Listen to Mike Cooper interviewing Jodee Altman, M.S.; Manager of Group Fitness, Aquatics, and Massage at The Center for Health Improvement at HaysMed, with the topic of “Classes and Programs” by clicking the link above and then clicking the play button
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Eric Hosmer’s single in the 11th inning drove in Cheslor Cuthbert with the winning run to lift the Kansas City Royals to a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.
The Royals have won six straight, matching a season high, and got their eighth walk-off victory.
There was a 3-hour, 3-minute rain delay in the top of the fifth, plus a 12-minute delay when some of the lights went out in the bottom of the sixth. The game did not end until seven hours after the first pitch.
Cuthbert led off the 11th with an infield single against J.T. Chargois (0-1), the sixth Twins pitcher. Lorenzo Cain then walked before Hosmer’s game-winning hit.
Chien-Ming Wang (6-0) allowed one single in two innings.
Alex Gordon, who extended his hitting streak to a season-high 10 games, and Alcides Escobar singled with one-out in the 10th, but the Royals failed to score.
Pokémon
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Everywhere you looked during the first-ever Hays Duck Derby last week, there were smiling faces.
The new fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ellis County brought an estimated 1,000 adults and youngsters to the Hays Aquatic Park Aug. 10 to enjoy the fun and sun.
Even Darla Braun, Bank of Hays Senior VP, had a smile on her face although she was about to face a daunting challenge.
According to Braun, “we struggled to come up with a theme and we wanted it to be somewhat bank-related. I’ve got two teen-aged boys that love Pokemon.” So Braun dug out one of her boys’old Halloween costumes and then “we named our boat the ‘S.S. Pokémoney’,” she said with a completely straight face. Kelly Fross, Bank of Hays customer service representative and Shelby Crabill, bank teller, struggled to look fierce as they sat beside Braun in front of their boat prior to the Soggy Bottom Challenge.
Braun credited her husband Jeff for the boat design–“he has one similar to it at home, and he said this is the way to go.” The three women, their significant others, along with Bank of Hays CEO Randy Walker and his son built the S.S. Pokémoney in the Braun’s garage using cardboard and duct tape as required by the race rules.
There was no water testing of the hand-built craft ahead of time–“we were afraid it might sink,” Braun admitted with a laugh. It would also be the first time Braun had paddled a water craft.
“We think Big Brothers Big Sisters is just a great organization and that we would do anything to help them out,” said Fross, “so this is just one more way that we could have fun while trying to help them out.”
Proceeds from the 15 Soggy Bottom Challenge participants, buyers of the more 5,000 ducks in the Duck Derby and the Duck Dash for Kids, along with a hot dog feed, went to BBBS–a little more than $45,000.
“I just can’t believe it,” BBBS Executive Director Jenny Bates exclaimed. “”It was so great to see it all come together. It was amazing!”
Despite Braun’s strategy “to win,” the the S.S. Pokémoney did not win any of the three boat races in the HAP lap pool.
“Well, it didn’t go like planned,” she said, after clambering out of the boat with a hand up from Bank of Hays Loan Officer Josh Dreher.
“That’s harder than it looks,” Braun said as she panted to catch her breath. “And, you were going against the wind,” Dreher pointed out.
Although she struggled using the oars, Braun made it to the other end of the pool without taking on any water, “other than what maybe what I threw in with the oars,” she laughed.
“It’s all good, for a good cause.”
The new fundraiser for BBBS will replace the annual Christmas 4 Kids telethon held in early December.
The Department of Informatics has announced that Digital Media students Kennith Moreno, Charlotte, N.C., graduate student; Tyler Parks, Elkhart graduate student; and Richard Kerr, Wichita junior, have been honored by the Broadcast Education Association by winning the “War on the Floor” competition that took place in April at the National Association of Broadcasters National Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The FHSU War on the Floor team competed against two other schools, Elon University from North Carolina and Clemson University from South Carolina. In Las Vegas, FHSU’s team had to come up with and implement a social media campaign as well as produce a 1 to 2 minute promotional piece on an exhibitor or product of their choice represented at NAB. To round out the competition, the FHSU team also produced a long form video, 15 to 20 minutes long, telling the content lifecycle story through the eyes of the students’ team that includes interviews with speakers, exhibitors and include footage from the NAB show. The FHSU team turned their presentation in on May 31. The FHSU team in winning the War on the Floor receives a SMART PASS registration for the 2017 NAB Show which includes all conferences, workshops, super sessions and the show floor, the tickets are valued at $1,499.
The War on the Floor victory caps off a successful 2015-16 school year for the Department of Informatics’ Media Studies students that saw them also bring home 10 first place and 2 second place awards from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters competition in March.
The Department of Informatics Media Studies has a proud history of performing well in KAB competition. In 2013, students won one first-place and one second place award and three honorable mentions. In 2014, students earned two first place, one second place, and one honorable mention award. In 2015, students made a big impact at the KAB awards, taking home six first place and two second place awards.
Disclosure: Kerr is a member of the Hays Post newsroom.
I do not know if American democracy will survive this bizarre election year, but if it does not make it, I can predict the cause of death. The smoking gun will be the growing, highly toxic, self-serving, and baseless belief that whenever one’s favored candidate, party, or issue loses an election, it must be because “the system” was “rigged” by the winning side.
Nonsense.
While GOP Presidential nominee Donald Trump spews this bile on the national stage, we also have problems right here in Kansas. Secretary of State Kris Kobach will not quit insisting that restrictive new voting laws are needed to prevent rampant voter fraud, despite the failure of his or any other office to find any substantial evidence that it exists, not to mention Kobach’s recent string of losses before the courts. False allegations of voter fraud are particularly damaging, not only because they undermine voters’ confidence in a system that works quite well, but also because they cannot be disproven, since they were never based on facts or analysis in the first place.
On the other side of the aisle, critics have wondered if the particularly high voter turnout for Republicans in large, high-turnout precincts is due to some sort of tampering with the voting machines. Not so fast: these precincts tend to be located in higher-income, suburban areas such as Olathe and Maize—areas that vote heavily Republican, where demographics alone explain the results.
Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders were devastated by his loss Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary, but Clinton finished more than three and a half million votes ahead. Sanders became an icon his supporters, but Clinton got the numbers. No voter is always going to like the results of our process, but when we lose, instead of throwing brickbats and broken bottles at the officials like disgruntled sports fans, we need to take the high road. Senator Morris Udall said it perfectly. After losing a hard-fought primary election to Jimmy Carter, Udall exclaimed, “the people have spoken. Damn them!”
Udall was mad at the voters, but he knew better than to vent his frustration with any “system is rigged” foolishness.
Nobel laureate Kenneth Arrow used mathematics to demonstrate that no system of counting votes can guarantee an absolutely fair outcome, every time. Just ask Al Gore, who won the popular vote but lost the presidency in 2000 amid a circus of butterfly ballots and hanging chads. Hillary Clinton knows, too– she narrowly lost the Democratic presidential nomination to Barack Obama in 2008 despite her slight edge in popular votes. Complications such as races with more than two candidates, low-turnout elections, unstable public attitudes, the electoral college, and convention superdelegates can skew outcomes in close races. No wonder the Democrats have pledged to eliminate two-thirds of their superdelegates by 2020. Even then, democracy will still be imperfect– all systems are imperfect– but it still beats the alternatives.
Democracy is also vulnerable. The only thing holding it in place is us. It cannot survive unless we all take one for the team sometimes, even when it hurts. As Winston Churchill said, “democracy is the worst system in the world… except for all the others.”
Indeed.
A cooler and much less humid air mass is now established over the region, and this will provide a break from the summer heat with highs today only in the upper 70s. A warming trend then begins on Sunday into early next week, with a chance for mainly late day thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Today: Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 77. North northwest wind 10 to 14 mph.
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 53. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming light and variable.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 85. West southwest wind 6 to 13 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 63. South southeast wind 9 to 13 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 88. Breezy, with a south wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 17 to 22 mph in the afternoon.
FHSU University Relations and Marketing
The Management Development Center at Fort Hays State University will offer “ABC’s of Grant Writing” from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7, in the FHSU Memorial Union’s Stouffer Lounge.
The workshop is an introduction for beginners and a refresher for grant writers looking to polish existing skills and receive updates about funding trends. It is designed for people who work with schools, non-profits and economic development organizations. Participants will learn strategies to find federal and non-federal funding sources, the basics of proposal development, and tips for increasing competitiveness.
Leslie Paige, coordinator for the Office of Scholarship and Sponsored Projects, will facilitate.
Learning outcomes include
· How to target federal and non-federal funding sources with the best “fit” for an organization.
· How to critically evaluate requests for proposals and interpret funder guidelines.
· How to develop logic models, project work plans and appropriate timelines.
· A strategic approach to writing the components of a proposal.
· When to contact program and grant officers and what to say.
· Proven methods designed to increase the probability of funding.
· Strategies designed to improve resubmissions.
“Writing grant proposals can be challenging,” said Sabrina William, director of the Management Development Center. “Much of the information provided at the workshop is applicable to anyone interested in writing their first proposal or those who have written grants before but may not have been as successful as they had hoped.”
Participants will receive a completion certificate.
The cost is $199. Hays Area Chamber of Commerce members are eligible for a 15-percent discount. The early registration deadline is Friday, Sept. 2.
Registration is available online at https://webapps.fhsu.edu/MDC2.0/Default.aspx. To learn more about this workshop or receive discount codes, contact Conni Dreher at (785) 628-4121 or [email protected].
By MEGAN HART
The waiting list for Medicaid services for Kansans with physical disabilities has dropped by more than 1,700 since last year but hasn’t budged for those with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
In July, 3,450 Kansans with intellectual or developmental disabilities were waiting for home and community-based services provided through Medicaid, as were 10 Kansans with physical disabilities.
The drop in the number of Kansans with physical disabilities waiting for services was substantial. In July 2015, 1,721 Kansans had been waiting for those services. The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services said earlier this month that it had cleared that waiting list.
The number of Kansans waiting for services for intellectual and developmental disabilities was essentially unchanged from 3,449 in July 2015, however.
Angela de Rocha, a spokeswoman for KDADS, said it took longer to “clean up” the waiting list for Kansans with developmental disabilities and remove people who weren’t eligible to receive services. The department initially focused on offering services or removing people from the physical disability waiting list but now has turned its attention to the developmental disability waiting list, she said.
Gov. Sam Brownback has cited elimination of the waiting lists as a priority before he would consider expanding eligibility for Medicaid.
His administration has spent about $65 million since 2013 to reduce the Medicaid waiting list, de Rocha said. She estimated KDADS offered services to about 150 Kansans with intellectual or developmental disabilities in July.
“Now that we have the (physical disability) waiver wait list essentially eliminated, we can start moving people off the (intellectual or developmental disability) waiver wait list,” she said in an email.
The waivers provide Medicaid coverage for home and community-based support services that allow Kansans with disabilities to remain at home rather than live in institutions. The services are split into seven groups based on type of disability: developmental, physical, frail elderly, autism, traumatic brain injury, technology assisted and serious emotional disturbance.
No one was waiting for services provided in the other five waiver programs in July 2015 or 2016.
A list of Kansans on the waiting list at the end of each year from 2004 to 2014 showed the physical disabilities waiting list peaked at 7,061 in 2008 and has gradually dropped since.
The waiting list for Kansans with intellectual or developmental disabilities continued to grow during that period, however, hitting 8,769 at the end of 2014.
Rocky Nichols, executive director of the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, said a reduction in the waiting list isn’t always a positive development, however. In some cases, Kansans with physical disabilities were sent letters and dropped from the waiting list if they didn’t receive the letter or didn’t understand that they needed to answer it, he said.
That hasn’t happened to many Kansans with developmental disabilities, Nichols said, because they are more likely to have case managers who can help them navigate the system.
“I think before the state of Kansas spikes the ball and says they’ve scored a touchdown, we need a reality check,” he said.
Megan Hart is a reporter for KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team. You can reach her on Twitter @meganhartMC
HUTCHINSON – A man reported missing by family on Monday has been located, according to police.
Beau Strickland, 37, Hutchinson was last seen
Monday morning dropping his daughter off at daycare.
No additional details were released early Saturday.
Funeral service for Goodland, Kansas resident Darren M. Way, 39, will be held Tuesday, August 23, 2016, at 10:30 AM MT in Harvest Evangelical Free Church in Goodland.
Interment will be at the Goodland Cemetery.
Friends may share their respects Monday, Aug. 22, from 3 to 7 PM MT at Koons Chapel in Goodland.
Memorials in lieu of flowers may be made to Darren Way Memorial to be used for his daughter’s future education and may be left at or mailed to:
Koons Funeral Home
211 North Main
Goodland, KS 67735-1555
Online condolences at www.koonsfuneralhome.com.
ABILENE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas police chief has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of disseminating or requesting criminal history information without a legitimate need.
Bronson Campbell was the Enterprise police chief from May 2013 until May 2014, when his appointment wasn’t renewed. He’s currently the Valley Falls police chief.
The complaint alleges that in 2014 Campbell disseminated criminal history information, or requested such information from the central repository of another criminal justice agency, without a legitimate need.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports he pleaded not guilty Thursday to the misdemeanor during a preliminary hearing in Dickinson County.
Campbell recently sought the Republican nomination for Jefferson County sheriff but lost the August 2 primary.
A Dickinson County judge has denied requests to disclose the affidavit in Campbell’s criminal case.
SALINE COUNTY – A Kansas man was injured in an accident just after 5p.m. on Friday in Saline County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 F-150 driven by Steve W. Parsons, 65, Pratt, was Eastbound on Interstate 70 three miles west of Solomon.
The pickup hydroplaned during a rainstorm, left the south side of the Interstate, rolled twice and came to rest on its top in a bean field.
Parsons and a passenger Parsons, Susan G. Parsons, 64, Pratt, were transported to Salina Regional Medical Center.
They were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
