TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two separate Kansas legislative committees have approved proposals from Republican Gov. Sam Brownback to provide an additional $17 million to the state’s two mental hospitals.
The decisions Thursday by the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Ways and Means Committee mean both chambers will consider the spending as part of broader budget legislation next week.
The extra funds will provide pay raises and offset lost federal funds over the next 15 months.
Most of the funds would be spent at Osawatomie State Hospital, about 45 miles southwest of the Kansas City area. The federal government decertified the hospital in December over the reported rape of an employee and other safety issues.
But legislators also have been concerned about staffing shortages at Larned State Hospital in western Kansas.
FHSU President Mirta M. Martin waves to the crowd as she rides into Doug Philip Arena at this year’s Fort Hays State Rodeo in Hays. (Photo by Jared Tadlock, FHSU University Relation and Marketing)
By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN FHSU University Relations and Marketing
Fort Hays State University President Mirta M. Martin agreed to ride in the opening ceremonies for the public performances, no matter what the weather.
Lola Rumford, one of the oldest fans in the stands, kept using the word “wonderful” when describing the weekend.
The return to Hays, and the Fort Hays State campus, after more than four decades was an eye-opening experience for Bob Kephart, FHSU’s first rodeo club president.
All in all, most people involved with last weekend’s Fort Hays State Rodeo — despite battling less than ideal weather conditions all weekend long — would call it a success.
The 50th anniversary celebration of the annual event in Hays not only brought nearly 500 college competitors to town but several dozen FHSU rodeo alumni for a reunion as well.
“It was an honor to be a part of the Fort Hays State Rodeo, especially on this golden anniversary year,” Martin said.
Martin was a good sport, returning for Saturday’s performance in the rain after getting her hat blown off as she rode into the arena on a windy, dusty opening night Friday.
Rumford, whose family has been involved in every single FHSU rodeo since the start, is 88 years old now and doesn’t make the trip to Hays every year for the weekend activities.
But she weathered the storm and came to Hays for the 50th anniversary rodeo, and is she ever glad she was.
“I don’t go like I used to,” said Rumford, who lives in Abbyville in Reno County. “I tell them, ‘I’ve been there, done that.’ But I sure wanted to be at this one.”
Partly because she wanted to see some of those former rodeo members who would be coming from near and far, and partly because her oldest son, Bronc, is the head coach for the FHSU rodeo team.
“My interest is still there, 100 percent,” Mom Rumford said. “Your heart is in it, and it’s been your life, so you just keep going.”
Kephart had similar feelings, although he hadn’t been back to campus since the early 1970s.
“I debated about coming,” said Kephart, now 76 and living in Buffalo, Mo. “I thought, ‘I won’t know anyone, it’s been so long.’ But I’m sure glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Kephart wasn’t even involved in rodeo back in the mid 1960s when a college friend of his asked him to attend a meeting about organizing a rodeo club on campus. Before he knew it, Kephart was president of the club.
“I had family that rodeoed, so I’d been around it and was involved in the horse business,” he said of his interest in helping start the club.
It was a trip down memory lane for Kephart and many like him, especially those from the 1960s who formed the biggest group of alumni attending the 50th anniversary activities.
He talked of working part-time in the campus library, which he thought was in McCartney Hall at the time because a new Forsyth Library building was under construction. He remembered returning to campus on Saturdays and during the summer months to work on his master’s degree, which he finished in 1972.
Now, Forsyth Library is 49 years old, and many students work on their master’s from afar — online.
Kephart hadn’t been back to campus since ’72, and was he ever in for a surprise.
“The campus has grown tremendously,” he said. “I didn’t know where anything was.”
By the time Kephart left campus in the early ’70s, the University Farm was the only part of FHSU west of Big Creek. Gross Memorial Coliseum was still under construction, and the Robbins Center, home to the FHSU Foundation and Alumni Association, wasn’t even yet a dream.
Kephart has relatives in Trego County, where his grandfather owned a ranch, so WaKeeney was his first destination of the weekend. When he drove back to Hays, he took the farthest west Hays exit off Interstate 70 and headed south on U.S. Highway 183 Alternate, which happens to run along the west edge of campus.
“I saw this big building just off the highway, so I thought I’d stop by and see where I was supposed to go,” Kephart said. “It just happened to be the alumni center.”
While there wasn’t a rodeo arena for students to use when Kephart was president of the club, there would be one in a short time.
Hays rancher Doug Philip was a friend of Kephart’s family, and Philip agreed to be a citizen sponsor of the rodeo.
The first FHSU rodeo members began practicing at the Ellis Fairgrounds, about 15 miles west of Hays, and the first FHSU rodeo was held at the quarter horse grounds near the Hays Regional Airport.
Once the club was chartered, volunteers soon began building chutes and gates and fences, all on the Philip Ranch, and the arena went up on its present site.
The arena appropriately was named in honor of Philip, who died in 1996 at the age of 78. His two daughters, Kaylynn Philip and Sandy Sprague, grew up around rodeo and still live on the family ranch about 10 miles southeast of Hays. They both attended Saturday’s alumni reunion, too.
“It was just amazing, so much fun to visit with everybody,” Sprague, Philip’s youngest daughter, said of the reunion.
She was sure her dad probably would have attended — and definitely enjoyed — this year’s rodeo and alumni reunion. Doug Philip would be 98 if he was alive today.
“Our dad was always so involved with the rodeo. He just thoroughly enjoyed it,” said Sprague, who can’t remember when she didn’t attend an FHSU rodeo and now serves as the veterinarian on call during rodeo weekend.
“It’s alumni who have helped keep this thing going,” said Bronc Rumford, who was a standout all-around competitor in rodeo during his college days. In fact, he was a two-time all-around champion twice at the FHSU Rodeo, in 1970 as a student at Hutchinson Community College and again in ’74 as a Fort Hays State rodeo member.
“So it sure was a lot of fun to see the alumni enjoy themselves so much this weekend,” he added.
One alum, Steve Knowles from Brighton, Colo., had something to boast about that most alumni in their 50s couldn’t. He still competes in rodeo.
The 55-year-old Knowles, who was president of the FHSU Rodeo Club in the early to mid 1980s, tries his luck at bareback bronc riding and steer wrestling on the senior pro circuit.
“I’m going to win nationals this year,” he said of the Senior National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nev., in October.
Building that type of confidence — in rodeo and in life — is what Fort Hays State is trying to instill in its students, Bronc Rumford said.
“Our main objective, other than to teach them how to rope and ride, is to teach them life lessons,” Rumford said. “Those are going to be the important things, for example, learning the courage it takes to stand in front of a bull. How do you travel when you’re broke and your truck is broken down? These are things you are going to have to learn to live.”
Even 5-plus inches of rain Saturday and Sunday didn’t dampen the spirits of those attending the rodeo.
“You have to always look at the positives,” Bronc Rumford said. “All of us in agriculture will have grass and crops and hay to feed our horses. It would be pretty narrow minded of us to complain because we had to be uncomfortable for three days.
“Those are all life lessons to learn,” he added. “I’m 64 and been in rodeo all my life, and I’m still learning. That’s why it’s fun. It’s a challenge.”
Rumford was especially pleased how the rain perked up the campus for the visitors.
“You can’t believe the great comments about what a fabulous place this is and how much campus has changed,” Rumford said. “I know I’m biased about this being a great university, but I’ve traveled all over the world. What Dr. Martin and Dr. (Edward) Hammond before her, have done over the last 20, 30 years, the continual upgrades … I’m telling you, this is a first-class place.”
OFFERLE, Kan. (AP) — Officials are investigating after 50 to 60 cattle were found starved to death in southwest Kansas.
Sheriff Bryant Kurth says the cattle were found March 31 near Offerle in Edwards County.
Edwards County Attorney Mark Frame says between 50 and 60 cattle were found dead or near death at a feedlot owned by Offerle rancher David Oliphant, who was hospitalized. Frame says the animals had water but no food.
The Hutchinson News reports area farmers are caring for another 50 to 60 cattle. He says farmers in the area have told him they would have helped if they had known the cattle needed feed.
Frame said he couldn’t comment on any possible charges because the case is still under investigation.
According to the Ellis County Clerk’s office, Dean Haselhorst has filed for re-election to the Ellis County Commission. Haselhorst, who filed as a Republican, currently served District 3.
Also current County Clerk Donna J. Maskus has filed for re-election as a Democrat.
Maskus
Maskus reminded voters that due to legislative changes last year, the date to change party affiliation has been moved to June 1.
Click the image below for more details on the upcoming election cycle.
TOKYO (AP) — Officials are investigating after Mitsubishi Motors Corp. after the company said it had found employees manipulated fuel efficiency data of more than 620,000 light vehicles it manufactured.
Local media reports showed investigators entering offices of the company’s assembly plant in central Japan’s Nagoya on Thursday. On Wednesday, the company apologized for what it said was intentional falsification of mileage test data.
Trading in Mitsubishi Motors’ shares halted before the close on Thursday after the shares fell nearly 20.5 percent.
Mitsubishi Motors was tarnished by a massive recall cover-up 15 years ago.
The inaccurate tests by the Tokyo-based automaker involved so-called “minicars” with tiny engines whose main attraction is generally great mileage. Mitsubishi said fuel economy was falsely boosted by about 5 percent or 10 percent.
POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Pottawatomie County are investigating 2 suspects on drug charges and asking for help to locate two others.
On Wednesday, the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office, assisted by the Wamego Police Department, executed a search warrant at a residence in the 100 Block of East Valley Street, in Wamego, according to a media release.
The search warrant was in reference to the possession and distribution of illegal drugs.
As a result of this search warrant a large quantity of marijuana was seized, as well as drug paraphernalia, and cash.
The residents of the home, Brendon Sexton, 24, and Kristin Stalnaker, 22, were arrested for Possession of Marijuana with intent to distribute, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Felony Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Jeroid Garcia, 25, and Nicole Jackson, 22, both of Topeka, were arrested for Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia,
All four are currently confined at the Pottawatomie County Jail pending bond being set.
On March 26 the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the Wamego Police Department executed a search warrant in a hotel room at Simmer Motel, 1215 Highway 24.
The search warrant was in reference to the alleged possession and distribution of illegal drugs. Deputies seized large quantities methamphetamine, marijuana, as well as drug
paraphernalia and scales.
The occupants of the room had left prior to the search. The Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s asks for assistance in locating
Leona Craven, 39. She is wanted for the distribution of controlled substances. They are also looking for John Swartz, 45, whose last known address was in Manhattan. He is also wanted for the distribution of controlled substances.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office at 785-457-3353 or their local law enforcement agency.
In upcoming elections Kansas voters should hold their lawmakers accountable for the state’s current financial mess, that is, the stream of unbalanced budgets, unfair taxes, and unprecedented new debt. Revenue projections released earlier this week document that the mess has now reached catastrophic proportions.
As a guide to Kansas voters this column tracks the five major actions taken by majority lawmakers in their descent into financial chaos.
H. Edward Flentje is professor emeritus at Wichita State University.
The first step into chaos began four years ago, in 2012, with the forced vote on a hugely flawed tax bill (Senate Sub for HB 2117) in the Kansas House of Representatives. The bill passed with a minimum of votes required and cut income taxes benefiting primarily the wealthiest Kansans by $1 billion a year without any cuts in spending. Over 300,000 business owners were exempted from taxation while modest tax benefits for lower-income residents were eliminated.
The folly of the 2012 bill quickly became apparent, and state representatives tried to rectify the situation with another tax bill (HB 2059) in 2013. A sales tax increase and reduced income-tax deductions were adopted with a projection of $400 million a year in new tax revenues. But lawmakers continued to have faith that income taxes could be eliminated by writing new future income tax cuts of $750 million a year into the same bill.
The governor then claimed “the sun is shining,” but three acts of financial desperation in the 2015 legislative session tell a different story.
First, again by the bare minimum of 63 votes, representatives authorized state officials to borrow $1 billion with the intention of propping up the state pension fund (SB 228). A small piece of this record-high pension debt was used to pay for current-year tax cuts, and Kansas taxpayers were placed on the hook for paying off the debt for the next thirty years.
Next, in an omnibus appropriation bill (House Sub for SB 112) lawmakers suspended all debt limits on borrowing by the Kansas Department of Transportation and at the same time authorized even larger sweeps of highway funds to salvage the 2012 tax cuts. The Brownback administration of course obliged with record-breaking highway debt and sweeps approaching $500 million in this budget year.
Finally in 2015, lawmakers adopted with the bare minimum of 63 votes another futile attempt to save the 2012 tax cuts (Senate Sub for HB 2109), raising taxes in the range of $400 to $550 million a year. Sales taxes were increased once again; cigarette taxes were boosted; the cuts in income tax rates promised in 2013 were scaled back; and most individual income tax deductions were eliminated.
So, where do state finances stand after this descent into chaos? The state is broke, flat broke, lunging from one financial crisis to the next. Sales tax rates now make Kansas’ tax on food the highest in the nation. More highway funds are being swept, and highway maintenance and improvement projects are being deferred; pension payments are delayed; and universities are forced to make mid-year cuts. More cuts in core services appear likely. The promised adrenaline shot on the Kansas economy looks more like a heavy dose of sedatives as the state consistently trails the region and the nation in economic growth.
Most Kansas voters understand that the 2012 tax experiment has failed miserably and the steps taken to rescue the experiment have produced more deficit spending, less-fair taxes, and historic levels of long-term debt.
Every legislative seat will be on the ballot in August and November, and voters now have time to identify those incumbent lawmakers most responsible for creating this continuing mess. Check out voting records and insist on answers. Demand accountability at the polls.
Now is the time to find these apprentices in state finance and tell them on Election Day: “You’re fired!”
H. Edward Flentje is professor emeritus at Wichita State University.
Harold Dewayne Morell, 93, died April 18, 2016 at Salina.
He was born March 20, 1923, near Collyer on the family farm to Arthur Louis and Ruth “Boyer” Morell. He grew up on the farm and attended Collyer public schools and was a graduate of Collyer High School in 1941. A resident of Salina the past two years living at Eaglecrest, formerly of Glasco and Collyer.
He married Deloris L. Wanker July 21, 1946 at WaKeeney. She died April 9, 1985. He was a farmer south and east of Collyer. Harold was a former member of the First United Methodist Church, WaKeeney and a life member of VFW, WaKeeney and a member of the Collyer American Legion now closed and a US Navy WWII veteran serving on the USS Kent and USS Procyon in the Pacific fleet.
He is survived by his wife, Janice Fife-Morell, Salina; children, Nancy and Rich McCoy, Rio Rico, Arizona, Randall and Gloria Morell, Wichita, Peggy Lang and Frank Flax, WaKeeney; grandchildren, Alicia Martin, Clint Hafliger, Jorge Morell, Kami Jamison, Amber Thompson, Ashley Garrett, Angel Penka and Kirk Lang; great grandchildren, Chase Penka, Duncan Edgin, Scarlett Thompson, Dalton Penka, Jillian Edgin, Keaton Thompson, Mason Hafliger, Faith Thompson, Avery Hafliger, Ella Jamison, Adeline “Addie” Morell, Emry Jamison and Caleb Morell.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Deloris Morell, daughters, Janice C. Morell, Angie Hafliger, sisters, Lela Tuttle, Doris Crum and Joan Sprenkel.
Funeral will be at 11:00 a.m. Friday, April 22, 2016, at First United Methodist Church, WaKeeney, with Pastor Bob Clemens presiding. Burial will be in the Collyer Cemetery, Collyer.
Memorials are suggested to Gentiva Hospice in care of Baker Funeral Home, P.O. Box 242, Valley Center, Kansas, 67147.
Dan Wesley Oard, 69, of Colby, KS, was born October 15, 1946 to Earl & Mary (Brown) Oard in Colby, KS. He departed from this life to join his Lord and Savior on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 at Citizens Medical Center in Colby, KS, after a long battle with MS. Dan accepted his Lord and Savior at an early age and maintained his faith throughout his life.
Dan attended grade school in Levant. He went to Colby Junior High and then finished his education by graduating Colby High School in 1964. He married Carolyn Mann December 28, 1966. To this union was born Maria Dawn Oard – Milberger (John) of Pueblo West, Colorado, Jennifer Jo Bruebaker (Tim) of Wichita and William Wesley Oard of Holcomb.
In 1990, Dan was united in marriage to Maria Teresita Ku Ortiz. He loved the additional children that Maria brought into this marriage as his own; Martina Leonor Emeka (Ken) of Colby, Braulio Borges of Mexico and Janeth Thorstenberg (Damon) of Wichita.
Dan is survived by his wife Maria of Colby, his children and step children, 11 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren, his mother Mary Oard of Colby, sister Lila Amos (Bob) of Colby and brother Dale Oard (Vickie) of Colby and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his grandparents Virgil and Margaret Brown and Fred and Grace Oard, father Earl Oard and sister Shirley Frame and brother-in-law Harlan Frame.
Dan loved to shoot guns, reload shells, and hunt and fish; he loved the outdoors. Guns were a cherished treasure to him; he even finished his own rifle that was custom made. He also was a huge fan of Caterpillar machinery of which he worked with throughout his lifetime in different construction jobs. In the early 1980’s, he bought his first motorcycle and became involved with the “Bikers for Christ”. He was a member of the National Guard for several years. Dan lived at home in Colby with Maria, the love of his life. As the disease advanced, a move to Prairie Senior Living Center was needed. His wife Maria was steadfast and faithful in her love and care for him until the very end. He was a member of the First Christian Church, Colby.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 23 at 2:00 pm, at the Kersenbrock Chapel, Colby, KS. Burial will be at Beulah Cemetery following the service. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Dan Oard Memorial; a memorial will be designated at a later date.
Hays pet owners have a reason to celebrate as Petsense has announced Hays as one of its 12 locations currently under development.
Petsense is a pet supply store and groomer akin to Petco or Pet Smart.
The store will be located in the Centennial Plaza, 2510 Vine, moving into a 9,500 square-foot space once occupied by Sears.
“They are going to totally remodel and refurbish that whole store, so it will be like brand new,” said Gina Stern, plaza owner.
Work on the space is expected to start in early to mid-May, according to Stern, and will continue through early summer, with a July opening expected.
“We are over the moon that they have chosen us,” Stern said, noting the store is expected to bring a significant increase in traffic to the plaza.
“There’s nothing like this in the community,” Stern said.
The location will be the first in the small chain to be in Kansas, although a second Kansas location is planned for Pittsburg.
Petsense has locations in Oklahoma, Nebraska and across the nation.
Centennial Plaza is a 52,243 square-foot retail shopping center, currently home to Jalisco Mexican Restaurant, Brown’s Shoe Store, Sherwin Williams and other local tenants.
The plaza has benefited from facility improvements over recent years, including a new facade and the addition of Petsense will likely add to the effort.
“They’re going to make the space look absolutely incredible,” Stern said.
CHANHASSEN, Minn. (AP) — Pop music superstar Prince has been found dead at his home in suburban Minneapolis.
His publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, told The Associated Press the music icon was found dead at his home Thursday in Chanhassen.
The singer, songwriter, arranger and instrumentalist was widely acclaimed as one of the most inventive musicians of his era, drawing upon influences ranging from James Brown to the Beatles to Jimi Hendrix. His hits included “Little Red Corvette,” ”Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry.”
The Minneapolis native broke through in the late 1970s with the hits “Wanna Be Your Lover” and soared over the following decade with such albums as “1999” and “Purple Rain.”
The title song from “1999” includes one of the most widely quoted refrains of popular culture: “Tonight I’m gonna party like it’s 1999.”
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has suspended the license of a Lawrence attorney for 18 months amid complaints from her clients and others attorneys.
Under an order issued last week, Joan M. Hawkins also was instructed to pay the costs for the disciplinary proceedings. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Hawkins is the owner of J Hawk law firm and handles family law cases. She didn’t immediately return a phone message that The Associated Press left at her office seeking comment.
The court’s order said Hawkins had filed false pleadings in district court, delayed returning unearned legal fees to a former client and improperly called into question the veracity of a court employee. The court also found that she engaged “in behavior that unreasonably delayed the resolution of two legal matters.”
A wise teacher once said, “When you are multitasking in class, you are doing at least two things badly.”
Those words also ring true for distracted driving on Kansas highways. Besides being a safety hazard for yourself and other drivers, distracted driving offenses could factor into your vehicle insurance premiums.
April as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
Distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from driving. The activity list includes texting; using a cell phone; eating and drinking; talking to passengers; grooming; reading, including maps; using a navigation system; watching a video; and adjusting a radio or other electronic device.
Because text messaging requires visual, manual and cognitive attention from the driver, it could be considered the most alarming distraction, Commissioner Selzer said. And, in Kansas, it is illegal. A fine and possibly a red flag on your policy when your insurance is up for renewal are consequences of receiving a citation for texting and driving.
Statistics from the Kansas Department of Transportation website show that drivers in the ages 14-19 and 20-24-year-old groups have more instances of distracted driving when using electronic devices, such as texting on smartphones, than other age groups.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said more than 3,100 people were killed and 424,000 people were injured in 2013 in vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.
Distracted driving can be risky, it can be costly, and, unfortunately, it can be deadly. I urge everyone to be proactive in keeping your driving distractions under control, especially when using electronic devices.
Ken Selzer, CPA, is the Kansas Commissioner of Insurance.
Harold Dewayne Morell, 93, died April 18, 2016 at Salina. 
Dan Wesley Oard, 69, of Colby, KS, was born October 15, 1946 to Earl & Mary (Brown) Oard in Colby, KS. He departed from this life to join his Lord and Savior on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 at Citizens Medical Center in Colby, KS, after a long battle with MS. Dan accepted his Lord and Savior at an early age and maintained his faith throughout his life.
Hays pet owners have a reason to celebrate as Petsense has announced Hays as one of its 12 locations currently under development.
