GREENWOOD COUNTY – One person was injured in a small plane crash just after 11 a.m. on Friday in Greenwood County.
The Kansas Highway patrol reported a two-seat, single-engine, low-wing home-built Vans RV 6 piloted by George R. Douglas, Jr., 69, Orlando, FL., was attempting to land at the Eureka Municipal Airport.
The aircraft began to pull to the left. The pilot applied throttle to attempt a go around and the aircraft continued to pull left until it made contact with the ground and came to rest on its top.
Douglas was not injured.
A passenger Lawrence D. Stapleton, 55, Gautier, MS., was treated at the scene and refused transport.
KANSAS CITY – A Kansas man has been sentenced to life plus 30 years in federal prison for coordinating drug shipments for a trafficking organization that distributed more than $39 million worth of methamphetamine and marijuana in the metro area, according to acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.
Vicencio Olea-Monarez, 38, Kansas City, Kan., was convicted in a jury trial on 21 counts including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana, distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, maintaining a residence in furtherance of drug trafficking and unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
During trial, prosecutors presented evidence that the FBI began an investigation in July 2012 into a drug trafficking ring operating in Kansas City, Kan. Olea-Monarez was responsible for coordinating shipments of methamphetamine into Kansas City, Kan. He also trafficked in cocaine and marijuana.
Counting Olea-Monarez, six of 10 defendants in the case have been sentenced so far.
Beall commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel for their work on the case.
FAYETTE, Iowa – The 21st-ranked Fort Hays State men’s soccer team had its hopes of sharing an MIAA title dashed after suffering a 2-1 loss at the hands of Upper Iowa on Friday. With the loss the Tigers drop to 12-4-1 on the season and 5-2 in the MIAA, while the Peacocks improved to 7-9 overall and 4-4 in the conference.
Ryan Pinkerton gave the Peacocks a 1-0 lead in the 27th-minute with his fourth goal of the year. From about 25 yards out he squared up and ripped a shot that found the left corner of the FHSU net. Just over five minutes later, Aaron Morgan once again found the back of the net for UIU increasing its lead to 2-0. Morgan was the beneficiary of some nice passing that landed at his feet about three yards out and he tapped it in.
A positive note from the first half was the Tigers outshooting the Peacocks by a total of 12-5, but only four of the 12 shots were on net.
The second half was much of the same for the Tigers as they once again outshot UIU 8-1. The Tigers were much more efficient in the second half with their shots as 50 percent were on goal. That being said, Mauricio Castorino was able to cut the lead in half and get the Tigers back in the match when he recorded his fifth goal of the season. Castorino took a ball from 20 yards out, put a move on a defender and sprinted to his right towards the middle of the box. Then he ripped a shot that bounced off of the inside of the far post and in with 13:25 to remaining in the match.
The comeback however was too little, too late as the Upper Iowa defense thwarted any other threats the Tigers brought their way.
FHSU wraps up the regular season on Sunday when they take on Lindenwood in St. Charles, Mo. Kickoff is set for 1 pm. Lindenwood claimed the MIAA regular season title outright with the Tigers loss on Friday.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Kansas City Chiefs running back Spencer Ware has been rule out of Sunday’s game against Jacksonville with a concussion, though wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and defensive tackle Jaye Howard are expected to be available.
Maclin returned to practice Friday after tweaking his hamstring earlier in the week, while Howard was back after dealing with a hip injury he suffered last weekend against Indianapolis.
Alex Smith had already been ruled out with a head injury. Nick Foles will start at quarterback.
Others who have been ruled out include offensive lineman Parker Ehinger, who has a knee injury that could be season-ending, and cornerback D.J. White, who is recovering from a fractured hand.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Royals exercised club options on All-Star closer Wade Davis and shortstop Alcides Escobar on Friday, while designated hitter Kendrys Morales and starter Edinson Volquez declined their mutual options.
Davis will make $10 million next season and Escobar will earn $6.5 million.
The Royals also declined their mutual option on Kris Medlen after the right-hander exercised his portion of it. Medlen will join Morales and Volquez in free agency beginning Tuesday.
In other procedural moves, the Royals reinstated pitchers Tim Collins and Mike Minor and third baseman Mike Moustakas from the 60-day disabled list. That leaves their 40-man roster at 39 players.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) – The Denver Broncos will be without Pro Bowl cornerback Aqib Talib for their Sunday night showdown with the Oakland Raiders.
Talib was sent for a cortisone injection in his lower back Friday and coach Gary Kubiak said he was optimistic that will help Talib return to the field soon.
Talib missed Denver’s 27-19 win over San Diego last week when his back stiffened during the team’s walkthrough the day before the game.
Bradley Roby started in his place and earned the AFC’s defensive player of the week honors after recording seven tackles, two pass breakups and a pick-6 .
Phillipsburg resident Raymond L. Wildman passed away Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, at the Phillips County Hospital in Phillipsburg at the age of 92.
He was born July 4, 1924 in Jewell County, KS, the son of Ray & Gertrude (Frank) Wildman. He married Norma Jean Dorr on Oct. 16, 1956 in Alva, OK. She preceded him in death on Sept. 24, 2007.
Survivors include his son, Dale, of Tulsa, OK; his daughter, Arleta Larson of Athol, KS; and 5 grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, Nov. 8, at 10:30 a.m. in the First Christian Church, Phillipsburg, with Pastor LeRoy Herder officiating. Graveside services will be held that afternoon at 2:00 p.m. in the Wallace Cemetery, Jewell, KS.
Visitation will be held Sunday, Nov. 6, from noon – 9 p.m. and again Monday, Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel in Phillipsburg.
Memorial contributions may be given to the First Christian Church. Online condolences may be sent to www.olliffboeve.com.
Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, is in charge of arrangements.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A judge has permanently blocked a dual voter registration system in Kansas.
Shawnee County Judge Larry Hendricks ruling Friday has no immediate impact on next week’s election because the judge had already temporarily prohibited Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach from implementing it.
The American Civil Liberties Union challenged a move by Kobach to set up a system which allowed some Kansans to vote in federal races, but not in state and local races.
Hendricks said Kobach “simply lacks the authority” to create the two-tiered system.
The secretary of state’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
ACLU attorney Sophia Lakin says the ruling is a victory for Kansas voters and a stinging rebuke of Kobach’s repeated efforts to use his authority to obstruct ballot access.
LOGAN COUNTY – One person was injured in an accident just after 7 a.m. on Friday in Logan County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Mack Tractor driven by Terry Lee Simoneau, 46, Damar, was southbound on U.S. 83 near Plains Road and in front of a 1999 Kenworth Truck driven by , James E. Trussell, 53, Gering, Nebraska.
Simoneau signaled for a right turn, though he could not do so as there was no road westbound in that area.
Trussell observed this and attempted to pass on the left shoulder.
Simoneau realized he could not turn westbound, signaled for a left turn and proceeded eastbound on Plains Road.
Trussell attempted to stop but the Kenworth hit the rear of the Mack’s trailer.
The Kenworth skid across the road and into the KDOT retaining barrier.
The Mack rolled on its side and slid another 65 feet before coming to rest.
Trussell was transported to the Logan County Hospital.
Simoneau was not injured.
U.S. 83 was closed south of Oakley for several hours following the accident.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Kansas City Chiefs running back Spencer Ware has been rule out of Sunday’s game against Jacksonville with a concussion, though wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and defensive tackle Jaye Howard are expected to be available.
Maclin returned to practice Friday after tweaking his hamstring earlier in the week, while Howard was back after dealing with a hip injury he suffered last weekend against Indianapolis.
Alex Smith had already been ruled out with a head injury. Nick Foles will start at quarterback.
Others who have been ruled out include offensive lineman Parker Ehinger, who has a knee injury that could be season-ending, and cornerback D.J. White, who is recovering from a fractured hand.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Royals exercised club options on All-Star closer Wade Davis and shortstop Alcides Escobar on Friday, while designated hitter Kendrys Morales and starter Edinson Volquez declined their mutual options.
Davis will make $10 million next season and Escobar will earn $6.5 million.
The Royals also declined their mutual option on Kris Medlen after the right-hander exercised his portion of it. Medlen will join Morales and Volquez in free agency beginning Tuesday.
In other procedural moves, the Royals reinstated pitchers Tim Collins and Mike Minor and third baseman Mike Moustakas from the 60-day disabled list. That leaves their 40-man roster at 39 players.
A letter by Tim Keck, head of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, published in the Oct. 24 edition of the Wichita Eagle, has drawn a string of rebuttals from people who provide disability services. CREDIT FILE PHOTO
A public letter by the head of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services praising KanCare’s effect on Kansans with disabilities has drawn a string of rebuttals from people who provide disability services.
Tim Keck’s letter was published Oct. 24 on the Wichita Eagle editorial page.
In it, the interim KDADS secretary said KanCare — the state’s move to privatize Medicaid under the administration of three insurance companies — has improved the lives of Kansans with disabilities and that the state’s safety net is strong.
Kansans with disabilities are receiving 36 percent more home and community-based services and making 29 percent fewer trips to the emergency room since KanCare began, according to Keck.
“The health concerns of the disabled are being addressed earlier and more effectively than they had been under the old system,” he said in his letter.
Keck’s letter was itself a rebuttal to an editorial by Gary Blumenthal published week earlier.
Blumenthal, a former Kansas House representative and current member of the National Council on Disability, had urged the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reject efforts by Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration to renew KanCare past 2018.
Blumenthal said KanCare has caused hardships for disability providers since its launch in 2013.
After Keck’s letter was published, those disability support providers began speaking up themselves. Editorials from providers rebutting Keck’s characterization of the strength of the safety net appeared in the Eagle and the McPherson Sentinel. Interhab, a Topeka-based advocacy group for providers, released a letter written by Executive Director Tim Wood.
The common refrain in their letters: KanCare had increased the bureaucracy for getting reimbursed while providing no better care coordination than the previous state-run Medicaid system.
Extra billing hassles, plus stagnant reimbursements and policy changes that resulted in budget cuts, are driving providers away from the industry and reducing care options for Kansans with disabilities, they said.
“The original intent of KanCare was to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities, improve efficiencies and health outcomes, break down silos between systems, and improve behavioral health, to name a few,” Tim Cunningham, the executive director of Tri-Valley Developmental Services in Chanute, said in his Eagle editorial. “Yet none of these have come to fruition, and it can be argued that we have headed in the opposite direction.”
Doug Wisby, CEO of Multi Community Diversified Services, which serves people with disabilities in McPherson County and surrounding areas, said in his McPherson Sentinel editorial that Keck’s letter left him “incredulous.”
“A number of service providers across the state will no longer accept new individuals for services and some have gone out of business,” his editorial said. “This will continue to get worse.”
Officials who lead Johnson County’s government agencies that support residents with disabilities and mental illnesses penned their own response to Keck’s letter, which was backed up by the Board of County Commissioners.
In it they said their network already was shrinking with last month’s closure of Cornerstone Supports in Olathe and Johnson County Developmental Supports had asked the commissioners to hire extra staff to help Cornerstone clients who have intellectual and developmental disabilities as they look for new providers.
Correspondence between state and federal officials obtained under the Kansas Open Records Act shows that CMS regulators had questions about the strength of KanCare’s disability supports networks before Cornerstone closed.
Richard Overcast, a health insurance specialist with the CMS regional office in Kansas City, sent an email to state officials Aug. 11 with a series of five requests for more information on KanCare network maps sent to him about a week earlier.
“Please provide evidence showing, or describe the basis of your conclusion, that the provider networks illustrated in the data are sufficient to serve the enrollees in the service area,” Overcast wrote in his final request.
Mike Randol, director of the Division of Health Care Finance at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, responded by sending data from the three KanCare managed care organizations, or MCOs, and saying the state would vouch for them.
“The state certifies the documentation submitted by the MCOs complies with the state’s requirements for availability of services,” Randol wrote.
Wood, in his letter on behalf of Interhab last month, said CMS officials continue to scrutinize the networks and were in Kansas doing a comprehensive review of KanCare when Keck’s editorial was published.
“The result of (the review) will most certainly show that KanCare is not a ‘remarkable success’ for Kansans with disabilities,” Wood said.
But not all providers have a negative impression of KanCare.
Ben Swinnen, executive director of Equi-Venture Farms in Topeka, says on the whole KanCare has been positive for his company, which has grown since managed care Medicaid started in Kansas. CREDIT ANDY MARSO / HEARTLAND HEALTH MONITOR
Ben Swinnen, executive director of Equi-Venture Farms in Topeka, said adapting to three MCO billing systems involved some challenges, but on the whole KanCare has been positive for him.
“I’m trying to engage (with the MCOs) rather than say, ‘Why is it not happening?’ and through that engagement I’ve had fabulous results,” he said.
Swinnen said his company has remained open for referrals of new clients with developmental disabilities since KanCare began and has added the capacity to serve about 15 percent more people in each of the last three years.
He now serves more than 100 clients and recently expanded his enterprise by buying a small agency in Newton that was struggling.
“It’s not perfect,” Swinnen said of KanCare. “But it is not a story of failures. It’s a story of attempts that have been positive.”
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
refused transport.
