Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 97. Breezy, with a south wind 8 to 13 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. South southeast wind 10 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
Thursday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 96. South wind 9 to 13 mph.
Thursday Night A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. South wind 6 to 10 mph becoming east northeast after midnight.
FridayA 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. East northeast wind 7 to 9 mph.
Friday NightA 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 63.
Jarrod Dyson scores the tying run in the 9th inning vs. Chicago Tuesday night. (Courtesy Kansas City Royals/Jason Hanna)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Todd Frazier hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning and Justin Morneau had four hits to lift the Chicago White Sox over the Kansas City Royals 7-5 on Tuesday night.
Frazier is tied for the major league lead with 31 homers, and his latest came on the first pitch from Kelvin Herrera (1-4) after a single by Jose Abreu and a double by Morneau.
David Robertson (3-2) blew a save in the ninth when Alcides Escobar’s two-out single scored pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson.
Dan Jennings struck out Eric Hosmer to end the game, logging his first career save.
White Sox All-Star left-hander Chris Sale is 0-3 in five starts since a July 2 victory over Houston. He gave up three runs and seven hits in the first 2 1/3 innings but did not allow a hit after that. He threw 115 pitches in seven innings, striking out seven and walking one.
The Hays Baseball Club is announcing its tryouts for the 2017 spring season for ages 7u to 9u. Tryouts are open to Hays and Hays area kids. This is competitive, traveling team baseball.
The intent is to form two teams for each age group based on participation. All kids that make a team will be responsible for a $300 entry fee. Entry fees are to fund uniforms, tournament entry fees, field rental, umpires, team insurance and equipment. Tryouts will be held at Dusty Glassman Ballpark in Hays.
Tryout dates are as follows:
9u – Kid Pitch – August 15th and 16th
Registration 5:30-6:00. Tryouts 6-8pm.
Players who are currently 8 or 9 and will not turn 10 prior to May 1.
8u – Machine Pitch – August 23
Registration 5:30-6:00. Tryouts 6-8pm.
Players who are currently 7 or 8 and will not turn 9 prior to May 1.
7u – Machine Pitch – August 24
Registration 5:30-6:00. Tryouts 6-8pm.
Players who are currently 6 or 7 and will not turn 8 prior to May 1, 2017.
All prospective players are asked to please pre-register if possible by contacting us. For more information and inquiries, contact the following coaches for respective age groups or email questions to [email protected].
Police went to the Schlitterbahn Kansas City Water Park on Sunday to investigate a death photo courtesy KMBC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on the investigation into the death of a boy killed while riding the world’s tallest waterslide at a water park in Kansas City, Kansas (all times local):
8:15 p.m.
A Kansas legislator says he wants to examine the state’s relatively light oversight of amusement park rides like the waterslide on which a 10-year-old boy was killed.
Democratic state Sen. David Haley of Kansas City said Tuesday that he’s hoping there will be bipartisan support for a review. He said people shouldn’t be risking their lives in having fun at an amusement park.
Kansas requires annual inspections of permanent rides but has parks do the inspections. The state Department of Labor is required to randomly audit inspection records.
Caleb Schwab died Sunday at the Schiltterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas. He was the son of Republican state Rep. Scott Schwab of Olathe.
House Majority Leader Jene Vickrey said lawmakers’ immediate focus is on supporting the Schwab family.
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3:20 p.m.
The operator of a Kansas waterslide on which a 10-year-old boy was killed last weekend say that 17-story ride will remain shut down for the remainder of the season.
Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas, closed the Verruckt ride after Caleb Schwab died Sunday. Police said that son of Kansas lawmaker Scott Schwab sustained a fatal neck injury, though authorities and the park haven’t said specifically how that happened.
Schlitterbahn also announced Tuesday that “a limited portion” of the park will reopen at noon Wednesday, and that park officials won’t be offering media interviews.
The waterslide is billed as the world’s tallest, measuring 168-feet high.
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– The Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) and Secretary Lana Gordon wish to extend our continued thoughts and prayers to the Schwab family during this incredibly difficult time.
Safety reviews and regulatory compliances fall to various entities. State law and regulations require that amusement parks perform annual safety inspections by safety officials licensed by the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials.
KDOL has the authority to “conduct random” inspections of the records and certificates of inspection, along with any other documentation related to statutory compliance.
All occurrences of serious injury resulting from the operation of an amusement ride require that the ride be immediately discontinued by the park pending further inspection. KDOL is acting to ensure full compliance with this and other provisions of the act and associated administrative regulations.
KDOL has requested documentation from Kansas Schlitterbahn Water Park to ensure all safety requirements have been followed.
12:20 p.m.
At least two people who’ve ridden the waterslide on which a 10-year-old boy was killed over the weekend say shoulder straps snapped or popped off during the ride in Kansas City, Kansas.
Paul Oberhauser told local television station KCTV that the safety restraints on his raft on the Verruckt waterslide weren’t working properly when he rode it on July 26 at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark.
The Nebraska man says his shoulder strap “busted loose” during the ride and he “just held on.” A video shot by his wife shows it loose at the ride’s end. He says he told workers about the loose strap.
Kenneth Conrad told WDAF-TV that he rode the waterslide last year with a friend whose shoulder strap came “completely off.” Conrad’s wife snapped a photo at the end of the ride showing the strap missing. Conrad says he didn’t file a complaint with the park.
The park’s spokeswoman didn’t immediately return a message Tuesday from The Associated Press seeking comment on the claims.
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12 p.m.
A funeral is set for a state lawmaker’s 10-year-old son who was killed while riding a Kansas waterslide billed as the world’s tallest.
Police say Caleb Thomas Schwab died Sunday of an unspecified neck injury while riding the 168-foot-tall Verruckt at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas.
Neither investigators nor park officials have released specifics about how the boy sustained his fatal injuries. Caleb was the son of Republican state Rep. Scott Schwab.
A family spokesman, the Rev. Clint Sprague, says visitation will be held Thursday evening at LifeMission Church in Olathe. A memorial service is scheduled for Friday afternoon.
The park is tentatively scheduled to reopen Wednesday, though the waterslide remains closed.
11:35 a.m.
A spokesman for police in Kansas City, Kansas, says the death of a boy killed while riding a waterslide at a local water park is considered a criminal investigation because a death was involved.
Officer Cameron Morgan confirmed Monday that police were investigating the death of 10-year-old Caleb Schwab. He said investigators didn’t believe anything criminal happened, so it would be a “civil matter.”
On Tuesday, he clarified that the investigation is a criminal case because a death was involved, as is standard procedure. He reaffirmed that police don’t believe any criminal wrongdoing occurred and are investigating to rule out that any crime was committed.
Caleb was one of three passengers riding in a raft on the Verruckt waterslide at Schlitterbahn Waterpark when the accident occurred. Emergency responders found the boy dead in a pool at the end of the ride. The other passengers sustained minor facial injuries.
11:35 a.m.
A spokesman for police in Kansas City, Kansas, says the death of a boy killed while riding a waterslide at a local water park is considered a criminal investigation because a death was involved.
Officer Cameron Morgan confirmed Monday that police were investigating the death of 10-year-old Caleb Schwab. He said investigators didn’t believe anything criminal happened, so it would be a “civil matter.”
On Tuesday, he clarified that the investigation is a criminal case because a death was involved, as is standard procedure. He reaffirmed that police don’t believe any criminal wrongdoing occurred and are investigating to rule out that any crime was committed.
Caleb was one of three passengers riding in a raft on the Verruckt waterslide at Schlitterbahn Waterpark when the accident occurred. Emergency responders found the boy dead in a pool at the end of the ride. The other passengers sustained minor facial injuries.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A former Kansas middle school teacher has pleaded guilty to electronic solicitation of a child after swapping explicit messages with an undercover Wisconsin law enforcement officer.
The Wichita Eagle reports 41-year-old Steven Young of Derby entered his plea on Monday. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed a charge of sexual exploitation of a child.
The Sedgwick County District Attorney’s office says Young was an eighth-grade social studies teacher at Derby North Middle School when he used an online chat room in July 2015 to contact the undercover officer, who he thought was 14.
Prosecutors say the two had several conversations over Skype in subsequent months before Young took his clothes off Oct. 17 and performed a lewd act during a video chat.
HOUSTON (AP) — Officials say an infant whose mother traveled to a Zika-infected area in Latin America died shortly after birth in a suburban Houston hospital, marking the first Zika-related death in Texas.
Dr. Umair Shah is the executive director of Harris County Public Health. Shah said Tuesday that the infant died a few weeks ago and had microcephaly linked to the Zika virus.
Test results linking the death to Zika were confirmed Friday. The mother had traveled to El Salvador while she was pregnant.
The only other confirmed Zika-related death in the U.S. was an elderly Utah man who died in June. He also suffered from other health conditions.
Health officials say there have been no reported cases of Zika virus disease transmitted by mosquitoes in Texas.
Photo by Megan Hart/KHI News Service A safety net clinic that serves low-income and uninsured residents of Shawnee County has discontinued its behavioral health services, citing financial losses. The clinic’s leader says patients are being referred to other providers.
By Megan Hart
GraceMed has decided to drop behavioral health services in Shawnee County, at least for now.
The Wichita-based nonprofit took over operation of the Shawnee County Health Agency’s clinical arm in July. Dave Sanford, CEO of GraceMed, said the county set a goal of ending tax subsidies for health services within five years, and to do that, they had to cut an unprofitable service.
“Basically it was a loss leader,” Sanford said of behavioral health. “It was not producing the kind of revenue we needed to continue to offer it. We are having to make some hard decisions.”
GraceMed is referring patients to Valeo Behavioral Healthcare or Family Service and Guidance Center (FSGC), depending on whether they are adults or children, Sanford said. People who have insurance also could continue their care with a private provider, he said.
“We’re not just going to drop them,” he said. “We’re going to work with them to continue their care.”
Bill Persinger, CEO of Valeo, said the mental health center is preparing to absorb additional patients. It may be more difficult if a significant number of patients were prescribed psychotropic medications, because only higher-level providers such as psychiatrists can serve those patients, he said.
“We’re trying to gear up in anticipation of increased referrals,” he said.
Valeo and GraceMed were discussing possible partnerships before GraceMed decided to stop providing behavioral health care, Persinger said. They still are exploring possibilities, including having Valeo staff work out of the GraceMed building.
Pam Evans, director of marketing for FSGC, said they didn’t expect much effect from GraceMed’s decisions, because it was her understanding that most of Shawnee County Health Agency’s behavioral health patients were adults.
“Since we specialize in treating children, we aren’t expecting too much of an influx,” she said.
Shawnee County Health Agency employed two clinical social workers, who mostly offered 50-minute therapy sessions, Sanford said. Both did their jobs well, but didn’t see enough patients per day to generate needed revenue, he said, adding he is confident they won’t have trouble finding other jobs.
“An FQHC (federally qualified health center) is more prepared to do that mild-to-moderate counseling” than to see patients who need longer therapy sessions, he said. “We felt it would be best at this time to discontinue those services.”
GraceMed also ran into some delays getting the behavioral health providers’ credentials through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Sanford said. They couldn’t receive Medicaid reimbursements for services those two provided until KDHE informed the managed care organizations running KanCare that they were approved providers, he said.
Sanford said GraceMed could start offering behavioral health services in Shawnee County at some point in the future, but would focus on quicker counseling sessions. For example, a primary care doctor might call the behavioral health provider in for a 15- to 20-minute session if the patient reports stress or symptoms of depression during a check-up, he said.
The shorter sessions would make it feasible for a behavioral health provider to see eight to 12 patients per day, making the service financially viable, Sanford said.
“The whole goal is to go further upstream” and prevent mental health problems from getting worse, 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
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued a boil water advisory for Ellis Co. RWD No. 6 public water supply located in Ellis County. KDHE officials issued the advisory because required monthly bacteriological monitoring has not been completed, resulting in unknown water quality. KDHE is issuing this boil water advisory as a precautionary measure until water quality samples indicate water is free of bacteriological contamination.
Customers should observe the following precautions until further notice:
• Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation, or use bottled water.
• Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
• Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
• Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.
• If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.
Public water suppliers in Kansas take all measures necessary to notify customers quickly after a system failure. Regardless of whether it’s the supplier or KDHE that announces a boil water advisory, KDHE will issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.
Fort Hays State University’s Special Events Committee has announced a date change for “Fame – The Musical” due to scheduling conflicts with the performance group.
The new date is Monday, Nov. 14. The performance time will remain at 7:30 p.m. in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center.
“Fame” chronicles, in music, the struggles, fears and triumphs of young artists inhabiting the world of dance, music and theatre. It is based on the Academy Award-winning film and subsequent Emmy Award-winning television series.
The full slate of 2016-2017 Encore performances can be found through the Events link on the page at www.fhsu.edu/encore.
Lincoln Elementary is in the process of installing new playground equipment they have just received. Mike Cooper visits with principal, Elaine Rohleder.
SEDGWICK COUNTY – Two Kansas men were injured in an accident just before 11 a.m. on Tuesday in Sedgwick County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Cadillac passenger vehicle driven by Jordan A. Diaz, 20, Wichita, was southbound on Interstate 135 at Lincoln.
The vehicle drifted off to the shoulder and struck a concrete bridge pillar.
Diaz and a passenger Mack W. Colvin, 30, Wichita, were transported to St. Francis Medical Center.
They were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in Montgomery County are investigating a fatal pedestrian accident.
Just after 5:30p.m. on Monday, sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to report of an unidentified deceased man just off the shoulder of US-160 Highway, a mile west of US-169 Highway east of Independence, according to a media release.
Deputies responded and Sheriff Dierks closed the highway.
Montgomery County Deputies along with the Kansas Highway Patrol and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation were on scene until the highway was re-opened just after midnight on Tuesday morning.
Authorities say the accident occurred on Saturday, August 6, between 9:18p.m., and 9:32p.m. in Montgomery County.
Evidence from the scene suggests the vehicle involved is a 90’s model Pontiac Bonneville passenger car, dark gray or dark slate in color, with chrome trim.
The passenger’s side front headlight will have damage as will be the passenger’s side mirror and the passenger’s front window will be shattered, if not completely destroyed.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 620-330-1000 (Detective Cook) or the Kansas Highway Patrol at 620-431-2100 (Master Trooper Jason Black). The Montgomery County Sheriff’s office would like to thank the public for any assistance and information on this incident.
SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating two suspects in connection with theft.
Roberta Brock, 29, was arrested Monday on a warrant in connection with the theft of a Taylor 716 cutaway electric sunburst guitar from S.M. Hanson Music, 335 S. Clark Street in Salina, according to Police Captain Mike Sweeney.
The guitar was taken from the business on June 11.
Sweeney said 28-year-old Briana Watkins of Abilene was also arrested on July 21st for her involvement in the crime.
Watkins
The guitar, valued at $3,778, has not been recovered.
Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. South southeast wind 10 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
