Two members of the Kansas State School for the Blind recently visited with students, faculty and staff in Fort Hays State University’s College of Education.
Aundrayah Shermer, field services director, and Judy Imber, certified orientation and mobility specialist, spoke to undergraduate students in the introductory course “Teaching Children with Exceptionalities.” The students participated in blindfold simulation activities, used low-vision simulators, and read and wrote in braille.
“There is a need for trained educators in western Kansas to teach and support students who are blind or visually impaired,” said Dr. Robert Bruce Scott, assistant professor of teacher education.
The Kansas State Department of Education and the Kansas State School for the Blind have joined in the Preparation and Mentorship project of two organizations, the Kansas Teachers of Students who are of Blind or Visually Impaired, and Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist. The project trains professionals, assists them in finding employment and provides ongoing mentoring to newly certified staff.
For more information contact Shermer at (913 )305-3016.
WICHITA. – A jury on Wednesday convicted a Kansas man on federal drug and firearm charges, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.
Jesus Reyes, 42, Wichita, was convicted on one count of possession of with intent to distribute methamphetamine and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction.
During trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Wichita police stopped Reyes May 20, 2015, near 11th and Perry for a traffic violation. They found two loaded firearms and two plastic bags containing methamphetamine in the car. He was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony conviction.
Sentencing is set for Jan. 30. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on the drug charge, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the firearm charges.
The driver killed in an officer-involved shooting north of Hays on Tuesday has been identified as an 18-year-old Fort Hays State University student-athlete from Nebraska.
The Lincoln Journal Star reported Wednesday that Kenton Kobza, David City, Neb., was identified as the person killed in an officer-involved shooting following a high-speed chase Tuesday morning north of Hays. Kobza was a student at Fort Hays State University.
The Lincoln Journal Star reported Superintendent Rev. Sean Timmerman of Aquinas High School in David City said Kobza’s family confirmed he was shot by an Ellis County Sheriff’s deputy Tuesday.
Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees would not confirm the victim’s identity Thursday and said, after speaking with the family, they did not want the victim’s name made public.
Officers with the Hays Police Department attempted to stop a vehicle for driving left of center on north Vine at approximately 3 a.m. Nov. 8. The driver, according to the Ellis County Attorney’s Office, initially complied with the traffic stop before fleeing at a high-rate of speed north of U.S. 183. The driver was clocked by radar at more than 100 mph and was driving erratic, according to reports.
During the chase a sheriff’s deputy attempted to intercept the vehicle northbound on U.S. 183. The vehicle continued northbound and when it attempted to pass a northbound vehicle the driver lost control and entered a ditch and came to rest in a field approximately 1/3 of a mile south of the Ellis County/Rooks County line.
The county attorney’s office said the driver exited the vehicle and approached the sheriff’s deputy. The driver was ordered to the ground and initially complied but then got up and attacked the officer knocking him to the ground, according to officials. The officer then tased the driver twice, but the driver continued attacking the officer.
The driver allegedly attempted to take the deputy’s gun and while the two wrestled on the ground the deputy fire multiple shots striking the driver. The driver died at the scene. The Ellis County Sheriff’s Deputy was treated at Hays Medical Center for injuries and was released.
Drees said the coroner and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation are investigating the incident.
FHSU said in a statement it is unable to confirm the identity of the victim until the coroner’s report is released.
FHSU students visited an Asian festival in Wichita.
FHSU University Relations and Marketing
Fort Hays State University’s Office of Intercultural Integration arranged a field trip for FHSU students on Oct. 29 to the 36th annual Wichita Asian Festival. The festival celebrated the culture and customs of Asia with stage presentations, authentic food and wares from about 10 Asian countries.
The festival also featured live performances highlighting a variety of elements from Asian culture as well as the Miss Wichita Asian Festival pageant. Vendors had booths offering authentic art and cuisine. Activities for children and adults provided an opportunity to learn about Asian customs, clothing and culture.
“Before the festival, we stopped by an Asian/African market due to the students’ request,” said Mehran Shahidi, director of Intercultural Integration at FHSU. “The students were thrilled to find the native food and groceries. The Wichita Asian Festival took place at Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center and had over 6,000 attendees. The event included food from at least 10 countries, various cultural performances and little trinkets to buy from different countries.”
The Office of Intercultural Integration has arranged a field trip to Kearney, Neb., for Monday, Nov. 21, to visit the Great Platte River Road Archway and Museum and a classic car collection. The Great Platte River Road Archway spans 310 feet over Interstate 80 near Kearney. The Archway presents 170 years of America’s westward movement through detailed displays over one of America’s busiest interstate highways. The classic car collection features more than 200 historic automobiles from the early 1900s to the modern era. The attraction includes video and multi-media displays throughout. Visitors are able to read a description of each automobile.
To attend the trip to Kearney, please RSVP by Monday, Nov. 14, to [email protected] or call (785) 365-6304.
The goals of the Office of Intercultural Integration include helping international students adapt to living in America, especially Hays, as well as introducing international and American students to each other’s cultures. Students are also assisted in adapting to the environment in American classrooms while practicing and improving their English language skills. This office provides cultural and settlement support for international students in order to facilitate their integration into the FHSU environment and the Hays community. This office also concentrates on mentoring, advising, guiding and helping international students with different academic, social and behavioral issues while integrating into FHSU’s existing culture.
Bartlett Grain Co. elevator in Atchison following the accident
ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say there is not sufficient evidence to charge the owner of a northeast Kansas grain elevator where a 2011 explosion killed six people and injured two others.
U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said in a statement Thursday that his office has closed its inquiry into the Oct. 29, 2011, explosion at the Bartlett Grain Co. elevator in Atchison, about 50 miles northwest of Kansas City.
Kansas investigators previously determined the grain dust explosion was accidental.
The announcement does not dismiss pending enforcement actions by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which has said the deaths could have been prevented had operators addressed known industry hazards.
The explosion killed Bartlett employees John Burke, Ryan Federinko, Curtis Field, and Chad Roberts, as well as grain inspectors Travis Keil and Darrek Klahr.
Katie Brungardt dropped fifteen strokes off her golf game from freshman year to senior year and has decided to take the next step and compete on the collegiate level. On Thursday Brungardt signed her National Letter of Intent to golf with the hometown Fort Hays State University Tigers.
Katie Brungardt
Brungardt took home medals in 31 of 40 career high school tournaments. Among those medals included three medals at the state level, 12th in 2014, 2nd in 2015 and 4th in 2016, all of which garnered her All-State honors. Brungardt was also a 1st team Western Athletic Conference team golfer all four years and won eight tournaments individually and finished in the top three at 18 out of 40 tournaments.
Coach Mark Watts
Brungardt also saw success on the team level. The Lady Indians qualified for the state tournament all four years of her career and took home 1st place in 2014 and 3rd in 2015. She will leave Hays High as one of the elite golfers in the program’s history. Her junior year stroke average of 83.6 ranks 9th best in a single season and her senior average of 81.6 ranks 6th.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Trump says he very much looks forward to dealing with Obama in the future, calls it a ‘great honor.’
Obama says he was ‘encouraged’ by conversation with Trump, calls Thursday’s Oval Office meeting ‘excellent’ and wide-ranging.
Ensuring the smooth transition of presidential power has been a democratic hallmark of the United States for more than 200 years.
On Wednesday, the Trump team launched a new web site to assist with the transition, according to a media release.
In 2015, Congress reinforced the importance of transition planning with the passage of the Presidential Transitions Improvements Act of 2015, which was signed into law in May of 2016.
This new law built on the reforms of the Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act of 2010, which provided major party candidates with office space and services immediately following party nomination to ensure continuity of government and to protect the institutions of the United States.
The Presidential Transitions Improvements Act of 2015 established the White House Transition Coordinating Council and an Agency Transitions Director Council. These councils facilitate information sharing between candidates and agencies, provide guidance to federal agencies to prepare for a smooth transition of power, and create an integrated strategy for addressing interagency responsibilities. This Council is co-chaired by the Federal Transition Coordinator at the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and comprised of senior career officials from 21 agencies, to manage day-to-day agency transition activities. In addition, each agency designates a senior career executive to oversee transition activities, and identifies career executives to fill political appointments in an acting capacity during critical vacancies.
Following the July nominating conventions, each candidate’s transition teams were provided the use of facilities and related services to prepare for the coming change in government. These teams focused on the development of their candidate’s policy agenda and personnel, readying for a role of governing.
During the 73-day period between Election Day and Inauguration Day, the President-Elect will deploy Agency Review Teams to each federal agency to ensure a smooth transition between administrations. Simultaneously, the incoming administration will identify, vet, and select candidates for approximately 4,100 presidential appointments. Numerous announcements for key positions will occur during the transition period, while nominations of individuals for Senate-confirmed appointments, confirmation of nominees, and appointments to positions not requiring Senate confirmation will begin after January 20, 2017.
The smooth transition of power is an enormous task given its size and complexity, with the added challenge of numerous domestic and global issues demanding attention. The Presidential Transition process can be viewed as a great protector of the democratic process.
On January 20, 2017, the Trump Administration will be ready to hit the ground running due to the planning and hard work that has been underway since the Conventions.
Former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says politicians need to propose a fix or stop complaining about Obamacare. CREDIT COURTESY PHOTO – CREATIVE COMMONS
“There’s no question the law has worked well in some areas and it’s still struggling in others.”
That’s the response from former Secretary of Health and Human Services and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to a question about the signature initiative of the Obama administration. The program is in jeopardy following Donald Trump’s election.
“We definitely need in the future to have more competition in the states,” Sebelius said in a telephone interview.
Tuesday, November 1, was the first day to sign up, re-enroll or change a 2017 insurance plan through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Critics contend the law, commonly known as Obamacare, has failed to offer a wide choice of insurers as promised, with many companies and co-ops claiming mounting losses and pulling out.
“That could be (helped) both by Congress funding the law as it was meant to be funded and by taking up the public option, which introduces another alternative, particularly in areas where individuals only have one or two insurance company choices,” Sebelius said.
The public option, which has been promoted by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, would be a government-run health insurance plan competing with or substituting for private companies, with the aim of lowering premiums.
Sebelius acknowledges some people will see their rates go up during the current open enrollment period. But that’s not because of Obamacare, she said.
“The people seeing very significant rate hikes are a limited number in the marketplace and don’t qualify for subsidies,” she said.
Only individuals who make less than 400 percent of the poverty level qualify for the subsidies.
Sebelius chastised Congress for refusing to address problems with the law and criticized states that have not expanded Medicaid, as contemplated by the Affordable Care Act. Kansas and Missouri are among 19 states that have refused to do so.
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
“Unfortunately, most who complain about (the law) have had coverage forever,” Sebelius said. “They’re complaining on behalf of someone else.”
Laura Ziegler is a community engagement reporter and you can reach here on Twitter @laurazig or at [email protected]
A fundraiser for CASA — Court Appointed Special Advocates — will bring two comedians to Hays this month for “Stand Up” For CASA.
Danny Browning and Scott Long will take the stage at the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Nov. 19, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. and comedy starting at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for students and $20 for adults and can be purchased at Eagle Communications, Nex-Tech Wireless, Commerce Bank and the CASA office.
Tickets also are available online at www.ticketriver.com, using the keyword CASA.
For more information, contact the CASA office at (785) 628-8641.
A disaster inspection was performed and found no violations.
El Charro 2020 E. 8th, Hays- Nov. 1
Regular inspection found six violations.
A person in charge was unsure of when the last time the self-service slushie machine was washed. The person in charge has never cleaned the machine herself.
The hand washing sink in the back room did not have any type of soap to clean your hands.
In the walk in cooler there were three single use gallon plastic containers that were being used multiple times to store tea.
Three gallon plastic container had a clear liquid present. The person in charge said that it was bleach water.
Daylight donuts are being brought in from a local restaurant and being sold at current establishment. The Daylight Donuts store does not have a commercial license.
In the North corner of the building there are shelves with storage. There was single use ziplock bags and parchment paper that were being stored directly below Lime a way chemical and Lysol spray.
Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.
By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
T, W, and S are three letters which are sometimes used to precede the title of a project in southeast Kansas. What does TWS stand for? The Weather System? Toward West and South? Some company? No, in this case, it stands for “Together We Succeed,” which is an apt description of the mindset which drives Project 17 in southeast Kansas.
Last week we learned about Project 17, which uses Together We Succeed as an unofficial motto. Heather Morgan is the executive director. She grew up in Pratt, did undergraduate work at Kansas Wesleyan and then got her master’s in public administration at K-State while working with the women’s basketball team and K-State Athletics.
After graduation, Heather worked in the governor’s budget office in Topeka. She joined the state Juvenile Justice Authority where she became assistant commissioner and also served for a time as a county manager.
In 2011, four senators went to the governor and to K-State’s Advanced Manufacturing Institute, or AMI, to express their concerns about the 17-county region of southeast Kansas which they represented in the legislature. AMI became the backbone organization to organize the project, gather lots of grassroots input, and seek grant support to make things happen.
The initiative became known as Project 17. Heather Morgan became executive director of Project 17 in 2013.
Directing this project was a daunting task. “I spent the first year in communication, education and outreach,” Heather said. That groundwork would provide invaluable in the long run.
“We wanted to strategically identify opportunities,” she said. Eventually, people coalesced around the following key issues: Health, economic development, leadership, education and workforce. The Kansas Leadership Center came through with an in-kind training grant valued at $1 million.
“We did 13 one-day leadership workshops throughout the region and trained more than 1,000 leaders,” Heather said. “They were then plugged into work teams to work on local issues.”
Broadband access was one key issue identified by businesses in the region. Project 17 worked to encourage KsFiberNet to place a multimillion dollar internet trunk line through the region and is continuing to work on improving access to high speed internet.
Economic development was another key topic. Such development can take different forms. On one hand it meant creating jobs, but it also meant combating the issues of low income and multi-generational poverty which are major challenges in southeast Kansas.
“We wanted to do something about poverty,” Heather said. Along with other partners, Project 17 adopted a national model of an anti-poverty program, worked with a private foundation, and rebranded it to work in southeast Kansas. The program consists of a 12-week curriculum of work force reengagement where participants are paired with experienced supporters. Meals and child care are provided. Participants learn essential life and work skills.
The program had major success. “One mom hadn’t worked in three years, and after going through the program, she now has three jobs,” Heather said. “The program in Ottawa went from just a few employed, to a celebration one night where everyone in the group had found employment.” The program has benefited people in the larger cities as well as rural towns like Wellsville, population 1,607, and Princetown, population 315 people. Now, that’s rural.
The results were so positive that Project 17 was awarded the 2016 Excellence in Engagement Award from K-State’s Center for Engagement and Community Development.
For Heather Morgan, the greatest rewards come not from the honors, but the opportunity to make Kansas a better place and in helping local people discover their talents and the hidden treasures that lie within the region. Her dedication and sincere connection with local people ultimately helped Project 17 gain acceptance and provide real benefit at the grassroots level.
“The breakthrough happened when people could see that people were being helped by Project 17,” Heather said.
T,W, and S. Those letters stand for Together We Succeed, which symbolizes the cooperation which is at the heart of Project 17. We commend Heather Morgan and all those involved with Project 17 for making a difference by working together – because together, we succeed.
MANHATTAN – Over the next few weeks many homes in Kansas – especially in rural areas – will be invaded by an intruder. What is it? Why is it here? Is it harmful and how can I stop it? The intruder is the multicolored Asian lady beetle.
“They are bright orange with spots, but they have kind of a dark black inverted W right behind the head on the thorax,” said Jeff Whitworth, entomologist with K-State Research and Extension. “If you see those things it is the multicolored Asian lady beetle.”
The beetles have mouthparts intended for chewing, but they can bite people and animals. People working in farm fields where aphids are present have a greater chance of being bitten.
“What we are seeing this year is something we haven’t seen for five or six years,” Whitworth said. “The last time there was an outbreak of soybean aphids in 2008 we saw a buildup of these multicolored Asian lady beetles at the same time because they are feeding on aphids.”
The beetles were originally imported into the United States by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a biological control. They are considered a beneficial insect, particularly in alfalfa, soybeans and sorghum where they feed on different aphids, which damage the crops.
“Last year and this year, we had a buildup of sugar cane aphids which has led to massive populations of the multicolored Asian lady beetle,” Whitworth said.
“The Asian lady beetle does not eat crops,” he added. “They only eat the bugs that eat the crops, especially aphids. Right now there are still a lot of them in sorghum fields because that is where the aphids are.”
As the aphids disappear and the days get shorter, the beetles will move to homes, sheds and garages in rural areas. Most often they can be seen gathering on the south and west side of the building.
“We have a lot of them accumulating in houses right now, but we have more to come as sorghum is cut and the sugar cane aphids die off or migrate,” Whitworth said. “They (Asian lady beetle) are beneficial for the most part but they can also be a nuisance.”
“I often get calls asking if there is anything that will eat these bugs,” Whitworth said, adding that ironically that dogs seem to like to eat them. They are not there to feed on the animal and they don’t carry any diseases. They are just a nuisance.
He recommends removing the insects and caulking over cracks. Make sure all screens fit to keep the beetles from entering homes and other buildings. If they do get in, they can be removed with a vacuum. If the vacuum does not kill them, they can be released outside.
The beetles aren’t on the label of a pesticide, Whitworth said, because they are not considered an agricultural pest. However, if you use any crack or crevice treatments for spiders and the residual is around, that will kill the lady beetles, too. If you remove them and put a crack and crevice treatment around your house it will help.
