Today Showers and thunderstorms likely before 10am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Some storms could be severe, with damaging winds. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. Southeast wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. Northeast wind 7 to 11 mph.
ThursdayA 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 8am. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. Northeast wind 7 to 17 mph.
Thursday NightA 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. East wind 6 to 14 mph.
FridayA 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. East northeast wind 7 to 10 mph.
Friday NightA 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66.
SaturdayA 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8am. Partly sunny, with a high near 89.
“This fund assists firefighters and their families when an accident or death occurs in the line of duty,” said Ken Selzer, CPA, Commissioner of Insurance. “We are honored to assist in its distribution.”
The money is generated by a 2 percent tax paid by insurance companies on fire and lightning insurance premiums written in Kansas for the previous calendar year. It is collected by the department, on behalf of the Kansas Firefighter Relief Act, and passed on to the FRAs, as required by Kansas law. The funds are disbursed electronically.
“The local association funds are used for purchasing accident and health, disability, and life insurance premiums to assist firefighters and their families,” said John Boyd, FRA administrator for the department.
Also, the Kansas State Firefighters Association will receive $497,937 for education and research purposes and for funding the state association’s death benefit fund. These funds also come from the generated premium tax.
Of the state association total, $397,937 is earmarked for educational purposes and research into fire prevention and firefighting, and $100,000 is used to replenish the death benefit fund.
Mark Swingler will put out a “fire” in the Phillipsburg rodeo arena as he entertains fans during Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo August 4-6. He will work alongside Slim Garner, making rodeo fans laugh.
PHILLIPSBURG — Phillipsburg rodeo fans will think they’re seeing double when Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo rolls around in August.
There will be not just one rodeo clown in the arena, but two.
Slim Garner returns with his brand of comedy, and he will be joined by Mark Swingler.
Slim will bring his “World’s Largest Toybox” – his semi-trailer loaded with a Cowboy Cadillac, barbecue grill, fishing boat, and wheelie truck. In 2012, fans were treated to Slim’s acts.
This will be Mark Swingler’s first trip to Phillipsburg. The Austin, Texas man’s main act is his signature firetruck: a refurbished 1964 Volkswagon bus, cut in half. Swingler “answers” a fire call in the arena, driving the bus in and putting it on its end when he hits the brakes. “I can get all four tires off the ground,” he laughs.
Having two rodeo clowns at one rodeo isn’t common, but it’s a real advantage. While one clown steps out of the arena to prepare for an act, the other clown can stay in and banter with rodeo announcer Randy Corley. “Phillipsburg likes (rodeo) acts, and especially big acts,” Swingler said. “This will be great. Rodeo fans won’t see the same acts the whole weekend.”
Slim Garner “barbecues” chicken in the arena during a rodeo. He is one of two funnymen hired for this year’s Phillipsburg Rodeo. He will entertain crowds during Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo August 4-6, along with his counterpart, Mark Swingler.
Slim grew up in Fredonia, Kan., and now lives in Whitman, Ariz. He has a nine year old daughter named Jacquelyn who is a member of the Arizona Sweethearts, a rodeo queen program for young girls. Mark has been married to his wife Tami for 25 years. They have a daughter, Jessica, who is a cake designer in Austin.
Slim will work as barrelman during the rodeo.
Slim and Mark will entertain between events during each night of the Phillipsburg rodeo August 4-6. Performances begin at 8 pm each night. Tickets are $16 for reserved adult seating and $12 for reserved child seating, and general admission tickets are $14 for adults and $11 for children. To purchase tickets, call Heritage Insurance at 785-543-2448. For more information, visit the rodeo’s website at KansasBiggestRodeo.com or, on Facebook, search for “ksbiggestrodeo”.
Tuesday night protest march in Wichita -photo courtesy KSN
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Hundreds of people have gathered in Wichita for a peaceful protest against recent fatal police shootings.
TV station KWCH reports (https://bit.ly/29CEcpc ) a group of about 400 people demonstrated Tuesday evening. The crowd met at a park and walked toward Interstate 135, where state troopers prevented them from accessing the highway.
The group moved on and continued marching for about three hours, ending at a park around 10 p.m. Among their chants was, “Black lives matter. All lives matter.”
No injuries were reported.
The protest comes after the recent fatal police shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The former longtime leader of Hutchinson Community College is challenging one of the top Republican leaders of the Kansas Senate in the upcoming primary election.
Ed Berger, president of Hutchinson Community College for 23 years, is running against Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce of Hutchinson in a primary race in Reno and Kingman counties.
Berger, who retired from the college in 2014, told The Wichita Eagle that income tax cuts approved by the Legislature in 2012 have led to mismanagement of the state’s budget. He says he’s open to both looking for cost savings and finding ways to increase revenue.
Bruce was a strong supporter of the tax cuts and says they have forced lawmakers to focus on spending and cut some government pork.
Matt Rome, Hays High School band director, works with students at this week’s High Plains Music Camp.
By RANDY GONZALES FHSU University Relations and Marketing
Matt Rome is unsure of why he chose music as a youngster. Maybe it chose him. And there he was Monday, an instructor for the High Plains Music Camp at Fort Hays State University, teaching a group of middle school clarinet players.
For Rome — who also attended the camp after his senior year in high school — it all started for him in the sixth grade, when he played clarinet in the band at Kennedy Middle School.
“It was always my favorite class,” Rome said. “It was the highlight of the day.”
But why the clarinet? Good question.
“I don’t really know; it kind of seemed the thing to do,” Rome said. “I picked it in middle school and have loved it since.”
Rome’s younger sister, Monica, is also musically talented; she is a senior vocal major at Fort Hays State. Yet their parents weren’t particularly musical.
“Kind of weird how that happened,” Rome said. “Really, it was kind of out of the blue. My dad’s a mechanic; my mom kind of job-hopped. Neither of them were overly musically inclined.”
Rome went on to play in the band at Hays High School and majored in music education at FHSU, graduating in 2015. Before he even walked across the stage at commencement, Rome knew he had a job lined up — as band director at his high school alma mater. Rome was hired by Hays High to replace legendary band director Craig Manteuffel, who — after 19 years at the school — left in 2015 for a position with the Kansas State High School Activities Association.
No pressure there, replacing his mentor who was beloved by his students.
“I would say it was terrifying,” Rome said with a laugh. “He was such a huge mentor for me. He was — no pun intended — instrumental in my development.”
Manteuffel encouraged Rome to learn to play the saxophone, which led to Rome playing jazz. Manteuffel also encouraged Rome to try writing music, and Rome has had a few pieces performed by bands at Fort Hays State.
“He was always there to encourage me to try something new,” Rome said.
Rome said the entire music faculty at FHSU has helped him along the way — “it’s just a phenomenal music staff” — adding his clarinet instructor, Dr. Kristin Pisano, associate professor of music and theatre, has been especially supportive.
“She pushed me to get better,” Rome said. “I learned a lot.”
Rome realized as a teenager that he could go places with his love for music.
“I just remember I always had fun playing in band,” he said. “In high school I started to realize there’s a career there. If I can get paid to do something I love, why not?”
Rome liked his one summer as a student at FHSU’s summer music camp.
“It was a good experience,” he said. “It was good to be around people from all over Kansas. You just don’t get that very often.”
Rome went on to be a camp counselor for two years and is now enjoying his third summer as an instructor in the camp’s 69th year.
“Just watching the kids grow, that’s the most fun,” Rome said. “Watching those little ‘ah hah’ moments.”
Rome said FHSU’s High Plains Music Camp plays an important role, reaching out to so many people and providing quality instruction.
“It’s huge, especially here in western Kansas,” Rome said. “There’s not a lot offered in this scale for the price paid. It’s an incredible deal that the students are getting.”
“This camp has always amazed me in that it brings in some of the top names in the music world,” he added. “This year we have arguably the best trumpet player in the world and one of the finest conductors alive today — and they’re in Hays, America. How crazy is that?”
When budgets are tightened the arts are often looked at as a place to cut back. Rome has a ready response for those with the axe. He asks people what’s the first thing they do when they get in a car. They turn on the radio and listen to music.
“Not too many people sit in silence,” Rome said. “The arts are what make us human. To neglect that is a huge oversight. It’s a huge part of who we are as people.”
Rome likes to tell the tale of being one of the directors of the Hays city band. Its members were comprised of everyone from middle schoolers to retired people.
“That’s why I push music,” Rome said. “It’s something you can do your whole life. You don’t have to do it professionally. It’s always there.”
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A new government report is forecasting a much bigger U.S. winter wheat crop than had been expected just a month ago.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Tuesday that it now expects the nation’s wheat production to come in at 1.63 billion bushels.
That number is up 8 percent from their estimate just last month, and up 19 percent from last year’s crop. It comes amid record yields averaging 53.9 bushels an acre, making up for fewer harvested wheat acres.
The updated report comes as the nation’s biggest producer, Kansas, wraps up its own wheat harvest. Kansas farmers have cut more than 91 percent of their crop.
In Kansas, the wheat crop is forecast at 453.6 million bushels with average yields of 56 bushels per acre from 8.1 million acres.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The family of a Missouri man fatally beaten in 2013 outside of Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, is suing the NFL franchise.
The Kansas City Star reports the wrongful-death lawsuit was filed Monday in Jackson County on behalf of Kyle Van Winkle’s widow and his son, who was just weeks old when Van Winkle died.
Seeking unspecified damages, the lawsuit blames a lack of adequate security in the parking lot at the time Van Winkle was beaten during an altercation.
The law firm behind the lawsuit says the lawsuit’s goal is to make Arrowhead safer for fans. The Chiefs have declined to comment.
Joshua Bradley of Independence has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Van Winkle’s death and is serving five years of probation.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A study of an experimental treatment for leukemia that was halted last week following two patient deaths has been allowed to resume after a modification.
The Food and Drug Administration suspended Juno Therapeutics’ trial after the company reported that two patients died from swelling of the brain. Juno said the problem stemmed not from its treatment, but from a chemotherapy drug used as a pre-treatment step. The FDA will allow the trial to resume without that chemotherapy drug.
Juno’s treatment is a promising, but still unproven, approach that reengineers patients’ immune systems to attack cancer. White blood cells are removed from the patient and altered so they can target cancer cells when returned to the body.
Juno shares were up 27 percent in trading after the market closed Tuesday.
Kansas Map of Judicial Districts- image Kansas Judicial Center
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Sam Brownback says he has the right to wait longer than 90 days to fill a vacant district magistrate position.
A written response filed Monday in the Kansas Supreme Court on Brownback’s behalf says the “precise timing of the appointment is left to the Governor’s constitutionally-provided executive power.”
Three 26th District judges filed a petition last month after Brownback announced he would wait until after the August primaries to consider filling the vacancy. The opening was created when Judge Tommy Webb of Haskell County announced his retirement in February.
The petition seeks to force Brownback to fill the position, saying Kansas law requires five magistrate judges to serve the six-county district. Brownback contends in the court filing that granting the request would “violate the separation of powers.”
GEARY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Geary County are investigating a suspect on drug charges.
Just after 4:30 p.m. on Monday, police arrested Christopher A. Anderson, 35, Indianapolis, Indiana on Interstate 70 eleven miles east of Junction City, according to Junction City Police.
Anderson is being held on suspicion of Possession of Cocaine with Intent, No Drug Tax Stamp, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Driving While Suspended and a Signal Violation.
HAYS – As Ellis county works to set its 2017 budget, one department is set to get some much-needed help.
After doubling the inmate population with the completion of the newly remodeled jail, Ellis County Sheriff Ed Harbin told the county commission they were in need of more jailers. During a special budget meeting in June, Undersheriff Bruce Hertel said they were “in desperate need” of jail staff.
At Monday’s meeting, the commission instructed the county administrator to find money in the 2017 budget to hire three new jailers Sheriff Ed Harbin requested in June. It is expected to cost $138,000 including benefits.
Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes said they plan to take a portion of the money previously earmarked for the special highway fund. The county will still transfer almost three and a half times the amount they budgeted in previous years. They also plan to transfer some funds from the administrator contingency fund.
Commissioner Barb Wasinger said she also wanted to see if the county treasurer would trim the department’s budget that is offset by state funds from the department of motor vehicle fund. The department has transferred money back to the state in the past, according to Smith-Hanes.
He said he would talk with Treasurer Ann Pfeifer and get back with the commission.
Wasinger said it is important to take care of the newly remodeled jail.
“We spent all this money on this jail, and we have to follow through on what we have built,” she said.
The commission also praised the departments for cutting their budgets from the fiscal year 2016 and Smith-Hanes said when looking over the budgets, “there is not low-hanging fruit.”
Each department was instructed to cut 3 percent from the 2016 as the county worked to close a more than $3.7 million shortfall.
Because of a decline the oil valuation, Rural Fire, which is a standalone taxing entity, will increase the mill levy 0.652 mil. The raise affects residents of Schoenchen and unincorporated areas of Ellis County.
“Rural fire is significantly more impacted by the oil valuation than the overall county is because the total county budget includes a lot of real property that’s located within the four incorporated cities,” Smith-Hanes said. “Real property has very much held its value. Oil has declined significantly in value.”
The money will be used for call-out pay for training for rural firefighters and for automatic aid with the city of Hays.
According to Smith-Hanes, the increase equals $5.11 on a home appraised at $200,000.
The county administrator will present the final budget to the commission next week and they will then set a publication date for later this month and a public hearing in early August.
In other business,
• The commission approved EMS to purchase two new ambulances for $391,012. The new Chevrolet ambulances will replace two Fords that have required significant engine work.
• Approved a 10-year video service franchise agreement with Nex-Tech.
• Met in an executive session to discuss attorney client privilege with the sheriff and county attorney. No action was taken.
WSUSports.com
TOPEKA, Kan. — Washburn head basketball coach Bob Chipman has announced on Tuesday, July 12, his 41st season and his 38th as head coach will be his final one on the Ichabod sidelines as he will retire at the end of the 2016-17 season. A press conference will be held on Wednesday, July 13, at 11 a.m. in the McPherson Booster Room overlooking Lee Arena.
“I am excited for the upcoming season with the team we have coming back and competing for a championship in my final season,” Chipman said. “We will have what I believe will be a really good team coming back this season and they will be a good group to go out with. The timing is right for me and my family for this season to be my last and I really can’t wait to get started when our team arrives in August.”
Chipman has been a mainstay on the Washburn sidelines since becoming an assistant coach for three seasons starting during the 1976-77 season and then was promoted to head coach for the start of the 1979-80 season. From that point on Chipman has led the Ichabods to unparalleled success with 788 wins during that stretch. He is the all-time winningest MIAA basketball coach in victories with 549 since the 1990-91 season when the Ichabods moved to the NCAA ranks.
“You think Washburn basketball and you think of Bob Chipman,” Washburn athletic director Loren Ferré said. “He has been a fixture on the Ichabod bench for 41 years and no one wants to win more than he does. I am looking forward to one more run from coach Chipman and the Ichabods in his quest for not only 800 wins, but to add another championship banner in the arena in his final season as our head coach.”
At Washburn he led the Ichabods to the 1987 NAIA National Championship in Kansas City as well as to 12 conference titles with 10 coming in the MIAA. He has also coached Washburn to an MIAA-record five MIAA Tournament Championships.
“Bob Chipman has been a great influence on generations of young men who have come to Washburn University as student athletes,” said Dr. Jerry Farley, president of Washburn. “We look forward to celebrating with him this year as he closes out his career.”
Under Chipman, the Ichabods have made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances including a national finals appearance in 2001 and back-to-back Elite Eight runs in 1993 and 1994.
Chipman’s 788 wins ranks third among NCAA Division II coaches and sixth all-time in NCAA Division II history. Among all NCAA levels, his win total is 17th. With an overall record of 788-343, his .697 winning percentage is 19th in NCAA Division II active coaches.
Individually, he has coached 23 All-Americans, 25 all-region selections, eight MIAA most valuable players, 17 all-MIAA first-team selections and 64 all-MIAA honorees since joining the NCAA ranks.
Chipman has guided his teams to 23 20-win seasons, including seven in a row from 1983-84 to 1989-90, four in a row from 1991-92 to 1994-95 and seven in a row from 1998-99 to 2004-05. Chipman’s teams have made 16 national tournament appearances, 12 in the NCAA and four in the NAIA. His teams have averaged 22 wins a year and he has coached 23 of the 25 20-win seasons in Washburn history.
In addition to the coaching awards obtained after the 1986-87 NAIA Championship season, Chipman was named MIAA Coach of the Year following the 1992, 1993 and 2004 seasons. He was named Kodak District coach of the year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in 1993 and the men’s four-year coach of the year by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association (KBCA) in 1994 and 2001.
His success at the collegiate level has brought Chipman the opportunity to coach on an international level as well. He served a second stint as an assistant coach for the United State’s entry in the Pan American Games during the summer of 1991, earning a bronze medal. In 1983, he was an assistant to the team that won the gold medal. He helped coach the U.S. entry in the World University Games to a gold medal in 1989. In 1985, he was an assistant coach for the Amateur Basketball Association/USA Jones Cup Team that won a silver medal.
Chipman has also taken the Washburn team on international trips, most recently visiting the Baltic Sea in the summer of 2012. Other trips included tours in China, France and the former Yugoslavia.
Chipman has always looked to Kansas basketball players first to wear an Ichabod uniform, as evident from the 12 Kansas players on this year’s roster. In his 38 years as the Icha¬bods’ head coach, his program has spent more than $1 million in scholarship money for basketball players from the Sun¬flower State.
Chipman holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Kansas State University. The 1973 graduate earned two letters as a guard while playing for Wildcat coaching legend Jack Hartman. He played at Mott Com¬munity Junior Coll¬ege in his hometown of Flint, Mich., prior to transferring to Kansas State.
Chipman and his wife, Carol, live in Topeka. Their daughter Kelsey was a four-year letterwinner on the Kansas State volleyball team and Bobby was a four-year member of the Ichabod basketball team.
Today Showers and thunderstorms likely before 10am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Some storms could be severe, with damaging winds. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. Southeast wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
KID 
WASHINGTON (AP) — A study of an experimental treatment for leukemia that was halted last week following two patient deaths has been allowed to resume after a modification.
