WASHINGTON (AP) — Young immigrants who came forward in droves to voluntarily identify themselves — and their relatives — to the Obama administration on the promise they’d be safe from deportation are facing a new reality: President-elect Donald Trump wants to scrap the program.
And starting Jan. 20 all of the personal information of more than 741,000 immigrants — fingerprints, photographs, detailed histories of their education and past addresses — will be readily available to immigration enforcement agencies.
The specifics of how Trump plans to deal with immigration enforcement aren’t yet clear, but he wasn’t subtle about what he thinks about President Barack Obama’s effort to shield young immigrants from deportation. He called the effort an “illegal amnesty” and promised to “immediately terminate” the program.
WELLINGTON, Kan. (AP) — Four people have died in a two-vehicle accident in southern Kansas.
The Wichita Eagle reports the accident occurred Saturday night on U.S. 81 north of Wellington.
Sumner County sheriff’s Sgt. Lee Patterson says one of the vehicles was traveling north and crossed into the oncoming lane, colliding with the second vehicle. Two people in each car died.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently finalized increases in renewable fuel volume requirements across all categories of biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. In a required annual rulemaking, the action finalizes the volume requirements and associated percentage standards for cellulosic biofuel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel for 2017, and for biomass-based diesel for 2018.
“Renewable fuel volumes continue to increase across the board compared to 2016 levels,” said Janet McCabe, the agency’s acting assistant administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. “These final standards will boost production, providing for ambitious yet achievable growth of biofuels in the transportation sector. By implementing the program enacted by Congress, we are expanding the nation’s renewable fuels sector while reducing our reliance on imported oil.”
Some key elements of Nov. 23rd’s action:
Non-advanced or “conventional” renewable fuel increases in 2017, meeting the 15 billion-gallon congressional target for conventional fuels.
The standard for biomass-based biodiesel – which must achieve at least 50 percent lifecycle greenhouse gas emission reductions compared to petroleum-based diesel – grows by 100 million gallons. The required volume of biomass-based diesel for 2017 is twice that of the minimum congressional target.
Cellulosic biofuel – which must achieve at least 60 percent lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions reductions – grows 35 percent over the 2016 standard.
The advanced biofuel standard – comprised of biomass-based diesel, cellulosic biofuel, and other biofuel that achieves at least 50 percent lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions reductions – increases 19 percent over the 2016 standard.
Total renewable fuel volumes grow 1.2 billion gallons from 2016 to 2017, a 6 percent increase.
Renewable Fuel Volume Requirements for 2014-2018
The Clean Air Act requires EPA to set annual RFS volume requirements for four categories of biofuels. By displacing fossil fuels, biofuels are part of the nation’s overall strategy to enhance energy security and address climate change. EPA is using the tools provided by Congress to adjust the standards below the statutory targets, but the steadily increasing volumes in the final rule continue to support Congress’s intent to grow the volumes. EPA implements the RFS program in consultation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy.
RENO COUNTY– A Kansas man and woman were arrested on drug related charges on Thursday after a Community Corrections violation showed up over another case against Sheila Davison, 54, Hutchinson.
When police arrived to check out the violation she asked for her inhaler inside her purse.
When the officer opened the purse, he found a bag of suspected methamphetamine. That led to a search of the residence and officers testified they found pipes scattered around the home that smelled of marijuana.
They also found a camera bag that allegedly contained more methamphetamine and three handguns.
In addition, police arrested 61-year-old Clifford Paul Pearson Jr.
They faces charges including distribution of meth within a thousand feet of a Hutchinson Middle School, possession of marijuana and personal use drug paraphernalia, criminal possession of weapons and no tax stamp.
Davison appeared in court where her bond of $16,000 was left the same. She also has a hold for absconding from Community Corrections in the earlier case.
In a case in 2014, she was convicted of distribution of drugs and driving while suspended.
Pearson was able to make bond and should appear in court next week.
Renters, landowners, and recreational land users are invited to attend the Ag Lease Law and Recreational Lease Workshop offered by the Ellis County Extension office on Wednesday, December 7th beginning at 1:00 p.m. and concluding at 3:30 p.m.
This program is intended for anyone who wants to know more about agricultural lease law, fence law and recreational leasing opportunities.
Forrest Buhler, Kansas Agricultural Mediation Services staff attorney, will begin the program discussing specific Kansas laws on renting pastures and cropland, and will have further information on Kansas fencing laws and how to work through fencing considerations with neighbors, landlords, and tenants.
Nate Gilbert, an attorney and native of central Kansas, will highlight the ins and outs of recreational leases. He specializes in hunting, wildlife, and multi-use land leases across Kansas and Colorado.
To learn more about agricultural leases, laws, and recreational opportunities come join us on Wednesday, December 7th, 1-3:30 p.m. at the Ellis County Extension Office back meeting room located at 601 Main Street, Hays. The program is free to attend but an RSVP is appreciated by December 5th at (785) 628-9430.
SEWARD COUNTY – A woman was injured in an accident just after midnight Sunday morning in Seward County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2010 Chevy Camaro driven by Ariana Michelle Fox, 22, Colorado Springs, CO., was eastbound on Old U.S. 54 at a high rate of speed and failed to negotiate a curve two miles southwest of Liberal.
The Camaro entered a side skid into the north ditch and ramped over Seward County Road G and rolled end to end 3 times into a field.
Fox was transported to the hospital in Liberal.
She was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
SHAWNEE COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in Shawnee County are investigating an attack on a police officer and are looking for a suspect.
At 10a.m. on Saturday officers with Topeka police were called to report of a disturbance at a residence in the 2400 Block of SW Candletree Drive, according to a media release.
Moments after arrival, an officer was shoved down a flight of stairs and punched in the face. The suspect, Justin Welch, 23, Topeka, ran from the scene.
Just after 5:30 p.m. officers in the same location reported Welch ran from them again.
Anyone with information on Welch is asked to contact Topeka police or CrimeStoppers.
Norrine Buchholz, an RN in the Intensive Care Department, was recently recognized as HaysMed’s newest Daisy Award Winner.
Buchholz was selected from a group of blinded nominations voted on by the HaysMed Practice Committee. The Practice Committee consists of Staff and Supervisors from a variety of departments across HaysMed. Nominations are received from patients and family members, physicians, volunteers and associates for nurses in inpatient, outpatient and clinic settings.
“This nomination epitomizes teamwork, leadership and customer service,” said Terry Siek, VP of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at HaysMed. “We are so fortunate to have nurses of her caliber and dedication working at HaysMed.”
Buchholz has been an associate of HaysMed since 1989.
The DAISY Award is a nationwide program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary clinical skill and compassionate care given by nurses every day.
RUSSELL — St. John Lutheran Church will be offering a Blue Christmas worship service this year. Not everyone is up for and cheery for the Christmas holidays. Dealing with the death of a loved one, facing life after divorce or separation, coping with the loss of a job, living with cancer or some other disease that puts a question mark over the future, and a number of other human situations make parties and joviality painful for many people in our congregations and communities. There is a growing attentiveness to the needs of people who are blue at Christmas.
The Blue Christmas worship service will be at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14, in the St. John Lutheran Church Chapel. An offering will be taken during the service. The service will be reflective, accepting where people who gather really are, and holding out healing and hope. The date is near the traditional feast day for St. Thomas the Apostle. Thus, there is a connection between Thomas’s struggle to believe the tale of Jesus’ resurrection, the long nights just before Christmas, and the struggle with darkness and grief faced by those living with loss.
During the days of Advent, members of St. John Lutheran and the Russell Community are invited to place names of persons they miss or of whom they are concerned about on the altar. Pencils, pens, and appropriate paper are available in the Usher’s Room in the Church’s narthex or in the Church office during business hours.
Today
Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 48. West northwest wind around 8 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 28. South southwest wind 7 to 11 mph.
Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 53. South wind 9 to 15 mph becoming east in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.
Monday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 24. Blustery, with a north wind 11 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 35. North wind 7 to 15 mph becoming east northeast in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.
Tuesday Night
A 50 percent chance of snow showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17.
Wednesday
Snow showers likely, mainly before noon. Patchy blowing snow before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 24. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 7.
CLICK to enlarge-Photo by Kaiser Family Foundation
By Jordan Rau
With their party gaining control of both the White House and Congress, some Republican voters are growing hesitant about outright abolition of the Affordable Care Act and instead favoring a more circumspect approach of scaling it back, according to a poll released Thursday.
Republican opposition to the ACA remains strong among voters for President-elect Donald Trump, with 81 percent of his supporters viewing it unfavorably, according to the survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation that was conducted after the election. (Kaiser Health News is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)
Trump voters, however, also support many of the individual consumer protections in that law.
Trump and the Republican Congress have vowed to repeal the 2010 health care law and replace it with a not-yet-specified alternative. Lawmakers are mulling a variety of approaches, from immediate repeal to keeping the law operating until a substitute is designed, even if that takes several years.
A smooth transition is important for the 20 million people who gained health insurance through the law, and Republicans do not want to be blamed for lapses in coverage. The poll found that of those who want the law replaced with a Republican alternative, there is twice as much support for devising a replacement plan before repealing the law as there is for getting rid of it first.
The public overall remains essentially split on the Affordable Care Act, the poll found, with 43 percent wanting it repealed or scaled back and 49 percent wanting to keep or expand it, according to the poll. Among supporters of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, 79 percent hold favorable views of the law.
With diminishment of the health reform law now a political likelihood, the portion of Republicans who want to repeal the law has decreased to 52 percent from 69 percent in October. The poll identified a “slight uptick” in the share of people who want the law scaled back but not eliminated. That view is now twice as popular among Republicans: 24 percent want to scale it back, up from 11 percent in October.
The poll found strong Trump voter support for some of the consumer protections that were part of the law, including allowing young adults to stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26, reducing the amount Medicare beneficiaries have to pay for prescription drugs and providing financial assistance to lower-income Americans to buy insurance.
With diminishment of the health reform law now a political likelihood, the portion of Republicans who want to repeal the law has decreased to 52 percent from 69 percent in October.
More than 60 percent of Trump voters supported these provisions as well as the law’s ban on letting insurers refuse to sell policies to people with histories of medical problems. Two-thirds of Trump voters also favor letting states have the option of expanding Medicaid programs to cover more low-income adults, as 31 states and the District of Columbia have done.
The law’s requirement that people buy insurance, also known as the “individual mandate,” remains highly unpopular. Republicans have said they will do away with it and are considering other ways to encourage people to stay insured.
The poll found the law played a “limited role” in voters’ election decisions, which were more influenced by the direction of the country, Trump and Clinton’s personal characteristics, and employment. Only 8 percent said health care was the most significant factor.
The poll was conducted Nov. 15-21 among 1,202 adults. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Young immigrants who came forward in droves to voluntarily identify themselves — and their relatives — to the Obama administration on the promise they’d be safe from deportation are facing a new reality: President-elect Donald Trump wants to scrap the program.
ELLIS CO. EXTENSION
Today
