LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — One of just two women to graduate in 1964 from a 100-member University of Kansas School of Medicine class is making a $1 million donation.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Diane Klepper’s gift to the KU Endowment will help fund the KU Medical Center’s Health Education Building. The KU Endowment announced Tuesday that the building is under construction in Kansas City, Kansas.
After a fellowship in pulmonary disease at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, she became the dean of admissions and student affairs at the school.
The Health Education Building is expected to be complete by summer 2017. The $75 million facility is being funded by state bonds, KU funds and private donations.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The chairmen of the budget committees in the House and Senate are working on their own education funding plans aimed at helping poor school districts.
Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman Ty Masterson said Wednesday that he hopes to have plan drafted yet this week. The Andover Republican says it will be an attempt to meet a Kansas Supreme Court order within the state’s existing resources.
The House Appropriations Committee already has agreed to sponsor a plan from Chairman and Olathe Republican Ron Ryckman Jr. His plan would boost school districts’ aid by about $37 million.
The Supreme Court ruled last month that a 2015 school funding law violated the state constitution because it shorted poor districts on aid. The court gave lawmakers until July to fix the problems.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former Topeka store clerk has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for helping to arrange a robbery of a man who stocked ATMs with cash.
The U.S. attorney’s office says 21-year-old Ahmad Salim Salti, of Topeka, was sentenced Tuesday for conspiracy to commit robbery.
Topeka police were called in September 2014 when a masked gunman brandishing a firearm entered the store where Salti worked just as the victim was beginning to fill an ATM.
The gunman took the money and the keys to the victim’s van before escaping in the vehicle.
Investigators learned that Salti had helped to plan the robbery by providing the date and time the victim would fill the ATM. The robber has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita school district official says leaders will have to consider laying off teachers or other personnel as it faces up to $30 million in cost increases next school year and no additional state funding.
The district’s chief financial officer, Jim Freeman, projects that the cost increases for the 2017 fiscal year, beginning in July, could range from $16 million to $30 million.
The Wichita Eagle reports that revenue is expected to be flat under the state’s new block grant funding system.
Freeman says the district avoided layoffs last year by tapping into its contingency reserves and cutting other areas, such as adult education programs and classroom supplies.
School board members will meet March 21 to begin building the budget and consider options for cuts. The board may also consider moving to four-day school weeks.
FINNEY COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Finney County are investigating a reported drive-by shooting.
Just before 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, officers of the Garden City Police Department were dispatched to the 500 block of Inge Street for a reported shooting that had just occurred, according to a media release.
When Officers arrived on scene the investigation revealed an unknown person fired one round into the front window of the residence.
The bullet entered the window and struck an interior wall. There were two adults inside the residence at the time, there were no injuries.
Witnesses in the area stated they heard approximately 3 shots fired in the 500 block of Pennsylvania Street around 1:15 am.
Additional witnesses in the neighborhood reported they heard 2 to 4 shots fired in the area of Inge Street.
No witnesses were able to provide any suspect description.
The Garden City Police Department is requesting assistance from the community, if they have any information related to this incident they should call the Garden City Police Department (620) 276-1300, Crime Stoppers (620) 275-7807, or text your tip to Garden City PD, text GCTIP and your tip to Tip411 (847411).
TOPEKA – The House agriculture committee on Monday passed a bill that would institute stiffer penalties for water rights owners who don’t file their annual usage reports on time.
Senate Bill 337 would levy a $250 civil penalty for failure to report one year of water usage by the March 1 deadline. Failure to report two consecutive years could result in a fine up to $1,000. Repeat offenses could result in a water usage suspension. The bill applies to owners of water rights for agricultural, industrial or municipal use.
The current version of SB 337 is a substitute bill incorporating language from House Bill 2491, which includes a provision that allowed the state’s chief engineer to use telemetry to monitor and enforce water usage in real time.
Rep. Shannon Francis, R–Liberal, voiced concern that the Department of Agriculture wouldn’t have the will to shut off water access to a city or to industry centers.
“We definitely have the will to do that,” Lane Letourneau, water appropriation program manager for the Kansas Department of Agriculture, said in testimony before the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources.
A number of agricultural trade associations and governmental entities lined up to voice support for the bill in written testimony.
“We think the timely filing of water use reports is important in tracking whether or not right holders are using water within the confines of their permitted allocation,” Leslie Kaufman, CEO of the Kansas Cooperative Council, said.
Letourneau said the vast majority of Kansas water rights holders submit their reports on time, but at the moment, the KDA doesn’t have the authority to levy a fine higher than $250 or suspend users’ rights. Letourneau said 94 percent of water users submit reports on time, while an average of 60 individuals don’t submit their reports by June 1. Of users who don’t submit reports at all, approximately 10 are repeat offenders. Letourneau said the offenders are often municipalities and feed yards.
“There is concern that some water users decide to pay the annual penalty fee rather than submit the water use report,” Letourneau said.
Water usage management is a constant concern in western areas of Kansas where the Ogallala Aquifer provides water for irrigation and municipal use. The Southwest Farm Press, a news source for agriculture in southwestern states, reported the aquifer’s levels had dropped 8 percent from the beginning of the aquifer’s industrial development.
Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley under construction at the Sedgwick County Zoo- courtesy image
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A judge has denied an animal rights group’s request to stop an import of elephants from Swaziland to three American zoos, including the Sedgwick County Zoo.
The Wichita Eagle reports that Friends of Animals’ wildlife law program filed a federal lawsuit to stop the importation of 18 African elephants. The group opposes keeping elephants in zoos because they are migratory and social animals.
Court records say that with a court hearing looming, the three zoos moved on Tuesday to anesthetize and load the elephants for a flight to the U.S.
The animal-rights group found out and asked for a restraining order to halt the transfer. A U.S. District Court judge denied the order, saying that sedating elephants again for a later transfer would be unsafe.
It’s official. That’s the word from the USD 489 administration on a petition seeking a half-cent sales tax question be put on the ballot along with the $94 million bond issue.
USD 489 Board of Education members Sarah Rankin and Lance Bickle (right), along Superintendent Dean Katt, discuss a city sales tax that would be used to help pay for a $94 bond issue with the Hays City Commission in January.
The Board of Education, administration and a group of volunteers sought the required ten percent of signatures from registered Hays voters after the Hays City Commission declined to put the question on a ballot in January.
The group has collected over 1,600 signatures, in an effort to ensure the required number of signatures would be able to be verified.
The Board needed approximately 1,227 signatures.
The petition will now go to the City Commission at their March 17 work-session.
The half-cent sales tax, if supported by voters, would go into effect when the Ellis County sales tax for the same amount that would sunset in 2018. The special county tax was used to support renovations at the Ellis County Courthouse and a new EMS building.
In effect tax rates would stay the same for Hays residents.
The sales tax would be used to offset the total cost of the bond issue and would sunset in 10 years.
The petition, however, does not guarantee the timing of the sales tax election. The City Commission could still push the question to a regular city election. The earliest that may occur is August of 2017, if there is a primary election for city officials. If not the question would be pushed to the November general election in 2017.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a Kansas man in the killing of his wife in northeast Kansas.
Jackson County sheriff Tim Morse said in a news release that the 66-year-old man was arrested Tuesday. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the sheriff’s office received a 911 call in October from the couple’s home.
The husband told dispatchers he had found his 61-year-old wife unresponsive. She died the next day at a Topeka hospital.
The sheriff’s office opened an investigation, and an autopsy indicated the woman died from trauma to the spleen.
A search warrant on the husband’s residence was served Tuesday morning.
KDWPT
GREAT BEND – Come “taste” the outdoors with outdoors writer/photographer Michael Pearce at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center (KWEC), 592 NE K-156 Hwy, Great Bend. Pearce will present “Savoring the Kansas Outdoors, One Bite at a Time” at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 13. The event is free.
Attendees will have the opportunity to taste some of Pearce’s wild game cooking, prepared with recipes included in Michael Pearce’s Taste of the Kansas Outdoors Cookbook, a book he published with the Wichita Eagle in 2014. During the program, Pearce will conduct cooking demonstrations and share game cooked with some of his favorite recipes for tasting.
The book features 53 recipes for Kansas wild game, more than 100 photos and a selection of stories that have appeared on his Wichita Eagle Outdoors Page. Recipes include everything from venison and elk to turkey and fish, with tantalizing titles: Venison Pumpkin Chili, Grilled Walleye Ribeyes with Lime and Rock Chalk Gobbler Gumbo. The book was named a prestigious “Notable Book of Kansas” by the state library association.
As the outdoors writer at The Wichita Eagle since 2000, Pearce has written about a wide variety of outdoor topics from catching crayfish at Cheyenne Bottoms to reporting on political issues that threatened Kansas wildlife and outdoor traditions. Before his days at the Eagle, Pearce frequently contributed to the Wall Street Journal, Outdoor Life and scores of other publications for 19 years.
For more information, contact the KWEC at (620) 566-1456.
Life insurance protection is one of the most considerate acts that a person can do for his family, according to Ken Selzer, CPA, Kansas Commissioner of Insurance. Over the course of a lifetime, it can have great significance.
“Knowing what a life policy can do for your loved ones, and how to protect it for their future use, can be two important factors in your financial planning,” Commissioner Selzer said. “Talking over your life insurance needs with qualified insurance professionals is a good first step toward assuring your assets are used by your family.”
Commissioner Selzer emphasizes these life policy considerations.
• What kind of life insurance do you need? Term and whole life insurance are the two most common types of plans. However, there are many variations of each type, and there are a number of special-purpose policies that combine the basic policies with other elements. Talk to your insurance agent about what type works for you.
• Who is your beneficiary going to be? If you die without naming a beneficiary or beneficiaries of your policy, the benefits would be paid into your estate and then paid out according to your will or through state laws. This delays payment and could create a financial hardship for your heirs.
• How much coverage do you need? You and your agent should do a careful evaluation of your coverage needs, but a general rule of thumb is to buy life insurance that is equal to 5-7 times your annual take-home pay.
• Will I have any tax consequences? Your beneficiary(ies) will receive your insurance benefits tax free. With named beneficiary(ies), life insurance benefits do not have to go through probate or other legal delays involved in the settlement of an estate.
• Where should I keep my policy? Keep your policy in a safe place. However, do not use any place where the policy might not be readily available. Record the basic information — such as company, policy type, policy number, insured’s and beneficiaries’ names — in a separate place. Let your beneficiary(ies) know the kind of insurance policy you have, any changes you make, and where you keep the policy.
• What happens if I lose my policy? Loss of a life insurance policy will not affect your protection in any way. If a policy is lost, accidentally destroyed or stolen, ask your agent or write the company directly to obtain a duplicate.
• Do life insurance proceeds affect my family’s Social Security benefits? According to law, monthly life insurance payments will not disqualify the beneficiary from receiving full Social Security payments. Monthly life insurance benefits do not count as earned income, regardless of how much is paid each month through a policy.
• What happens when my family needs to file a claim? Family members, preferably with policy in hand, will need to notify the life insurance company in the event of a death of an insured person. Your local insurance agent should be able to discuss the steps needed to make sure the policy is paid out as quickly as possible.
• Filing a life claim. Your beneficiary will need to notify the life insurance company of your death. Again, that’s why it is important for your beneficiary to be able to locate your policy. Companies require a certified death certificate or other legal proof of death, and they may ask for the policy. The life insurance company will pay the proceeds of the policy to your beneficiary(ies) after receiving proper notification of death.
The Kansas Insurance Department now has a Life Insurance Locator Service in place for those who need assistance in locating life insurance and annuity benefits they may be owed. Those submitting a request will need to do the following:
• Complete a form you can download off our website, https://www.ksinsurance.org/healthlife/life/life-policy-search.php .
• Have the form notarized.
• Attach a copy of the certified death certificate of the policyholder.
• Send all information to the insurance department address listed on the form.
HARVEY COUNTY – Two law enforcement officers were injured in an accident during a pursuit just after 10p.m. on Tuesday in Harvey County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Harvey County Sheriff 2015 Chevy Tahoe driven by Deputy James Slickers, 43, Halstead, followed by a Kansas Highway Patrol 2015 Dodge Charger driven by Trooper Joseph Owen, 33, Newton, were southbound on Hertzler Road four miles west of Sedgwick attempting to stop a fleeing vehicle.
Sheriff Deputies has responded to multiple vehicle burglaries in the 2300 block of N. Oliver Road. While speaking with the victims of the burglaries a call came out of another burglary occurring at the Newton City/County Airport.
Deputies approaching the area observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed away from the airport. Deputies pursued the vehicle, a Ford Escape stolen from Butler County.
During the course of the chase, the driver threw numerous objects from the vehicle including a shot gun, rifle, and paperwork belonging to the earlier reported vehicle burglaries. The driver avoided three sets of spike sticks placed at various locations in Harvey County. Speeds reached 100 mph.
When the suspect’s vehicle slowed to turn onto Southwest 84th, the Charger rear-ended the Tahoe.
The collision caused the Deputy’s vehicle to spin into a ditch and hit a telephone pole. The Trooper’s vehicle was disabled on the roadway.
Slickers and Owen were transported to Newton Medical Center with minor injuries.
The chase continued into Sedgwick County where Deputies lost sight of the suspect vehicle in the area of Tyler and 77th.
A citizen called to report a vehicle in a field at 73rd and Ridge road. The vehicle was the Ford Escape that had been in the chase. The driver of the vehicle was not located. Inside the Ford Escape were numerous weapons and stolen property, including a $14,000 airplane prop from the earlier burglaries.
The case has been turned over to the Harvey County Sheriff Investigators for follow up and documentation of all stolen property.
————–
HARVEY COUNTY – Two law enforcement officers were injured in an accident during a pursuit just after 10p.m. on Tuesday in Harvey County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Harvey County Sheriff 2015 Chevy Tahoe driven by Deputy James Slickers, 43, Halstead, followed by a Kansas Highway Patrol 2015 Dodge Charger driven by Trooper Joseph Owen, 33, Newton, were southbound on Hertzler Road four miles west of Sedgwick attempting to stop a fleeing vehicle.
When the suspect’s vehicle slowed to turn onto Southwest 84th, the Charge rear-ended the Tahoe.
Slickers and Owen were transported to Newton Medical Center with minor injuries. Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
Details on what prompted the chase have not been released. The suspect escaped.
The annual HaysMed Service Awards Banquet was held Tuesday night at the Rose Garden Banquet Hall in Hays. The highlight of the banquet was the presentation of the Norman W. Jeter Humanitarian Award, the Sister Mary J. Mollison Nurse of the Year Award and the Vic Eddy, MD, Physician of the Year Award. These awards are the highest level of recognition that an associate of Hays Medical Center can receive.
Pat Marrs, RN
The Norman W. Jeter Humanitarian Award recognizes an individual’s human kindness and dedication to medical excellence. The award was presented to Pat Marrs, RN, Corporate Compliance at HaysMed. Marrs has been with the organization since 1974.
Karen Threlkel, RN
Recipient of the Sr. Mary J. Mollison Nurse of the Year Award was Karen Threlkel, RN. This award honors a nurse who displays excellence in the areas of job knowledge and performance, quality improvements, self-development and participation in hospital and community affairs. Threlkel began her career with HaysMed in 1977 and works at HaysMed Family Medicine.
Babu Prasad, MDThe Vic Eddy, MD, Physician of the Year Award was presented to Dr. Babu Prasad, Radiation Oncologist at the Dreiling/Schmidt Cancer Institute. The award recognizes a physician who displays a high level of clinical experience and an extraordinary dedication to improving healthcare delivery in the community. Dr. Prasad began his career at HaysMed in 1983.
For 40 years of service the following individual was recognized:
Nadine Gottschalk
For 35 years of service the following individuals were recognized:
Bob Brungardt
Darla Cain-Karst
Darrell Werth, MD
For 30 years of service the following individuals were recognized:
Susan Amrein
Robin Armbrister
Wanda Rohr
For 25 years of service the following individuals were recognized:
Paul Brungardt
Lisa Dinkel
Michelle Jensen
Lois Koerner
Nancy Kreutzer
Jacque Krueger
Martha Lambert
Cathy Pasek
Melissa Portenier
Phyllis Riedel
Kathy Sulzman
Tina Tuttle
For 20 years of service the following individuals were recognized:
Myron Applequist
Amy Braun
Debora Cook
Vivian Dietz
Margie Dreiling
Rose Ann Dreiling
Sara Dunn
Tara Garcia
Teresa Heimann
Zita Klaus
Jim Kramer
Theresa Madden
Chris Markus
Bob McAnany
Becky Morris
James Mulkey
Bryan Noone
Marilyn Pfannenstiel
Bob Schumacher
Mary Beth Sell
Angel Smith
Jane Soukup
Linda Stefan
Janice Tholen
Jennifer VonFeldt
Kellie Voss
Kristi Williams
For 15 years of service the following individuals were recognized:
Jennifer Bethel
Stacy Brown
Lindsey Dreiling
Leo Elms
Jane Geist
Keith Goetz
Sarah Harm
Chrissy Haynes
Patty Kuhlmann
Shawn Landers
Donna Legleiter
Debbie Linenberger
Mary Ricke
Theresa Roe
Tina Rohr
Heidi Schlautman
Alexia Schmidt
Angie Schoenberger
Jessica Seib
Gerald Sekavec
Susan Smith
Christine Wasinger
Bryce Young
Carol Young
Alanna Zimmerman
For 10 years of service the following individuals were recognized:
Trudy Alstatt
Sharon Bittel
Shanon Custer, MD
Kelli Delimont
Lacey Dreiling
Jerry Elliott
Misty Flax
Tori Gano
Denise Garrison
Pam Gasper
Pam Gassmann
Heidi Gohl
Shelly Green
Jenny Guernsey
Annette Herman
Susie Kohlrus
Aaron Leuenberger
Kelly Malleck
Angie McKenna
Barbara Miller
Richard Peckham
Kylee Pfannenstiel
Michelle Pope, MD
Kinsey Post
Kurt Rider, MD
Cheryl Robben
Julie Robben
Teri Rohr
Cathy Russell
Chanc Salmans
James Schmidt
Sarah Selfridge
Cynthia Smith
Kim Taylor
Katherine Teller
Karen Wagner
Alan Wamser
Carmen Winter
For 5 years of service the following individuals were recognized:
Ashley Adams
Jessica Albers
David Arellano
Kendra Barnes
Riana Bates
Kelli Bean
Amy Befort
Barbara Bunker
Brandon Cunningham, MD
Gloria Custer
Lisa Eisiminger
Lori Frederking
Jordan Gabel
Carol Geist
Fernando Guzman-Soto
Rosie Hammerschmidt
Erin Hobbs
Chrissy Hoff
Trese Holle
Ardie Hurst
Jayne Inlow
Amber Irwin
Kandi Jackson
Allison Jones
David Juenemann
Tyler Kaiser
Carly Leiker
Christy Lemuz
Crystal Mahan
Stan Maskus
Lisa McGrath
Jordan Petz
Lori Post
Rod Ream
Devin Reed
Jannelle Reynolds
Megan Richard
Autumn Robbins
Shana Rome
Brian Ross
Andrea Sandoval, MD
Miki Smith
Anissa Sonntag
Claudia Stremel
Kristi Thompson
Shae Veach
Ashley Wellbrock
Jason Williams
Jodi Wolfe
