Mary A. Iseminger, age 86, passed away on Sunday, March 13, 2016 at the St. Luke’s South Hospital in Overland Park, Kansas. She was born on June 18, 1929 in Logan County, Kansas, the daughter of Rassie & Addie Harper Strickler. A resident of Scott City, Kansas since the early 1940‘s moving from Sharon Springs, Kansas, she was a Phone Operator, Secretary and also a School Board Clerk.
Mary was a member of the United Methodist Church, United Methodist Women, Beta Sigma Phi, Study Club and past member of the Club 100 all of Scott City, Kansas.
On August 17, 1947 she married Levirl A. Iseminger in Scott City, Kansas. He passed away on July 15, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Survivors include her One Son – Steve & Marcia Iseminger of Olathe, Kansas, One Daughter – Gayle & Jerry Herrman of Garden City, Kansas, One Grandson – Christopher Jerome Herrman of Scott City, Kansas, Three Granddaughters – Pam Iseminger & Ray Smith of Overland Park, Kansas, Tara Iseminger of Olathe, Kansas, Lori & Loren Pollock of Alta Vista, Kansas, Nine Great Grandchildren and Ten Great Great Grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her Parents, Husband, Two Brothers – Rassie Strickler & Joseph Strickler and One Sister – Addie Mae Hillery.
Funeral Services will be held at the United Methodist Church in Scott City, Kansas 10:00 a.m. Friday, March 18, 2016 with Pastor Neil Burum and Pastor John Lewis presiding.
Interment will be at the Scott County Cemetery in Scott City, Kansas.
Memorials may be given to the United Methodist Church in Scott City, Kansas % of Price & Son Funeral Home in Scott City, Kansas.
Visitation will be from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Wednesday and 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Thursday.
VICTORIA – Francis P. Dreiling, age 81, died Sunday, March 13, 2016, at his home in Victoria, Kansas.
He was born January 25, 1935, in Victoria, Kansas to Balthasar P. and Elizabeth (Graf) Dreiling. He married Louise A. (Brown) on September 10, 1955, and they later separated. She died January 14, 2010.
He was a master finish carpenter and worked at the Hays Planning Mill for over 35 years. He also restored and refinished antiques. Francis was a member of The Basilica of St. Fidelis, was raised in Victoria and was a lifetime resident.
Survivors include one son, Steve Dreiling and wife, Dee, Halstead, KS; two daughters, Janene Schrant and husband, Rick, WaKeeney, KS; Janell Dreiling and John Baker, Salina, KS; one brother, Vincent Dreiling, Hays, KS; one sister, Betty Schmidt and husband, Vernon, Hays, KS; two brothers-in-law, Dean Davis, Emporia, KS; and Edwin Brungardt, Hays, KS; two sisters-in-law, Edna Dreiling and Dolores Dreiling, both of Hays, KS; six grandchildren, Jamie Dreiling, Brigham Bentley (Alicia), Heather Fabrizius (Lance), Megan Schrant and Cody Chumm, Kelsey Schrant and Curtis Potter, and Tara Tresvant; and 10 great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one grandson, Ryan Schrant; four brothers, Fridolin, William, Sylvester and Robert Dreiling; four sisters, Alfreda Grabbe, Seraphina Davis, Carolina Schmidt and Theresa Brungardt.
Services are 11:00 A.M. Saturday, March 19, 2016, at The Basilica of St. Fidelis Victoria, Kansas. Inurnment will be in St. Fidelis Cemetery Victoria, Kansas.
The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. Friday, at Cline’s Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kansas 67601 and from 10:00 to 11:00 A.M. Saturday, at The Basilica of St. Fidelis Victoria, Kansas.
A vigil service will be at 7:00 P.M. Friday, at Clines Mortuary of Hays. Memorial to The Basilica of St. Fidelis. Condolences can be sent via e-mail to [email protected]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State freshman Hannah Perkins was named the MIAA Women’s Golf Athlete of the Week on Wednesday. Perkins was the top finisher for the Tigers at the FHSU Spring Thaw in Mesa, Ariz.
Perkins shot the only sub-80 round of the tournament for the Tigers in the second round on Tuesday. She shot 77 after carding 85 on the first day. She tied for 16th individually in the tournament.
Dr. Eileen Curl, along with her husband, Don, have established the “Dr. Eileen Deges Curl and Don Curl Nursing Scholarship” to provide financial assistance to nursing majors at Fort Hays State University. She contributed greatly to the nursing profession with a career at Fort Hays State that spanned 21 years, serving as a professor of nursing and director of graduate nursing.
“At an early age, I was taught to help others,” Curl said. Growing up on a farm and going to school in Grainfield, she learned from her parents how to work hard, serve others and value education.
The Curls’ deep-rooted ties to Fort Hays State go back several generations. Long before Don Curl earned his business degree in 1973, his grandmother had attended Fort Hays Normal School (later renamed Fort Hays State University) and his mother had worked as a supervisor in McMindes and Agnew Halls.
Eileen Curl earned her nursing degree from Marymount College in Salina and joined Fort Hays State in a faculty position in 1981. “My first teaching assignment at FHSU was to teach the foundation nursing course where students learn fundamental knowledge and skills regarding the nursing profession,” she said. “Clinical experience for the course involved students caring for nursing home patients at Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Ellis, where Don and I met.”
She explained that she enjoyed scientific information and had always enjoyed caring for others, so nursing was the perfect combination of both. “There is always new scientific or research-based information related to nursing and healthcare, so nursing continues to be interesting,” she said. “Nursing has been a good career choice as I can work in a variety of areas, whether it be in a hospital, community setting or in academia.”
Curl viewed her students as the hope for the future of nursing and the provision of excellent patient care. “I always enjoyed seeing the ‘light bulbs’ go off in students’ minds when they understood a new aspect of nursing,” she said. “And seeing students at the recognition ceremony at the end of the program was also a favorite time because the faculty could see how far our nursing students had come in their knowledge and achievement of their goals,” she added.
Participating in the creation of the Master of Science in Nursing program was one of the biggest changes in FHSU’s Department of Nursing, as well as one of Eileen’s favorite memories during her tenure.
“Having an MSN program available to nurses in western Kansas meant a lot to me because I grew up in rural western Kansas,” she said. “My own mother had wanted to be a nurse, so she was pleased when I chose nursing as a career. I knew the MSN program could ultimately have a positive impact on patient care in rural areas.”
But it is Eileen’s long-lasting impact on students that truly crowns her career.
“Dr. Curl had a huge impact on me during my time in the FHSU nursing program,” said Kathleen Ward, assistant professor of nursing and a recipient of the FHSU Faculty of the Year Award. “I was a single mother with two children, and I reached a point where I was very frustrated and didn’t think that I would ever be able to get through school. Dr. Curl was the type of instructor who helped you see the whole picture — not just what you could understand — and in that way helped you make the best decision possible. I would not be where I am today if she had not stepped up and been present in my life. She will never fully know the impact she had on me.”
The Curls decided to establish their scholarship after meeting FHSU’s new president, Dr. Mirta M. Martin, and catching the new vision that she had for Fort Hays State. “We were impressed with President Martin’s philosophy of valuing students and their families. She is an inspiring person and we support the future that she sees for FHSU,” Eileen Curl said. “We believe that her administrative style encourages the FHSU family to support students in meeting their educational goals.
“Additionally, we want to support students, especially those in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and MSN programs. Student scholarships are such a great way to invest in students and what they can contribute to our future. By providing scholarships, students can work less and spend more time on their studies. We all need nurses, and having the best nurses possible will benefit each and every one of us.”
For Eileen, the future of the nursing profession depends on what students learn in the classroom and throughout their clinical experience.
“A great nurse is smart and maintains current knowledge about patient care. A great nurse is also a patient advocate, cares about patients and includes family members in the caring process,” she said. “Integrating new research in nursing courses shows how important it is for nurses to continue learning about the latest in their field. Teaching students how to access this new research is also important to ensure that they will have this skill-set after they graduate. I always tried to model caring by viewing the world from the students’ perspectives and demonstrated caring for my students from this viewpoint. Nurses need to see the world from a patient’s point of view, and teaching students to see the patient’s perspective is important.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has made his final NCAA Tournament call in office: Rock Chalk, champions.
Obama picked Kansas, Texas A&M, North Carolina and Michigan State to all reach the Final Four in a bracket he filled out for ESPN.
His choice might be an unpopular one around Kansas, though. Obama hasn’t correctly predicted the national champion since he picked North Carolina in his first year in office in 2009.
Obama also picked the Jayhawks to win the national championship in 2010 and 2011. Duke won in 2010 and UConn won in 2011, while Kansas missed the finals both years.
Obama told ESPN that filling out a bracket was a reminder that “college sports at its best can bring people together.”
Just like all the office pool players trying to win big, Obama selected one upset in the first round. He has No. 13 Hawaii, his home state, beating No. 4 Cal.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Washburn University graduate assistant football coach has been charged with aggravated kidnapping and rape.
Shawnee County court records show that the charges were filed Tuesday against 22-year-old Jesse Robert Bubke. He has been released on bond. No attorney is listed for him in court records. Shawnee County prosecutor’s office spokesman Lee McGowan didn’t immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Topeka police Lt. Colleen Stuart told The Topeka Capital-Journal that a woman went to police Sunday and reported she had been kidnapped from a bar, taken to Bubke’s home, assaulted and released.
As a graduate assistant, Bubke has coached defensive backs. Washburn spokesman Patrick Early says the university will help authorities. He didn’t immediately return a phone message from the AP.
TOPEKA – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt today warned businesses to watch out for a new scam aimed at acquiring employees’ personal information.
The scam involves someone sending to an employee an email that purports to be from the business’s Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer and requesting sensitive employee information, including tax forms such as W-2s. The emails appear to come from the CEO or CFO’s email address, but are actually “spoofed” addresses. The employee thinks he or she is providing information requested by a senior official at the company, but in fact the replies – including the requested personal information – are unwittingly sent to the scammer. This information can then be used by the scammer to commit identity theft.
Schmidt’s office said they were aware of at least three Kansas organizations that have been hit by this scam in the past week.
“As we get closer to the tax-filing deadline, these types of scams are on the rise,” Schmidt said. “I encourage all Kansas employers to warn their employees of this scam. If an employee receives an email of this type asking for sensitive records, he or she should always confirm that the person they are sending the information to is who they claim to be. Do not just reply to the email.”
More information on staying safe from scams is available on the attorney general’s consumer protection website at www.InYourCornerKansas.org or by calling (800) 432-2310.
Hays teachers voted Friday to accept the contract agreed upon during mediation. USD 489 board members will vote on the contract March 21.
By James Bell Hays Post
Hays teachers voted Friday to accept the contract agreed upon during mediation last week giving USD 489 teachers six months of vertical pay-scale movement. It was the third vote during this year’s negotiations.
The final vote was 155 to 54.
“We weren’t asking for more money. We’re just asking people get to move into those steps,” said Kim Schneweis, Hays National Education Association Bargaining Committee(HNEA) co-chairwoman.
The vertical pay scale movement had been a contentious point during negotiations, as teachers cited the lack of movement during the first two votes as a primary reason to vote against the contract.
During mediation, the Board of Education ultimately offered six months of movement to teachers.
The vertical movement will be paid in June, but only if the Kansas legislature does not make any further cuts to K-12 education state funding.
Horizontal movement, however– agreed upon during negotiations– would remain in place even if cuts occur.
USD 489 has 12 steps of vertical movement in its pay schedule, based on years of service to the district. Horizontal movement rewards teachers for professional development, including additional college classes taken by a teacher.
A vote was held in each of the district buildings on Friday and while it passed, some teachers still had concerns with the mediated agreement.
Early feedback, Schneweis said, found teachers were unhappy with changes to early retirement benefits.
“That was an expectation and promise and it should have been honored,” she said. “We agreed upon the phase-out and that should have been followed through.”
But the lack of movement was also very upsetting to teachers, Schneweis said.
Even with the agreement, state cuts could derail the movement.
Kansas officials have made comments that there would be no further cuts to education, but recent cuts to higher ed make Schneweis feel that funding from the state is unpredictable.
“I think that is all in the air at this point,” Schneweis said.
Two state legislators suggested Tuesday that the State Board of Education should be in charge of school funding, rather than the legislature, following last month’s ruling by the Kansas Supreme Court that school funding across the state is still unconstitutional.
The Board had been hesitant to offer the movement during negotiations in part because of the cuts the state has made to education during the last few years. Funding at least some movement was a way to show the Board wanted to fund the movement, even if money to do so was not available until the end of the school year.
“We’re trying to show you we are serious in giving you this money,” said Lance Bickle, Board president, during the mediation.
The HNEA had argued during negotiations that money from attrition should be able to fund the movement, but the administration disagreed.
A full step of vertical movement was expected to cost the district $115,764. Attrition was expected to save only $56,100.
“This is just a rotation that these younger people would get to move into these spots,” Schneweis said, adding that many teachers have already reached the top of the vertical scale and would not see movement.
The Board of Education is set to vote on the contract at their next Board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 21, in the Toepfer Board Room in the Rockwell Administration Center, 323 W. 12th St.
THOMAS COUNTY –One person was injured in an accident just before 4 a.m. on Wednesday in Thomas County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2016 Toyota passenger vehicle driven by Marvin Olive Mosby, 26, Independence, MO., was eastbound on Interstate 70 six miles east of Colby.
The vehicle traveled off of the roadway, struck a culvert, became airborne and rolled end over end an unknown number of times.
Mosby was transported to Citizens Medical Center.
He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
Pres. Obama and Supreme Court nominee during Wednesday’s White House Rose Garden announcement
WASHINGTON (AP) —President Barack Obama says federal appellate judge Merrick Garland would bring a spirit of modesty, integrity and even-handedness to the Supreme Court.
Obama is announcing that he’s nominating Garland to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. He says Garland is widely recognized for his excellence. He’s pointing to Garland’s experience as a law clerk, a prosecutor and as chief judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
“This is not a responsibility I take lightly—it’s a decision that requires me to set aside short-term expediency or narrow politics” —@POTUS
Obama says he went through a rigorous and comprehensive process to pick his nominee. He says he sought to set aside short-term expediency and “narrow politics.”
The president says he reached out to every member of the Senate Judiciary Committee to seek advice about the nomination.
Garland is the chief justice for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, a court whose influence over federal policy and national security matters has made it a proving ground for potential Supreme Court justices.
AGE — 63
CURRENT POSITION — Chief judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
PROFESSIONAL: Before becoming a judge in 1997, Garland served in the Justice Department as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General and Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division. He was a federal prosecutor in the District of Columbia from 1989 to 1992 and a partner in the law firm of Arnold & Porter from 1985 to 1989 and from 1992 to 1993.
EDUCATION — Harvard College and Harvard Law School.
OF NOTE — Garland supervised Justice Department investigations into the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.
Rep. John Rubin, a Republican from Shawnee, was publicly stripped of his position as chair of the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice committee on Tuesday.
Legislative leaders often use their authority over committee assignments and other perks to reward loyalty and punish insubordination.
But rarely are punishments meted out as publicly as they were Tuesday in the Kansas House.
House Speaker Ray Merrick, a Republican from Stilwell, publicly stripped fellow Republican John Rubin of his chairmanship of the Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee just minutes before the House adjourned for the day.
The announcement was swift retribution for Rubin’s role an hour earlier in challenging a decision that Merrick had made the day before to remove a bill from debate calendar to prevent it from being used to force a floor vote on expanding casino gambling in the state.
Upon learning of his ouster, Rubin stormed out of the House chamber. When asked for a comment as he hurried down a set of stairs to his office, the Shawnee Republican lashed out at Merrick.
“If he wants to run the state like a Napoleon Bonaparte for the state of Kansas he can do it without my help,” a visibly angry Rubin said before adding, “I’m resigning from the House of Representatives effective midnight tonight.”
Rubin later inched his position back, telling the Kansas City Star that he was “considering” stepping down because of the way Merrick ousted him.
“I was relieved as chairman by the speaker in a very open and public way,” he said.
In a statement, Merrick said he took the action in response to an attempt to “manipulate the House rules” and force a floor vote on a gaming bill that already had been scheduled for a hearing in committee on Wednesday.
Merrick said the hearing in the House Appropriations Committee would allow members to better understand the possible financial ramifications of expanding gaming.
He said the bill in question could require the state to pay the current operators of state-owned casinos more than $100 million. Tuesday’s incident wasn’t Rubin’s first tangle with House leaders.
His efforts to promote transparency by challenging rules that allow several bills to be bundled into conference committee reports that lawmakers must either vote up or down also rankled them.
Even so, his ouster as the chairman of a committee that has spent hours crafting a package of juvenile justice reform bills left several legislators stunned.
“I’m still coming to grips with it,” said Rep. Blaine Finch, a Republican from Ottawa. “But that was swift. Quite swift.”
Rep. Jim Ward, a Democrat from Wichita, called Merrick’s actions “irrational.” “He (Merrick) never stands up and argues his ideas,” Ward said. “He just punishes and threatens. That’s not leadership, that’s bullying and it’s happening too much in this building.”
Merrick also removed Rep. John Barker, a Republican and retired district court judge from Abilene, as chairman of the committee that resolves disputes over the House rules. Merrick took the action even though Barker and the committee upheld his decision to pull the bill that could have served as a vehicle for gaming amendments.
Several legislators said Tuesday’s developments were an indication of growing tensions at the Statehouse – tensions caused by ongoing budget problems and deepening differences about how to address them.
Those tensions also were evident Monday when heated exchanges in a GOP caucus prompted Senate leaders to excuse the media and close the meeting.
Before the session began, Merrick removed several members of the House Health and Human Services Committee because of their support for expanding KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program, to cover more low-income adults.
On the other side of the Statehouse, Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook, a Republican from Shawnee, was removed from her position as chair of the Senate Public Health and Welfare committee after she tussled with Senate President Susan Wagle, a Wichita Republican, over an amendment related to Medicaid expansion. Pilcher-Cook said she offered the amendment with the idea that it would be voted down and send a message to the House that Medicaid expansion was a dead issue.
Jim McLean is executive editor of KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team.
Partly sunny and breezy conditions can be expected today with highs in the lower to middle 60s. Extreme fire danger will exist due to the low humidity and breezy northwest winds. A Red Flag Warning is in effect for parts of central and southwestern Kansas. Outdoor burning is discouraged.
Today Partly sunny, with a high near 60. Breezy, with a northwest wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 19 to 24 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 29. West northwest wind 13 to 18 mph decreasing to 7 to 12 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.
ThursdayMostly sunny, with a high near 63. West northwest wind around 9 mph.
Thursday NightA chance of rain after 11pm, mixing with snow after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. Breezy, with a southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northeast 16 to 21 mph in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
FridayA chance of rain and snow, mainly before 3pm. Cloudy, with a high near 46. North northeast wind 10 to 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Friday NightA slight chance of rain and snow before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. Chance of precipitation is 10%.
The City of Hays Fire Department will be inspecting fire hydrants and flushing water mains on Wed., March 16, in the area of Hwy 183 Bypass to Thunderbird Dr., between 27th Street and Oakmont. This is part of a coordinated effort by the City of Hays to inspect all fire hydrants in the city and flush all water mains annually.
Inspecting fire hydrants ensures that the valves operate properly and that there is no damage or obstructions that will prevent or interfere with the prompt use of fire hydrants in an emergency. Firefighters are also checking the pressure and volume of water mains in each neighborhood for firefighting purposes. The associated flushing of water mains allows chlorine to be distributed throughout the system to eliminate bio-filming in the water mains.
Slight discoloration of the water supply may be encountered although there will be no health risks to the consumer. All reasonable efforts will be taken to minimize the inconvenience to the public. Drivers are asked to avoid driving through water discharging from a fire hydrant during the short flushing period.
For more information please contact the Hays Fire Department at (785) 628-7330.
The City of Hays Fire Department will be inspecting fire hydrants and flushing water mains on Wed., March 16, in the area of Hwy 183 Bypass to Thunderbird Dr., between 27th Street and Oakmont. This is part of a coordinated effort by the City of Hays to inspect all fire hydrants in the city and flush all water mains annually.