Last week’s inspection results from the Kansas Department of Agriculture:
Popt Gourmet Popcorn 1106 E. 27th, Hays- Nov. 23
Licensing inspection found no violations.
Schlotzsky’s 1130 E. 41st, Hays- Nov. 21
First operational inspection after licensing inspections found two violations.
In the first table where sandwiches are prepared there was a working squeeze bottle that contained a garlic butter spread. The original container of the product says that it needs to be refrigerated after opening and that it contains milk and egg. Person in charge said that it was pulled from the refrigerator at 10 a.m. Inspector took temperature at 11 p.m. Temperature was at 67 F.
In the back storage hallway there was hand soap “refills” that was being stored directly above single use soup cups.
Native Kansan Karen Madorin is a local writer and retired teacher who loves sharing stories about places, people, critters, plants, food, and history of the High Plains.
I grew up in mostly metropolitan areas. To give you an idea of what that means, my high school graduating class included over 1000 students. In that world, youngsters don’t participate in every program that interests them because competition is stiff and resources are limited. While cities offer exclusive options, small towns require inhabitants to survive outside comfort zones.
During my school years, I played competitive sports, but I never participated in a music program. Yep, I was a BAD singer. This meant I never experienced the effort and cooperation it takes to produce a musical extravaganza. After contributing to my small town’s Christmas cantata as a narrator, I realize performers as well as audiences enjoy unexpected blessings. Individuals experience life more fully because they participate. They discover they’re necessary to the group’s success even though they aren’t as good as they wish they were.
I learned this early in my teaching career. Every student had to play sports and join music so our 1-A school could field teams or have a band. I know there were students who sang every bit as badly as I do, but they got better because they had to. How do I know? Because I coached youngsters who weren’t natural athletes, I learned that by the time they played several games, everyone mastered skills enough to contribute. This also rings true for those joining small town Christmas presentations.
Our director’s a wife, mother, and businessperson who serves along with her mother-in-law every year to extract maximum ability from locals willing to involve themselves in the project. She directs both bell choir and singers who perform beautifully year after year. I still can’t sing, so she and the choir invite me to narrate each holy season.
Since I never enjoyed such experiences growing up, I’ve learned much. Putting on a program requires tremendous effort and commitment. Volunteers leave dishes in the sink to practice for months prior to the final performance. Bell choir members concentrate and replay pieces until they function as a single musical unit. To complicate matters, each plays at least two differently toned bells in every song. It would be difficult to learn one new tune, but this group masters many.
A variety of our community members make up the choir. Young and seasoned– from students to house wives to farmers to professionals, they gather starting in early autumn to polish infrequently used skills. Seeing these folks uptown, who’d guess they are sopranos, altos, tenors, and baritones gifted enough to solo. From the narrator’s podium, I watch neighbors evolve from tentative, shy performers to confident, bold professionals who lift audience hearts on performance night.
If I didn’t live in the hinterlands of Kansas, I’d never have worked with so many dedicated fellow residents to produce a celebration not only of Christmas, but also of the best small towns offer. Anyone willing to participate belongs.
Native Kansan Karen Madorin is a local writer and retired teacher who loves sharing stories about places, people, critters, plants, food, and history of the High Plains.
Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 53. South wind 7 to 13 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.
Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 23. Blustery, with a north wind 11 to 21 mph.
Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 36. North northwest wind 6 to 15 mph becoming east northeast in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night A 50 percent chance of snow showers after midnight. Patchy blowing snow after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. East wind 5 to 13 mph. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
Wednesday Snow showers likely, mainly before noon. Patchy blowing snow before 5pm. Cloudy, with a high near 22. East northeast wind 11 to 15 mph becoming north northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 3.
The U.S. Senate is expected to vote this week on a major medical research and mental health bill that two members of the Kansas congressional delegation played a role in.
U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins, right, pushed for several provisions in the 21 Century Cures Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on a 392-26 vote Wednesday night. Those provisions include $15 million in federal grants each year until 2022 to train police officers and other first responders in dealing with people in mental health crisis.
“It will help the 40 million Americans who deal with a mental illness each year through inclusion of my Mental Health First Aid Act,” said Jenkins, a Republican from Topeka.
That part of the bill provides $15 million in federal grants each year until 2022 to train police officers and other first responders in dealing with people in mental health crisis.
Crisis intervention team training is widely regarded as a boon to law enforcement and used voluntarily by many police departments, but only a few states require it in part because of its cost.
U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, a Republican from Pennsylvania and the only psychologist in Congress, helped write other parts of the Cures Act that deal with with mental health reform.
If signed into law, the Cures Act will create a new sub-Cabinet position, the assistant secretary of mental health and substance use, to organize U.S. Department of Health and Human Services efforts to treat mental illness and drug abuse.
Jenkins’ other contributions to the Cures Act include provisions to:
Prevent Medicare contractors from enforcing rules regarding direct physician supervision of outpatient services at small rural hospitals.
Allow physician assistants and certified nurse practitioners to perform primary care that counts toward a “savings score” assigned to accountable care organizations by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Jenkins said the latter provision was added “so that rural practices can join an ACO, share in the bonus payments and keep their lights on to serve more people.”
Additional research funding
Rep. Kevin Yoder Kansas Congressman Kevin Yoder has pushed to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health, a federal research agency.
In addition to the high-profile mental health changes, the Cures Act boosted funding for biomedical research, including almost $2 billion for the “cancer moonshot” initiative led by Vice President Joe Biden.
Democrats had expressed concern that the increase in funding for NIH was reduced from a proposed $8.75 billion over five years to $4.8 billion and that the spending must be reauthorized every year. But Yoder, in an editorial published by Fox News, called it another important step in a bipartisan push for medical innovation.
“Last year, I was one of the leaders in an effort to secure the largest funding increase at the National Institutes of Health since 2003,” Yoder said. “We convinced even the most ardent fiscal conservatives to spend more money on research because the investment saves lives and pays for itself. And it’s necessary — the private sector can’t fund research of this magnitude.”
Other measures in the bill that would speed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval process for new drugs and devices proved more controversial than the funding.
Patients with severe illnesses advocated for those measures as a way to access possibly life-saving treatments that currently stay in the FDA pipeline for 10 years or more.
But consumer protection groups said the changes would put patients at risk by weakening clinical trial requirements that are considered the scientific gold standard for proving that new drugs and devices are safe and effective.
Kansas votes
Concerns over those provisions led six Democrats to join 20 of the House’s most fiscally conservative Republicans in voting against the bill.
U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, a Republican from Fowler, was one of the conservatives who voted against the bill in one of his last major votes as a congressman after losing his bid for re-election in the August primary.
U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo, a Republican from Wichita who represents Kansas’ 4th Congressional District, joined Yoder and Jenkins in voting for the bill.
The Cures Act spurred a frenzy of lobbying by more than 1,400 people working on behalf of 400 companies, colleges and organizations — many of whom stand to benefit financially from the increased research funding, the less rigorous FDA approval process or both.
Some of the Senate’s most liberal members, like Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, have cast it as a sop to industry and vowed to oppose it.
But the bill has President Barack Obama’s support and is still expected to pass.
Andy Marso is a reporter for KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team. You can reach him on Twitter @andymarso
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation distribute updated information to statewide media outlets regarding the Silver Alert for Floreanne Mayfield.
On Nov. 20, 70-year-old Floreanne Mayfield was seen leaving the Hollywood Casino, 777 Hollywood Casino Blvd., Kansas City, Kan., at 1:34 a.m. At that time, she was wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans, black shoes and a tan jacket. She was headed south on foot. Mayfield has Alzheimer’s disease.
Police believe Mayfield may have received a ride from someone. Law enforcement is requesting the public’s assistance locating anyone who may have given Mayfield a ride or has information about her whereabouts.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department at 913-596-3000.
RUSSELL COUNTY – A child was injured in an accident just before 6p.m. on Sunday in Russell County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Toyota Yaris driven by Tessa Jo Dunkel-McKnight, 55, Luray, was eastbound on Kansas 18 three miles east of U.S. 281.
The driver applied brakes to avoid hitting a dead deer in the roadway.
An eastbound Kenworth semi driven by Esbon Joseph Widner, 61, Stockton, began to move left to go around the Toyota and the deer.
The Toyota ran over the dead deer and this caused the vehicle to move left into the path of the semi.
The semi bumped the rear end of Toyota. The collision pushed it into the south ditch.
A passenger in the Toyota Jorden Hall, 7, Luray, was transported to the hospital in Osborne.
Dunkel-McKnight, Widener and another child in the Toyota were not injured.
All were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
PRATT, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas farmer has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to stop a new wind farm from operating out of concern for the endangered whooping crane.
Edwin Petrowsky of Pratt County filed the lawsuit last month seeking injunctions against NextEra Energy Resources, whose Ninnescah Wind Farm is scheduled to start operating next week.
Petrowsky contends the wind farm is in a major flyway for whooping cranes. There are about 330 wild cranes in that migrating flock.
The Hutchinson News reports that Petrowsky contends the company has failed to obtain an “incidental taking permit” that would allow the incidental killing of some birds.
NextEra spokesman Steve Stengel says the company has worked with state and federal authorities, and that the siting of the turbines took the birds’ migratory patterns into account.
KANSAS CITY – A Kansas City man was sentenced in federal court Friday for stealing a firearm from a murder victim, according to Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
Alfred C. Crater, Jr., 40, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to nine years and two months in federal prison without parole.
On Dec. 4, 2015, Crater pleaded guilty to possessing a stolen firearm. Crater admitted that he was in possession of a Hi-Point .40-caliber pistol, which he had stolen from a homicide scene on Feb. 19, 2012. Crater took the pistol from Anthony Wayne Van Buren, a murder victim, before the police arrived at the crime scene. Crater was later stopped by police in the area of Linwood and Indiana, Kansas City, Mo., and found to be in possession of the stolen pistol.
Crater has nine felony convictions, including a prior federal felony conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and was on state probation at the time of the offense.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Riding a 5-1 record over the final half of the 2016 season, including three straight wins to secure its fifth eight-win season since 2011, K-State Nation is heading to Houston for the first time since 2006 as Kansas State Athletics Director John Currie announced today that the Wildcats have accepted an invitation to play in the 2016 AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl on Wednesday, December 28.
The game, which dates back to 2006 when K-State played in the inaugural bowl matchup, pits the Big 12 and the SEC and will be played at NRG Stadium at 8 p.m. CT, with a nationwide television audience watching on ESPN.
“I am very proud of our team and coaches for another terrific season and earning our seventh-straight bowl invitation,” said Currie. “With season ticket holders from 44 different states and a national fan base that features more than 250,000 friends and alumni across the country, including more than 3,000 in the Houston area, we are excited to showcase our football program and Kansas State University in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl against an SEC opponent. I know our fans are excited to again showcase their unprecedented support, which includes 33-straight sellouts at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, in one of America’s largest cities while our football student-athletes, coaches and staff are provided a first-class experience.”
The Wildcats (8-4) will be playing in their 20th bowl game in school history and 18th under Bill Snyder as the Cats are 7-10 all-time in bowls under the legendary and hall of fame head coach. Following 11-straight bowls from 1993-2003 under Snyder, the Cats have now gone bowling in each of the last seven seasons and will be making the program’s second appearance in the Texas Bowl.
“Congratulations to Coach Snyder, his staff and our student-athletes for being selected to the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl,” said President Richard Myers. “We are very excited to be headed to Texas and representing the Big 12 Conference. This provides a fitting end to a successful season, and we look forward to our fans continuing a great K-State tradition by turning Houston purple.”
K-State heads into bowl season as one of the hottest teams in college football, winning five of its last six games, including the final three. The Wildcats’ road to the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl began with a tough road loss at No. 8 Stanford and followed with five wins over the next seven games, including Big 12 wins over Texas Tech, Texas and Iowa State. Following a tough fourth-quarter loss to Oklahoma State, K-State won at Baylor for the first time since 2002 and also kept the Governor’s Cup trophy in Manhattan for the eighth straight season under Snyder with a 34-19 win over in-state rival Kansas. The Wildcats wrapped up their regular season with a dominating 30-6 victory at TCU.
In addition to a Big 12-leading 29 selections to the Academic All-Big 12 team and the No. 1 football Academic Progress Rate (APR) in the Big 12, excitement in Wildcat football was also evidenced by six sellout crowds at Bill Snyder Family Stadium this season, which ran K-State’s consecutive sellout streak to 33 games.
“We are proud of the young men in our program for the way they improved throughout the season and very pleased to represent Kansas State University and the Big 12 Conference in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl,” said head coach Bill Snyder. “The Texas Bowl is a first-class bowl organization with a rich history, and we appreciate the entire bowl staff for their efforts and support of our program.
“We have a wonderful fan base, and so many people that save up their nickels and dimes throughout the course of the year, and the only vacation they take is the one after our (regular) season is over. They love to attend bowls and it’s why we have such great attendance year in and year out at bowl games. They are fully invested in our program and this means a great deal to them.”
ATLANTA (AP) – Eric Berry returned an interception for a touchdown, and then brought back another pick for a 2-point conversion that gave the Kansas City Chiefs an improbable 29-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
The Falcons, rallying from a 27-16 deficit, went ahead 28-27 on Matt Ryan’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Aldrick Robinson with 4:32 remaining.
Atlanta decided to go for 2, looking to stretch the margin to a field goal. But Berry stepped in front of Ryan’s pass and ran 99 yards the other way to give the Chiefs (9-3) their winning margin. It came after Denver won a game in similar fashion last month, returning a blocked PAT for the winning points at New Orleans.
Berry had another huge play with less than a minute to go in the first half, picking off Ryan’s pass over the middle and bringing it back 37 yards for a touchdown. After reaching the end zone, the suburban Atlanta native handed the ball to his mother sitting in the stands at the Georgia Dome.
Those weren’t the only big plays for the Chiefs. On fourth-and-2 from their own 45, Kansas City faked a punt and snapped the ball directly to Albert Wilson , who played his college ball in the same stadium for Georgia State. Wilson burst up the middle for a 55-yard touchdown that extended Kansas City’s lead in the third quarter.
Alex Smith completed 21 of 25 passes for 270 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown to Spencer Ware. Travis Kelce was Kansas City’s top receiver, hauling in eight passes for 140 yards.
Ryan was 22 of 34 for 297 yards, but his two huge mistakes cost the Falcons (7-5). Julio Jones hauled in seven passes for 113 yards, while Devonta Freeman had a couple of 1-yard touchdown runs.
LONG KICK
Forty-one-year-old Matt Bryant closed out the first half with the second-longest field goal of his career for the Falcons.
Barely across midfield, Bryant booted a 59-yarder that easily clear the crossbar, cutting Kansas City’s lead to 20-16 at the break. The only longer kick for Bryant was a 62-yarder with Tampa Bay in 2006.
He also tied Atlanta’s franchise record for longest field goal. Morten Andersen made a 59-yarder in 1995.
INJURY REPORT
The Falcons lost left tackle Jake Matthews to a left knee injury in the first half.
Trainers put a sleeve over the knee, and Matthews tested it out on the sideline with some runs and cuts. But he headed to the locker room just before halftime and didn’t return. Tom Compton finished out the game protecting Ryan’s blind side.
Kansas City was again missing Jeremy Maclin, its leading receiver. He returned to practice Wednesday and it was thought he’d be able to play after sitting out three straight games with a groin injury. But he didn’t dress against the Falcons.
UP NEXT
Chiefs: Return home for a huge Thursday night game against AFC West rival Oakland, the first of three straight games at Arrowhead Stadium before the season finale at San Diego.
Falcons: Travel to Los Angeles next Sunday to take on the Rams.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Bradley Roby returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown, helping the Denver Broncos beat the mistake-prone Jacksonville Jaguars 20-10 on Sunday and gain ground in the AFC playoff picture.
Roby picked off Blake Bortles’ wobbler across the middle in the third quarter and went untouched the other way. Star linebacker Von Miller hit Bortles as he released the ball.
It was the 11th pick-6 of Bortles’ three-year career and his third in the last four games. Houston and Detroit also returned interceptions for touchdowns in games the Jaguars lost by less than seven points.
The latest one resulted in a seventh consecutive loss for Jacksonville (2-10) and secured another miserable milestone for the small-market franchise. The Jaguars became the fifth team in NFL history to post double-digit losses in six consecutive seasons, joining Tampa Bay (1983-94), Detroit (2001-06), Oakland (2003-09) and Cleveland (2008-13).
Jacksonville had a chance to tie in the final minutes, but Bortles fumbled trying to make a play in the pocket.
The Broncos (8-4) rebounded from an overtime loss against Kansas City, and with Miami’s loss at Baltimore, moved into position to get one of the conference’s wild-card spots.
They did it without quarterback Trevor Siemian , who missed the game with a sprained left foot. Rookie Paxton Lynch made his second career start and first on the road. Denver didn’t ask him to do too much. He didn’t need to, either, not against the self-destructing Jaguars.
The Broncos scored all 20 points with help from Jacksonville.
Aside from the pick-6, the Jaguars committed two 15-yard penalties that led to a touchdown and a field goal. Linebacker Telvin Smith was flagged for roughing the passes on third-and-5 in the second quarter. Lynch’s pass was incomplete, but Smith grazed his facemask. Devontae Booker scored six plays later, breaking Smith’s tackle near the line of scrimmage and carrying safety Johnathan Cyprien across the goal line.
Reserve tight end Alex Ellis was flagged for unnecessary roughness on a punt return in the final minute of the half. His 15-yarder set up Brandon McManus’ 32-yard field goal and put the Broncos ahead 10-3.
And Denver’s final field goal in the waning seconds came after Bortles’ fumble.
But Roby’s interception was the dagger. It was huge for Roby, who gave up a late touchdown to New Orleans two weeks ago and surrendered an 11-yard catch on fourth-and-10 last week against the Chiefs.
SPECIAL TEAMS WOES
The Jaguars continued their streak of special teams gaffes. Ellis’ unnecessary roughness foul gave Jacksonville a major meltdown on special teams for the seventh consecutive week. The streak includes five muffed punts – including three turnovers – a punt return for a touchdown and two long punt returns that set up scores.
GOOD COMPANY
Harris’ interception was his second of the year, giving him five consecutive seasons with multiple picks. He’s the fifth cornerback in the NFL to accomplish the feat, joining teammate Aqib Talib, Arizona’s Patrick Peterson, New York Giants’ Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Seattle’s Richard Sherman.
HELPING HANDS
Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson continues to help his opponents. Robinson dropped his sixth pass of the season and his third that resulted in an interception.
Robinson bobbled a deep pass from Bortles down the left sideline, and it landed Harris Jr.’s hands for Bortles’ 14th interception of the season. Robinson, a Pro Bowler last season, also bobbled passes that ended up as picks against Chicago and Oakland earlier this season.
Grain elevator near Fredrick, Kansas- Google image
JOHN HANNA, Associated Press
JIM SUHR, Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The central Kansas town of Frederick has dwindled over the decades to just 10 people. Its only real expense is a $55-a-month electric bill for a half-dozen or so street lights that illuminate the unpaved streets.
Some residents want to dissolve their city, but that hasn’t been easy.
For a community with nine registered voters, the tally at the ballot box last month was 13-7 in favor of keeping Frederick a third-class city.
Workers at the polling place 5 miles to the west handed out the wrong ballots to some voters who live outside of it. Local and state officials were at a loss for what to do and are letting the results stand.
Frederick is just off a state highway about 75 miles northwest of Wichita.
Last week’s inspection results from the Kansas Department of Agriculture:
Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 36. North northwest wind 6 to 15 mph becoming east northeast in the afternoon.
