Merlyn D. “Bud” Moeckel, 82, Hays, died Thursday, July 21, 2016 at the Ellis Good Samaritan Society.
Funeral arrangements are pending and will be announced by Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.
Year: 2016
🎥 Ellis Co Fair 4 H Interview – Thursday, July 21st
Watch President Welcome KC Royals to the White House
WASHINGTON -The Royals met President Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday during a ceremony to honor their World Series title. Watch a replay of the ceremony here
A gift for @POTUS. #Royals pic.twitter.com/GggSsUwBAf
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) July 21, 2016
It is the fifth president that manager Ned Yost has met: Jimmy Carter and George Bush used to come to Braves games when Yost coached in Atlanta, George W. Bush threw out the first pitch on opening day once, and Bill Clinton greeted the champion Braves at the White House in 1996. “So this will be my fifth president,” Yost said, “which is kind of cool.”
.@Mooose_8 and his wife in the @WhiteHouse State Dining Room. #ForeverRoyal #Royals pic.twitter.com/PpmPbqbuIu
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) July 21, 2016
GM recalls about 290K cars; air bags may not work
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors is recalling nearly 290,000 older Chevrolet Impala sedans in the U.S. because the air bags might not inflate in a crash.
The recall covers Impalas from the 2009 and 2010 model years that were made before Feb. 10, 2010.
GM says in government documents that the front passenger seat frame can rub against the wiring for a passenger detection sensor. Damaged wiring could cut power to the sensor and knock out the air bags.
Air bag warning lights will illuminate if the wires are chafed. But some gauges may not work.
Dealers will add anti-abrasion tape to fix the problem. There’s no schedule yet for when repairs will be made.
Search for more victims after Kan. man sentenced on child sex crimes
by Dewey Terrill
GEARY COUNTY – A Kansas man was sentenced to life prison plus another consecutive term of 73 months in in Geary County District Court on Wednesday.
Richard Tilton, 43, Grandview Plaza, was convicted on one count of Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child and 10 counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child.
He was convicted after a plea agreement and no child was required to testify in court.
The case arose out of a complaint from a 9-year old autistic child from Grandview Plaza, who told his teacher about alleged sexual contact with Tilton, who was renting a room from the child’s parents.
Brown noted the child was interviewed, and search warrants were obtained for Tilton’ computers and electronics.
Thousands of sexually graphic images and videos were discovered, many of which were homemade, of young boys spanning back at least 20 years, and Tilton could be seen sexually abusing several of the children, according to Assistant Geary County Attorney Michelle Brown
Child victims were discovered in Geary, Riley and Dickinson Counties and at Fort Riley.
The police have not been able to identify many of the child victims and are requesting the public’s assistance in identifying them.
New police department staff member will help Kansas crime victims
WICHITA – The Wichita police department has a added a new staff member.
This week, the police department began using a new facility dog to aid victims and witnesses of crimes, according to a media release.
Laddy is a two-year-old yellow lab who has received two years of socialization training to succeed in providing comfort to people impacted by the stress of being involved in the investigation and prosecution of crime.
Laddy is a graduate of the Kansas Specialty Service Campus in Washington, Kansas.
She is a working professional and will accompany Victim Assistance Coordinator Michele Blunck to work each day to provide comfort to victims of crime.
Nellie M. Kepferle
Nellie M. Kepferle, age 79, of Quinter, passed away Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at Gove County Medical Center, Long Term Care.
Schmitt Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Updated Ellis County Fair results
Click the image below for a sortable list of Ellis County Fair results! Updated daily.
Hays Lions Club receives grant to fund vision screening, glasses program
Hays Lions Club of Hays, Kansas, has received a $5000 grant from Heartland Community Foundation to fund Vision Screening for Children and Adults and to help provide eye glasses for those financial challenged.
Hays Lions, established in 1924, is a nonprofit organization serving Ellis County and surrounding area with Vision Screening and Vision educational services. In 1925, Helen Keller addressed the Lions Clubs International Convention in Cedar Point, Ohio, USA, and challenged Lions to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.” Since then, we have worked tirelessly to aid the blind and visually impaired. Lions give sight. By conducting vision screenings, equipping hospitals and clinics, distributing medicine and raising awareness of eye disease, Lions work toward the goal of providing vision for all. Through the support of the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), Lions have helped provide more than 153 million treatments for river blindness and 72 million doses of a sight-saving trachoma medication through the SightFirst program alongside our partners. Lions and LCIF have also helped provide vision screenings for more than 19 million children through the Sight for Kids partnership program.
The Heartland Community Foundation grant will be used to provide eye glasses for Children and Adults that are unable to afford them. Lions Club members will disseminate educational material and conduct informational sessions about vision problems and the importance of early detection. Lions will also provide free vision screening for all Day Care and Pre-Schools in the area. To arrange a screening call Jim Huenergarde @ 785-650-7338.
“95% of vision issues can be corrected if caught prior to age 6!” says Jim Huenergarde, Hays Lions Vision Chairman and Club President.
Heartland Community Foundation builds stronger communities and improves the quality of life for all residents of our region. Each year, the foundation distributes hundreds of thousands of dollars through grants and scholarships, helping thousands of donors achieve their philanthropic goals and many of nonprofits carry on their good work. The Heartland Community Foundation is an affiliate foundation of the Greater Salina Community Foundation which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity.
Hays Lions are accepting donations to expand the Vision Screening and Vision Education programs to better educate our community about the importance of early detection. Our goal is to have no one go without glasses when unable to afford them. For more information on Hays Lions or how you can support its community efforts, please visit www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/haysks/ , our FaceBook page or call Jim Huenergarde at 785-650-7338.
Emery J. Rome
Victoria, Kansas-Emery J. Rome, age 93, died Wednesday, July 20, 2016, at Via Christi Village Care Center Hays, Kansas.
He was born April 29, 1923, in Hays, Kansas to Peter J. and Sophie (Dreiling) Rome.
He was Deputy Clerk and Ellis County Clerk for over 25 years. He retired in the early 1980s.
He was a graduate of Victoria High School and attended a two year prep college at St. Joseph Military Academy. He was a veteran of the U S Army. He worked at Boeing in Wichita for a few years before making his home in Victoria. After his retirement he served one and a half terms as a Ellis County Commissioner.
He was a member of The Basilica of St. Fidelis, V.F.W Post #1751 and the Knight of Columbus all of Victoria, Kansas.
Survivors include one sister, Edna Stecklein, Hays, KS; one sister-in-law, Ann Rome, Overland Park, KS; ten nephews and nieces.
He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Elmer Rome and wife, Dolores; Marvin Rome and wife, Vera; and Bernie Rome.
Services are at 10:00 A.M. Monday, July 25, 2016, at The Basilica of St. Fidelis Victoria, Kansas.
Burial in St. Fidelis Cemetery Victoria, Kansas with military honors by the Victoria V.F.W. Post No. 1751.
A vigil service is at 7:00 P.M. Sunday, followed by a Knight of Columbus and V.F.W. rosary all at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kansas 67601.
Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Sunday, at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays and from 9:00 to 10:00 A.M. Monday, at The Basilica of St. Fidelis.
Memorial to The Basilica of St. Fidelis. Condolences can be left by guestbook at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or via e-mail to [email protected].
INSIGHT KANSAS: A Charlie Brown election
We know the story by heart.
Lucy has once again cajoled Charlie Brown to kick the football that she will hold for him. Even though he is dubious, he remains, as ever, just optimistic enough. He approaches the ball, draws back his foot, and then, inevitably, Lucy whips the ball away. Charlie Brown screams “AAUGH, flies into the air” and ends up, as always, flat on his back.
In all of Charles Shultz’s “Peanuts” comic strips, no single recurring joke has more power than the football story. There’s the guarded, yet ever-present optimism of Charlie Brown, and the snarky consistency of Lucy’s cruel, but predictable, betrayal.
The joke works so well because we’ve all been there, done that. We’ve known not to trust someone or something, only to be lured once more into making the mistake we’ve made in the past. Yet the joke also works because – at some point – Lucy did hold the football down, and Charlie Brown kicked it, just as his (and our) expectations dictated.
So what has this got to do with moderate Republicans in Kansas? Well, everything.
Every two years, moderate Republicans tell the world that, yes indeed, this will be the year in which they reverse the increasing right-wing dominance within the Republican Party and, more generally, within Kansas state government. After all, these traditional Republicans reason, they constitute the rightful governing elite in Kansas, manifested in such politicos as governors Bill Avery, Bob Bennett, and Mike Hayden and senators Frank Carlson, Bob Dole, and, to a point, Jerry Moran.
But the last governor from this wing of the party was Bill Graves, who left office almost 14 years ago, and the days are long gone that Bennett, Representative Pete McGill, and former Johnson County legislative leaders like Speaker Wendell Lady and Senate President Dick Bond could rule the roost.
Still, for twenty years or so, moderate Republicans have promised, time and again, that this will be the year that they really get serious about electoral politics, to do the hard work that conservatives and the far right have done since the early 1990s, when they took over the Republican Party apparatus, from precinct committee slots to the state party chair.
Moderates historically have concluded that they were raising adequate funds, working long hours, knocking on enough doors, only to come up short. And in 2012, when Governor Brownback coupled the far right’s work ethic with big money to purge moderate Republicans from the Senate, the result was a blood bath.
In short, for election cycle after election cycle, moderate Republicans across the state put the football down, only to pull it away, leaving gullible Kansans flat on their backs.
This election season, moderate Republican candidates and their political bedfellows, such as the education community and the Mainstream Coalition, are once again claiming that this is the year, especially given the budgetary mess caused by far-right Republicans. Perhaps it is.
Maybe the funds are there, along with the door-knockers, the postcard mailings, and the larger turnout. Many signs point to better candidates, running more energetic and well-funded campaigns.
Indeed, moderate Republicans like John Doll in Garden City, Ed Berger in Hutchinson, and John Skubal in Johnson County, among others, stand out as strong Senate candidates, who are opposing ideological incumbents by working hard and taking little for granted before the crucial August 2 primary.
No victories are guaranteed, of course, but this could be the year that moderate Republicans won’t pull the ball away, and Kansas GOP voters will have a fair chance to kick some of Governor Brownback’s far-right allies out of office.
Maybe. But there is a reason the joke works so well.
Burdett Loomis has taught political science at the University of Kansas since 1979.
Kansas House majority leader interested in speaker’s post
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas House Majority Leader Jene Vickrey has confirmed that he’s interested in becoming the chamber’s next speaker.
But the Louisburg Republican told reporters Wednesday that he’s concentrating first on helping fellow GOP lawmakers get re-elected.
The House’s top job will be open because Speaker Ray Merrick is not seeking re-election this year. Merrick is a Stilwell Republican who has been speaker for four years.
Vickrey has served in the House since 1993. He won his seat in 1992 by defeating the last Democratic speaker, Marvin Barkis of Louisburg.
Vickrey has no opponent in the Aug. 2 Republican primary but faces Democrat Christy Levings of Osawatomie in the November election.
With Republicans likely to retain their House majority, GOP members and members-elect will designate the new speaker in December.
NWS: Thursday Heat Advisory
Highs today will range from 100 to around 102 degrees. Afternoon heat values will range from 102 to around 105.
The National Weather Service heat advisory continues from 1p.m. on Thursday through 8 p.m. on Friday.
Today Sunny and hot, with a high near 102. Heat index values as high as 105. South wind 8 to 14 mph.
Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. South wind 10 to 15 mph.
Friday A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 105. South wind 10 to 17 mph.
Friday NightA 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 4am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. South wind around 14 mph.
SaturdayMostly sunny and hot, with a high near 101. South wind 11 to 15 mph.
Saturday NightA 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.
SundayA 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 93.