ve ever experienced,” Talbot said.
Case managers and other advocates for Kansans with developmental disabilities say it’s not an isolated incident.
Chad VonAhnen, executive director of Johnson County Developmental Supports, said Kansas has for years
failed to provide quality care options for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in psychiatric crisis.
Judy Talbot leafs through a photo book with pictures of her daughter, Jill, during happier times at the beach or dressed up for Halloween. CREDIT ANDY MARSO / HEARTLAND HEALTH MONITOR
“This isn’t a new issue,” VonAhnen said. “It’s been something our system’s struggled with for a long time.”
Rick Cagan, executive director of the Kansas branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, agreed.
“There’s been a longstanding, shall we say, ‘standoff,’ as I have viewed it over the 11 years I have been here, between the intellectual and developmental disability community and the mental health community about who’s responsible for these individuals,” Cagan said. “Psychiatric disorders, they affect everyone. You may be a person who is labeled I/DD for one reason or another, but that does not make you immune to being affected by depression or anxiety or any of the other disorders.”
Efforts at reform
Through the years, several efforts have aimed to bridge the gap between the two communities.
Cagan spoke of an initiative between community mental health centers and Interhab, an umbrella agency for developmental disability service providers.
VonAhnen said his community developmental disability organization, or CDDO, and others like it used to meet regularly to discuss the issue as part of a Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services work group. But that group hasn’t met for years.
That has left both systems less equipped to handle Kansans with disabilities in crisis.
“This is a significant issue for all of us,” VonAhnen said. “With the erosion of resources, it’s becoming more and more of a concern.”
Amy Campbell, a lobbyist for the Kansas Mental Health Coalition, noted that a reduction in beds at the state’s two psychiatric hospitals has forced Kansans in crisis to often wait days for admittance to one of those facilities, even if they don’t have a developmental disability.
Rennie Shuler-McKinney, director of behavioral health clinical services at Shawnee Mission Medical Center, said the hospital’s psychiatric program provides treatment only to adults who voluntary request it and are able to participate in group therapy.
People unable to consent — including Kansans with intellectual and developmental disabilities — should be assessed for placement at state hospitals or sent to private-sector facilities that take involuntary patients, she said.
Jill Talbot recently was admitted to the Kansas Neurological Institute in Topeka, one of two state residential facilities for Kansans with developmental disabilities. CREDIT ANDY MARSO / HEARTLAND HEALTH MONITOR
experiencing a significant increase in the overall time patients spend in our emergency department as individuals await the availability of an involuntary bed at another facility,” Shuler-McKinney said. “We have implemented numerous initiatives to meet the needs of these individuals.”
But several case managers said it’s hard to get a spot in state facilities that are at or near capacity and nearly impossible to get a private mental health facility to take a patient with developmental disabilities.
Hopes for KanCare
The gap in psychiatric care for people with developmental disabilities predates KanCare, Gov. Sam Brownback’s switch to managed care Medicaid. But KanCare was touted as the sort of system that could help solve such problems by eliminating barriers between health care providers and coordinating patient care on an individual basis.
People in the developmental disability community generally resisted including their support services in KanCare. But VonAhnen said there was hope that the three private insurance companies tapped to administer the program would have some answers for developmentally disabled Kansans looking for acute psychiatric care.
“If there was really any area where we felt there was some potential in long-term support services (under KanCare), this would have been the one,” VonAhnen said. “We’ve had good interactions with the managed care companies, I’d say. But in terms of any new solutions or creating anything new for people, from what I have seen they’re running into the same issues we are, where these types of experts just don’t exist.”
Todd Brennan, a case manager with Jenian Inc. in Johnson County, said he has an I/DD client named Suzette who recently became uncharacteristically violent and destructive. After struggling to find her psychiatric care, he turned to her KanCare company, Sunflower State Health Plan, for help.
The initial response, he said, seemed encouraging.
But they eventually just said Suzette would need a formal mental illness diagnosis and made her an appointment for three months later.
“Meanwhile, every day (her behavior) was getting more extreme and more dangerous for her and the people around her,” Brennan said.
Brennan was able to get Suzette admitted to a Johnson County hospital for treatment of chronic health conditions, and she was sedated.
Most Kansans with I/DD have health coverage through KanCare, but Brennan said the situation for those with private insurance is not much better. He said a client named Mallory, whose parents had “tremendous insurance,” also was shut out of one psychiatric unit after another because of her autism during a time when she was “just really manic.”
“Basically whenever you take an I/DD person to these places, they’ve already got a preconceived notion they can’t help an I/DD person and they’ve definitely got a preconceived notion they can’t help a person with autism,” Brennan said.
After nearly a week of sleepless nights for Mallory’s parents, their insurance finally paid off in the form of an emergency outpatient visit with a local psychiatrist that Brennan said never would have happened under Medicaid reimbursements.
Like the hospital that treated Suzette, the psychiatrist sent them home with prescriptions for enough drugs to sedate Mallory.
“They did get the psychosis to stop, but she’s never really been the same,” Brennan said.
State facilities a last resort
Talbot said the same thing about her daughter, Jill, after her lengthy stay in the emergency department.
Jill’s case manager, Marilyn Kubler, took the pictures and videos of Jill straining against the restraints and sent them to KDADS Secretary Tim Keck.
Keck arranged to first get Jill taken to Parsons State Hospital and Training Center, one of two state residential facilities for Kansans with developmental disabilities, until she could get formally admitted a day later to the other facility, the Kansas Neurological Institute in Topeka.
“I have to say that Secretary Keck was very, very helpful,” Kubler said. “He helped to smooth this, but it wasn’t very fast.”
Kubler said she contacted Keck on a Wednesday and Jill was admitted to Parsons on Sunday.
“Our goal is to ensure every attempt is made at community placement before consumers are admitted to state hospitals,” de Rocha said via email. “As part of our process KDADS verifies community placements are not available before admission. Once that is determined, and the providers cannot find a solution, the agency becomes involved in resolving the situation.
“In this case it became apparent a community placement was not an option, so Secretary Keck took swift and decisive action to ensure this consumer’s needs were met.”
Talbot said Jill is doing better at KNI, where her condition has stabilized while she receives 24-hour care and does not require restraints. Talbot has been told her daughter may be able to come home in a month, maybe two.
But she said Jill regressed developmentally during her six days in the hospital emergency department.
During a visit this week at KNI, Talbot tried to show Jill pictures from a small photo book — snapshots of happier times when Jill posed at the beach or dressed up for Halloween.
Jill looked up briefly from the bed in the corner of the room where she was curled up. Then she laid her head back on the pillow.
“She’s just not herself,” Talbot said.
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
SUBMITTED
The festival will include monarch butterfly and caterpillar photo boards, temporary tattoos, games, a butterfly mural, and drinks and refreshments.
Gala offerings will include a display of Russian artifacts from the Ellis County Historical Society, highlighting Volga-German music and traditions. The exhibit will include a display on the development of area bands as well as the Hays Symphony Orchestra. A Kid’s Corner will have musical activities, and the lobby will have an exhibit of Russian paintings and other artifacts.
Showers and thunderstorms will move out of the area during the early morning, but there is a chance for thunderstorms again this late this afternoon and tonight. Temperatures will be warmer today, with highs in the 80s. Labor Day is still expected to be dry with highs around 90 degrees. Thunderstorms are possible again for Monday night into Tuesday.
