Pamela “Pam” Werth, 62, Hays, died Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at her home.
Funeral arrangements are pending and will be announced by Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.
Year: 2016
Robert A. ‘Bob’ Ruder
Robert A. “Bob” Ruder, 80, rural Hays, died Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at his home.
Funeral arrangements are pending and will be announced by Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.
Police investigate after student brings BB gun to Kan. elementary school
NEWTON – Law enforcement authorities and officials with USD 373 in Newton are investigating a student who brought a BB gun to school.
On Monday, school administration received a tip after school that a specific Slate Creek Elementary student had a gun in a backpack, according to a note sent to parents.
The Newton Police Department was called. The student and backpack were located by police and upon an investigation, a BB gun was discovered in the student’s backpack.
It was not loaded and officials had no indication of any threats made to the school or any individuals in the school.
The school reported appropriate disciplinary procedures would be followed.
No additional details were released.
HHS volleyball swept in Salina
SALINA, Kan. – The Hays High volleyball team dropped a pair of matches at the Salina Central triangular Tuesday. The Indians were swept by the Mustangs 21-25, 6-25 then by Maize 13-25, 18-25.
Tasiah Nunnery had four kills in each match and 22 digs on the night to lead the Indians. Maddie Hutchison added eight assists against Central.
The Indians close out their regular season 14-17. They will host one of the eight 4A Division I sub-state tournament’s this Saturday.
Kan. man charged after he drops off teen girl at detective’s hotel room
WICHITA – A Kansas man was charged Tuesday in federal court with the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl, according to acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.
John H. Dickerson, 34, Wichita, was charged with one count of the sex trafficking of a minor and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction.
A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Wichita alleges the case grew out of a human-trafficking enforcement operation conducted by the FBI and the Wichita Police Department. On Saturday, Oct. 15, a detective answered an advertisement on an adult services Web site. He arranged to meet a sex worker at a hotel in Wichita and to pay $200 for an hour of sex.
Dickerson dropped off a 17-year-old girl at the detective’s room. The girl and Dickerson were taken into custody. Investigators learned that that Dickerson had been paid several times to take the girl to meet customers.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the trafficking charge, and up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the firearm charge.
The Wichita Police Department, the FBI and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.
Sunny, mild Wednesday
A nice Fall day is expected with highs in the 60s and 70s.
Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. Northeast wind 5 to 11 mph.
Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. North wind 6 to 8 mph.
Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. North northwest wind 7 to 9 mph.
Thursday NightMostly clear, with a low around 38. North northeast wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable.
Friday Sunny, with a high near 74. South wind 7 to 13 mph.
Friday NightClear, with a low around 41.
SaturdaySunny, with a high near 78.
Saturday NightClear, with a low around 45.
SundaySunny, with a high near 77.
Kansas man jailed for shooting a gun during a fight
SHAWNEE COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Shawnee County are investigating a suspect for firing a gun during a fight.
Just before 11a.m. on Tuesday, police were dispatched to the 700 Block of southwest Fairlawn in Topeka after report of a gunshots, according to a media release.
Officers found two subjects who knew each other and had become involved in an argument over property that led to a fight and a gun fired.
One shot struck an occupied apartment in the area. There were no injuries.
Police recovered the gun and arrested Danato Ferninado Rella, 32, Topeka, for criminal discharge of a firearm and misdemeanor criminal damage to property.
Ram trucks, Charger police cars recalled to fix alternators
DETROIT (AP) — Fiat Chrysler is recalling more than 86,000 trucks and police cars mainly in North America to fix a short circuit in the alternators that can cause engine stalling or fires.
The recall covers certain 2007 through 2013 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks, as well as Ram 4500 and 5500 chassis cabs. Also covered are some 2011 through 2014 Charger police cars.
The company says diodes inside the alternators can wear out under frequent hot-temperature use in commercial fleets. That can cause the short circuits. Fiat Chrysler says it’s aware of one possibly related injury but no crashes. There also have been fires, but an FCA spokesman says he can’t say how many.
FCA will notify customers when they can bring vehicles in for service.
Applications open for State Trade and Export Promotions (STEP) grant to help small businesses
KDC
TOPEKA–Since 2012, more than 50 Kansas small businesses have achieved $17.2 million in export sales through STEP grant programs.
The Kansas Department of Commerce is currently accepting STEP grant applications from small businesses to assist them in starting or growing their exports. The Commerce programs, which are being funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), will help non-exporters begin exporting for the first time or existing exporters expand their export levels.
“Exporting can be a key to success for many small businesses,” said Kansas Commerce Secretary Antonio Soave. “These STEP grants, through the SBA, allow the Department of Commerce to assist small businesses across the state with starting, maintaining and growing their exports, in an effort to achieve their maximum potential, both as a national or global exporter and as a small business in Kansas.”
“Kansas has a proud and rich tradition in agriculture and understands that the international market is the key to growth of the industry,” said Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Jackie McClaskey. “The Kansas agriculture industry is always ready to become highly engaged in export markets. This grant will allow us to explore new markets for Kansas agricultural products.”
Programs offered through the STEP Grant include:
· Export seminars and training courses
· Opportunities for participation in foreign trade shows and missions
· Support for entering new markets
For the current grant year, SBA has awarded Kansas $383,000 in STEP funding. Commerce is administering the grant in tandem with the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
Businesses that wish to apply for support or are interested in learning more should visit KansasCommerce.com/STEP.
Colby, other W. Kan. community colleges in EDUKAN joined by FHSU
FHSU University Relations and Marketing
Fort Hays State University has entered into a marketing alliance with EDUKAN, a consortium of six western Kansas community colleges, in providing online education to Kansas students.
The formal announcement of the partnership came in an earlier news release from EDUKAN.
Dr. Joey Linn, FHSU’s vice president for student affairs, said the agreement marks an advancement in the university’s relationship with the colleges in the EDUKAN consortium.
“Our offerings, combined with theirs, mean that one of the largest catalogs of online degrees is available to western Kansas,” he said. “This expands the learning opportunities at the certificate, associate, bachelor, master and professional doctorate degree levels.”
Fort Hays State’s Virtual College has more than 45 online degree programs. The university entered the field of distance education in 1911 with correspondence courses. Its distance learning division has continuously evolved since then, assimilating advancements in technology and adapting to educational and social culture, becoming the Virtual College in 1997.
FHSU’s fall 2016 enrollment of 14,658 students includes more than 6,500 online students as well as more than 3,300 in the university’s foreign partners.
EDUKAN, whose distance education offerings include more than 205 courses year round with 19 certificate and AA degree programs, began in 1998 when the presidents of six western Kansas community colleges met to “evaluate an online means of offering courses to their student populations,” according to the history on its website, www.edukan.org. The first courses available through the resulting cooperative, known as EDUKAN, became available in fall 1999.
The consortium comprises Barton Community College, Great Bend; Colby Community College; Dodge City Community College; Garden City Community College; Pratt Community College; and Seward County Community College, Liberal.
The agreement between FHSU and EDUKAN will simplify the process of moving from certificates to A.A.S. degrees and on to bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Students will have a clearer path and more course and program options, and credits will transfer more easily.
“In line with the continued shift in focus to value-based quality education, the new strategic alliance between EDUKAN and FHSU provides students with even greater opportunities for achieving their academic goals,” said Esther Lahargoue, EDUKAN’s chief executive officer, in the organization’s announcement of the agreement.
EDUKAN and FHSU will also work together in co-branding and marketing efforts to provide information on the distance education options available to prospective students.
Kansas man indicted on child porn, weapons charges
WICHITA – A federal grand jury returned an indictment Tuesday charging a Salina man with producing and distributing child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.
Michael N. Rodenbeek, 53, is charged with three counts of producing child pornography, one count of distributing child pornography, one count of possessing child pornography, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in June, July, August and September, 2016, in Saline and Sedgwick counties.
A complaint filed in the case alleges a Wichita police detective accessed a file sharing network to download child pornography from Rodenbeek’s computer. Investigators learned that on June 18, 2016, Rodenbeek used an iPhone to record a 9-year-old girl and on July 19, 2016, he used an iPhone to record a 10-year-old girl.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 15 years and not more than 30 years on each count of production, not less than five years and not more than 20 years on the distribution count, up to 20 years on the possession count, and up to 10 years on the firearm charge. The Wichita Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.
Election form issues under investigation in Kansas
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Election officials in Kansas’ most populous county didn’t offer the easiest option for registering to vote until the day before voter registration ended.
The American Civil Liberties Union told The Associated Press it’s trying to determine whether other counties were doing the same thing.
The Kansas City Star reports Johnson County election officials until Monday only offered a form that requires documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote.
After the newspaper questioned whether doing so violated the National Voter Registration Act, the office began providing a federal form that simply requires people to attest they are citizens.
Recent court decisions have blocked Kansas from requiring proof-of-citizenship documents from people who register when getting their driver’s license or when using the federal form. Voter registration ends Tuesday in Kansas.
Mammoth tusk found in Kansas finally moved
CUNNINGHAM, Kan. (AP) — An 8-foot-long tusk of a mammoth uncovered earlier this year by a southern Kansas construction company has been moved to a lab at Wichita State University.
The Wichita Eagle reports that the tusk will be cleaned and prepped for display in the Kingman County city of Cunningham, where it was found as Skyland Grain LLC ran a sewer line across a grain elevator’s property.
Radiocarbon dating will be conducted to determine the tusk’s age.
The tusk was longer when first discovered, but part of it broke off during the project.
Wichita State associate anthropology professor David Hughes, who worked at tusk’s excavation site with his students, says the tusk belonged to a mammoth that was probably about 15 to 20 years about and was about 12 feet tall.