Thousands of dresser-chests are under recall due to a serious tip-over hazard, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The recall issued on Tuesday involves four-drawer wooden chests sold under the Storybook brand (model 416407) and sold exclusively at Walmart.
The recalled chests are unstable unless they are properly anchored to the wall, posing a serious tip-over and entrapment hazard that could result in death or serious injuries to children, according to the CPSC.
The white laminated chests have a single white wood pull on each drawer.
The chests were manufactured and sold between April 2016 and June 2016.
A label with the date code in the MM/YYYY format is located on the back of the unit.
The chests measure 42.13 inches high by 29.25 inches wide and 16.25 inches deep.
Consumers should contact Sauder Woodworking at 800-523-3987 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or online at www.sauder.com and click on “Public Notices” at the bottom of the page for more information.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) – Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles has made his training camp debut.
Charles had been on the physically-unable-to-perform list the first three weeks of camp. He underwent surgery last season after tearing the ACL in his right knee in Week 5 against Chicago. He was at practice Tuesday.
Charles missed the Chiefs’ preseason opener Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks, and it’s not clear whether he will play against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday.
The four-time Pro Bowl running back worked out a bit during the offseason program, and Charles said all along that he expected to be ready for the season opener against San Diego on Sept. 11.
Unsuccessful diamond grinding on Canterbury one block south of 13th Street.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Recent maintenance work to grind down bumps on parts of Canterbury and 27th Streets in Hays was not successful.
The company hired to do the work — Interstate Grinding of Garden City, which was subcontracted by APAC of Hays — did not meet expectations and the project was halted.
As part of the 2016 Street Maintenance program, diamond grinding was performed last month on sections of the concrete pavement on Canterbury between 12th and 13th and on 27th from Vine to Sherman. According to Public Works Director Greg Sund, “even after two passes, there is still about a 5/8 of an inch dip.”
“We (the city and the contractor) didn’t know at the time how much of a deflection was being caused by the warping of the street,” Sund told city commissioners last week. “When they ground the surface off the top of the street, it still leaves these dips. It’s because the street itself is warping — raising in the middle of each panel and down on the sides.”
The warping is so rare, it’s not even rated by the company doing a pavement assessment for Hays, Sund added.
“We don’t know why it’s happening. It’s happening on more than one street,” he said.
Interstate Grinding has previously done successful work in Hays and for the Kansas Department of Transportation. Sund reported the company owner said this particular project is only the second time in his 13 years of grinding that he’s not been able to achieve the results desired by the project owner.
Instead of moving ahead with a different contractor to finish the job for an additional $168,000, city commissioners directed Sund to first find out why the bumps are occurring.
Sund assured city commissioners the pavement problems “are not a public safety issue.”
SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a suspect for various alleged sex crimes.
Adonis E. Jones, 24, is alleged to have fondled two teen boys at his home between November and July, according to Police Captain Mike Sweeney .
Jones is also accused of sending sexually explicit messages on Facebook to one of the victims.
He is an acquaintance of the boys.
The police began their investigation on August 2nd they were contacted by the Kansas Department of Children and Families.
Jones was booked into the Saline County Jail late Monday morning on requested charges of two counts aggravated indecent liberties with a child, indecent sexual solicitation of a child, unlawful sexual relations with a child, and three counts of electronic solicitation.
Photo by Jim McLean/KHI News Service In a rare, informal conversation with Statehouse reporters late last week, Brownback said the results of the recent primary election aren’t causing him to reconsider his positions on tax cuts, school finance or Medicaid expansion. ]
By JIM MCLEAN
The results of the recent primary election haven’t pushed Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback off his talking points.
In a rare informal conversation with Statehouse reporters late last week, Brownback was asked whether he interpreted the primary results as a rejection of his policies, his controversial income tax cuts in particular.
“I consider them (the results) to be a frustration with the budget, with K-12 (education) funding because those are the things I’m hearing the most about,” Brownback said, conceding that media coverage has led many Kansans to believe that his tax cuts are responsible for the state’s chronic budget problems.
“There’s been very little coverage of positive sides of business growth in the state,” he said, noting that small-business growth had been particularly robust on the Kansas side of the line in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
“It was 100 percent a repudiation of his policies and specifically, the No. 1 was actually tax, not education,” Cox said.
Several conservative lawmakers who helped Brownback pass those tax cuts won’t be back. Some retired rather than face the voters. But others, like Hildabrand, were defeated by challengers who pledged to stop the bleeding and restore stability to the state budget.
“I consider them (the results) to be a frustration with the budget, with K-12 (education) funding because those are the things I’m hearing the most about.”
Kansas hospitals and other provider organizations have been pushing for expansion for three years. But that push has gone nowhere because of opposition from Brownback and conservative legislative leaders.
During his meeting with reporters, Brownback said he isn’t inalterably opposed to expansion but has conditions that must be met: primarily the elimination of waiting lists for KanCare support services.
Brownback has said he is opposed to extending health benefits to approximately 150,000 poor but non-disabled adults until Kansans with disabilities are getting all the services to which they’re entitled.
“You have people who are not able-bodied, who have dependents who are not getting the full set of services,” he said.
“They (the Brownback administration) have set up what we consider at least to be a false choice between the waiting list and KanCare expansion,” said Tom Bell, president and chief executive of the Kansas Hospital Association.
“Those two things have nothing to do with each other,” he said. “It seems to me that it allows the governor to not have to worry about expansion for the rest of his time in office.”
But the governor may be forced to deal with the issue. The gains by moderate Republicans in the primary and anticipated victories by a handful of Democrats in the general election have advocates hopeful they’ll have to votes to send an expansion bill to the governor’s desk when the Legislature reconvenes in January.
“Looking at the dynamic of how the races are shaping up, we see broad support for expanding KanCare,” said David Jordan, executive director of the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, an advocacy group funded by several health foundations.
Editor’s note: Many of the health foundations that support the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas also provide funding to the editorially independent KHI News Service.
Jim McLean is executive editor of KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration says it’s continuing to address global warming by adopting previously announced standards to make large trucks, buses and other heavy-duty vehicles more fuel efficient.
These vehicles account for more than one-fifth of transportation-related fuel consumption and the emission of greenhouse gases that are blamed for harming the environment.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department say the standards will cut carbon pollution, save vehicle owners billions of dollars in fuel costs and conserve tens of billions of gallons of oil.
The standards require up to 25 percent lower carbon emissions and fuel consumption for certain tractors.
Heavy duty pickups and vans would have to become 2.5 percent more efficient annually between model years 2021 and 2027.
The Ellis County Commission approved the first step of an update to salary and personnel classification changes at Monday’s commission meeting.
In 2014, Ellis County commissioned Evergreen Solutions to conduct a wage and benefit study, but the commission did not implement the study. Instead, the commission only adopted the recommendation to bring employees to the minimum pay rate based market information in the study.
Because the commission enacted a 1 percent pay increase for all county employees, County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes said the pay plan in the study needs to be updated.
The measure approved Monday includes the adoption of a new pay plan for all classified employees – except county commissioners — and employees covered by the bargaining agreement for Emergency Medical services and updates several job descriptions and classifications.
Smith-Hanes said the moves are an effort to get the county on a path to a “clear and understandable” pay and classification system.
“This establishes policy and positions control mechanisms that will allow your commission to provide effective policy direction for a county HR system,” said Smith-Hanes.
He said the move does not fully implement the study but puts the county in line with the fundamentals of the pay plan.
County Commissioner Dean Haselhorst said it “is a work in progress.”
According to Smith-Hanes the changes will cost about $22,000 for the rest of 2016 and $83,000 in 2017.
The 2016 changes will be funded by savings from salaries of vacant positions.
Commissioner Barb Wasinger was absent.
In other business, the commission:
• Approved the purchase of a 2016 Chevrolet pickup from Hays Chevrolet for the Rural Fire Department for $32,000.
• Heard a monthly health report from Health Administrator Butch Schlyer and an Extension update from Horticultural Agent Holly Dickman.
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Three Kansas men who are under investigation in last month’s shooting of an Illinois police officer have appeared in court on charges accusing them of plotting to kill three other men.
The Salina Journal reports that 22-year-old Alex Karcher, 22-year-old Xavier McCray and 24-year-old Xavier Lewis met Monday in Saline County District Court with the judge who will handle their cases. They each are jailed on $1 million bond.
Karcher’s attorney didn’t immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment. The other two men don’t have attorneys.
Carbondale, Illinois, officer Trey Harris was wounded during the same time frame in which the three men are accused in a criminal complaint of agreeing to travel to the state to commit capital murder. No one was killed.
GEARY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Geary County are investigating a suspect after a brief standoff on Monday.
Police were notified that a Junction City apartment had a shotgun and had threatened to harm himself and others, according to a media release.
Authorities made contact with Scott W. Robinson, 49, by telephone but he refused to leave the apartment to speak with the investigating officers including members of the Junction City – Geary County Swat Team and Geary County Sheriff’s Department.
After negotiating for approximately two hours the Robinson surrendered and was taken into custody without incident.
He is being held in the Geary County Detention Center on charges of Criminal Threat and Interference with Law Enforcement.
(AP )- Aetna will become the latest health insurer to chop its participation in the Affordable Care Act’s public exchanges when it trims its presence to four states for 2017, from 15 this year.
The nation’s third-largest insurer said late Monday that a second-quarter pre-tax loss of $200 million from its individual insurance coverage helped it decide to limit exposure to the exchanges, which also have generated losses for UnitedHealth Group and Anthem, among other carriers.
Aetna said earlier this month it was canceling expansion plans for its exchange business in 2017.
The exchanges have helped millions of gain health coverage. But major insurers say this relatively small slice of business generates large losses in part because of higher-than-expected claims.
Government officials say the future of the exchanges remains strong.
MOORESVILLE, Ind. – ET Works, parent company of the Apache Sprayer brand, started its 20th model year at the annual Apache dealership meeting last month.
The event, which was held at company headquarters in Mooresville, Ind., recognized individual dealer and dealership awards, showcased updates to current sprayer models and highlighted future innovations.Dealers also participated in informational breakout sessions and workshops during the two-day event.
The award categories and key recipients from the 2016 Apache Sprayer annual dealership meeting included Salesman of the Year – Jason Pavlu of Simpson Farm Enterprises.
Simpson Farm Enterprises Inc., with locations in Ransom, Hays, Great Bend and Beloit, is celebrating 35 years of providing sales and service to the agricultural community.
Gary Dean Hammersmith Jr., age 46, of Kirwin, Kansas, passed away Sunday, August 14, 2016 in Kirwin.
He was born October 22, 1969 in Russell, Kansas, to Gary Dean and Michele Sue (Hart) Hammersmith. He graduated from Fred T. Ford High School in Hickory North Carolina. He married Rose Marie Meis on June 15, 1996 in Catharine, Kansas.
Dean enjoyed gardening, fishing, working with wood, and his many pets.
He is survived by his wife, Rose of Kirwin; his father, Gary Dean Hammersmith and wife Linda L. of Hays; his mother, Michele Gross and husband Dale of Hickory, North Carolina; a brother, Robert Blatcher and wife Alicia of Shawnee, Kansas; two sisters, Melissa Weaver of Hickory, North Carolina and Carol Gorges and husband Russell of Wichita, Kansas; his grandmother, Irene Hrabik of Hays, Kansas; nieces, Kelsie, Rebecca, Mackenzie, Masi; nephews, Michael, Karl, Jacob; mother-in-law, Pauline Meis of Catharine, Ks; uncles, Jay Hrabik and wife Jane of Lyons, Ks, Eric Hart and wife LiHua of Raleigh, NC; aunts, Jane Bender and husband Dwayne of Russell, Jean Maxwell Davis and husband Joel of Tulsa, OK, Lona Werth and husband Bernie of Hays, Holly Mathews and husband Charlie of Illinois; brother-in-law’s, Paul Meis and wife Theresa of Hays and Eddie Meis of Catharine.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Herb and Liddy Hammersmith, Lee Hrabik, James and Margaret Hart, Ernest and Hazel Gross; father-in-law, Ernest “Ernie” Meis; sister-in-law, Paula Meis; uncles, Dennis Gross and Scott Gross, Jerry Hammersmith; aunt, Carolyn Holloway; cousin, Bobby Hammersmith
Funeral services will be 4 PM Thursday, August 18, 2016 at St Catherine Catholic Church in Catharine, Kansas.
Visitation will be Wednesday 4 PM – 8 PM and Thursday 2 PM – 3:30 PM at Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory 2509 Vine Hays, KS 67601.
A combined parish vigil and rosary service will be Wednesday at 7 PM at the funeral chapel.
Memorials are suggested to be used according to the wishes of the family.
Condolences may be left by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or emailed to [email protected]
The Ellis County Extension Office will offer the Servsafe Food Safety Manager Certification Course on Thursday, August 31, 8:15 am to 5:30 pm, at the Extension meeting room, 601 Main Street in Hays. This regional program will provide food safety certification training for food service managers along with the national certification exam. Neeley Carlson, Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association (KRHA), will be the course instructor.
The cost for the course is $105 for KRHA members or $125 for non-KRHA members and includes the Servsafe 6th edition textbook, national certification exam, training materials and refreshments.
The ServSafe® program is a national certification program designed to teach safe handling practices to foodservice workers and others who handle and serve food to the public. ServSafe® education in Kansas is provided by K-State Research and Extension in partnership with the Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association (KRHA).
Pre-registration for the Servsafe Manager Course is required two weeks in advance– by August 17– to allow for ordering books and materials. Mail registration form and fee to the Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association, 3500 N. Rock Road, Building 1300, Wichita, KS 67227, or register online with a credit card at www.krha.org. No registrations will be taken at the Ellis County Extension Office. A minimum attendance is required to hold this class.
For questions or a registration brochure, contact Linda Beech at the Ellis County Extension Office, (785) 628-9430, or visit the website www.ellis.ksu.edu.
![Photo by Jim McLean/KHI News Service In a rare, informal conversation with Statehouse reporters late last week, Brownback said the results of the recent primary election aren’t causing him to reconsider his positions on tax cuts, school finance or Medicaid expansion. ]](https://thepost.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2016-08-16-at-11.57.56-AM.png)
ELLIS CO. EXTENSION