According to officials, the Ellis County Administrative Center will be closed Wednesday, in light of Tuesday’s tragic downtown accident that claimed the lives of two workers and injured another.
County offices tentatively will reopen Thursday morning for normal business hours.
NEW YORK (AP) — Sports Authority is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The retailer said in a Wednesday that it plans to close or sell about 140 stores and two distribution centers. The store closings are expected to take up to three months. The Englewood, Colorado, company has 463 stores including Wichita and Lenexa in Kansas.
Sports Authority stores will remain open and run on normal schedules during the Chapter 11 process. The company’s website will continue to function as well.
CEO Michael Foss said in a written statement that The Sports Authority Inc. has received interest from third parties that may want to invest in or buy some or all of the business.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has cut higher education spending by $17 million in response to a shortfall in tax collections for February.
Brownback announced Tuesday that he ordered a 3 percent cut in the higher education system’s allocation of state tax dollars under this fiscal year’s budget. The Board of Regents and state universities will have to make the adjustments over the next four months.
The governor acted after the Department of Revenue reported that the state collected $54 million less in taxes than anticipated in February.
The state must now act to prevent a deficit on June 30. Brownback’s action would not fully balance the budget.
The department said the state collected $303 million in taxes last month instead of the $357 million projected in a November fiscal forecast.
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Class 1A Division I
Clifton-Clyde 34, Centre 29
Frankfort 53, Immaculata 51
Hoxie 66, Greeley County 55
Class 2A
Bennington 57, Lincoln 40
Berean Academy 67, Herington 26
Bishop Seabury Academy 66, Northern Heights 39
Canton-Galva 53, Inman 47
Central Plains 69, Medicine Lodge 30
Ellinwood 51, Kiowa County 46, OT
Ellis 58, Trego 22
Hill City 80, Oberlin-Decatur 54
Hillsboro 54, Little River 50
Jackson Heights 49, Heritage Christian 33
Jefferson North 80, Horton 54
KC Christian 55, Valley Falls 48
Lyndon 59, Chase County 49
Meade 97, Wichita County 53
Moundridge 56, Ell-Saline 34
Ness City 58, Johnson-Stanton County 34
Olpe 60, Madison/Hamilton 27
Pittsburg Colgan 57, Yates Center 37
Plainville 66, Rawlins County 47
Pratt Skyline 54, South Central 51
Salina Sacred Heart 93, Smith Center 47
Sedan 83, Udall 40
Solomon 63, Valley Heights 61
South Gray 63, Sublette 30
Spearville 63, Elkhart 29
St. John 52, Macksville 29
Troy 69, Maranatha Academy 55
Uniontown 50, Oxford 42
Wabaunsee 69, Burlingame 64, OT
Washington County 63, Republic County 48
West Elk 63, Oswego 37
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Class 1A Division I
Clifton-Clyde 34, Centre 29
Pike Valley 45, Rock Hills 32
Pleasanton 58, Chetopa 36
Stockton 72, Osborne 33
Triplains-Brewster 63, Greeley County 38
Class 1A Division II
Attica 51, Ashland 26
Bucklin 47, Fowler 33
Caldwell 51, Argonia 45
Pawnee Heights 42, Chase 34
Rolla 59, Deerfield 14
Class 2A
Hill City 76, Oberlin-Decatur 26
Uniontown 44, Oxford 11
Wichita County 41, Meade 38
Class 3A
Beloit 43, Phillipsburg 30
Caney Valley 73, Erie 41
Cheney 56, Bluestem 25
Cherryvale 46, Riverton 41
Conway Springs 51, Chaparral 19
Council Grove 61, St. Mary’s 31
Galena 48, Neodesha 30
Hays-TMP-Marian 63, Ellsworth 17
Hesston 58, Hutchinson Trinity 12
Hiawatha 62, Pleasant Ridge 37
Lakin 53, Southwestern Hts. 26
Lyons 55, Syracuse 47
Marion 60, Eureka 23
Maur Hill – Mount Academy 47, Atchison County 16
Mission Valley 66, Riley County 28
Nemaha Central 46, Marysville 23
Norton 37, Hoisington 35
Oskaloosa 55, Northeast-Arma 46
Perry-Lecompton 49, Humboldt 46
Remington 59, Sedgwick 47
Royal Valley 98, Rossville 94, 4OT
Russell 52, Minneapolis 39
Sabetha 60, Riverside 16
Scott City 45, Cimarron 34
Silver Lake 64, Osage City 24
Southeast Saline 52, Halstead 24
Sterling 53, Larned 21
Wellsville 53, Central Heights 35
West Franklin 57, Jayhawk Linn 46
Wichita Independent 41, Douglass 38
Last week’s inspection results from the Kansas Department of Agriculture:
Walmart 4301 Vine, Hays – Feb. 25
A routine inspection found 13 violations.
Delta Zeta Sorority 410 W. Sixth, Hays – Feb. 24
A routine inspection found four violations.
Fort Hays Golf Shop 1450 Golf Course, Hays – Feb. 24
A routine inspection found three violations.
Golden Corral 383 Mopar, Hays – Feb. 24
An inspection following a complaint found 10 violations.
Gutch’s Bar and Grille 111 W. 7th, Hays – Feb. 24
A routine inspection found eight violations.
Munsch Fitness 1104 E. 22nd, Hays – Feb. 24
A licensing inspection found no violations.
Tryyaki 2814 Vine, Hays – Feb. 24
A modified complaint inspection found two violations.
Charwells-McMindes Hall, 600 Park, Hays – Feb. 22
A routine inspection found nine violations.
Union Station Coffee & Roasterie 1107 Vine, Hays – Feb. 22
A follow up inspection found two violations.
MIAMI (AP) — Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump are beginning to focus on each other in the race for the White House.
Both front-runners were emboldened by commanding victories Tuesday across large swaths of the country.
Clinton previewed a “love and kindness” message while Trump traded his typical rollicking rallies for a sober media conference where he pressed his case that Clinton is a proven failure as a longtime politician.
Both spoke from Florida, where the general election is often won or lost. Clinton collected wins Tuesday in eight states, and Trump swept up victories in at least seven Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia, another important general election battleground.
Ted Cruz won in Texas, Alaska and Oklahoma. Marco Rubio won in Minnesota.
Both Democrats and Republicans in Kansas have presidential caucuses Saturday.
Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Breezy, with a south wind 8 to 13 mph becoming west 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. North northwest wind 9 to 16 mph.
ThursdayMostly sunny, with a high near 60. North northwest wind 9 to 17 mph.
Thursday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 36. North northwest wind 5 to 9 mph becoming south southeast after midnight.
FridayMostly sunny, with a high near 69. South wind 9 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.
Friday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 36.
SaturdaySunny, with a high near 66.
Saturday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 42.
SundayPartly sunny, with a high near 71.
NICKERSON, Kan. (AP) — The body of a missing woman has been found in a wheat field in rural Reno County.
The Reno County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that 23-year-old Kati Salmans was reported as a missing person to the Hutchinson Police Department on Feb. 22. Her body was found Monday about three miles southwest of Nickerson.
Authorities said that Salmans may have been driving a vehicle that was found wrecked in the area on Feb. 7.
The Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center identified Salmans’ body. The cause of Salmans’ death has not been determined.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on the return of NASA’s Scott Kelly and Russia’s Mikhail Kornienko from a year in space (all times EST):
11:26 p.m.
Astronaut Scott Kelly is back on Earth following an unprecedented yearlong mission in space for NASA.
Kelly and his Russian roommate for the past year, Mikhail Kornienko, landed in barren, frozen Kazakhstan on Wednesday. They checked out of the International Space Station 3½ hours earlier.
Their Soyuz capsule parachuted onto the central Asian steppes. Also returning to Earth: Russian cosmonaut Sergey Volkov, who piloted the craft.
Kelly and Kornienko spent 340 consecutive days in space. They circled the world 5,440 times on a mission that began last March.
Russia continues to rule, however, when it comes to long-duration spaceflight with the world record of 438 days.
Scientists are hoping for more one-year subjects as NASA looks ahead to Mars trips.
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10:32 p.m.
Astronaut Scott Kelly is streaking back to Earth to end an unprecedented yearlong mission in space for NASA.
Kelly and his Russian roommate for the past year, Mikhail Kornienko, checked out of the International Space Station on Tuesday night, U.S. time. Their Soyuz capsule undocked from the orbiting lab, then with an engine firing, began the hourlong descent. The men aimed for a touchdown Wednesday in Kazakhstan.
Kelly and Kornienko have spent 340 consecutive days in space. By the time the Soyuz lands, the pair will have circled the world 5,440 times.
Russia continues to rule, however, when it comes to long-duration spaceflight with the world record of 438 days.
Scientists are hoping for more one-year subjects as NASA looks ahead to Mars trips.
___
8:02 p.m.
Astronaut Scott Kelly is on his way back to Earth to end an unprecedented yearlong mission in space for NASA.
Kelly and his Russian roommate for the past year, Mikhail Kornienko, checked out of the International Space Station on Tuesday night, U.S. time. Their Soyuz capsule undocked from the orbiting lab and aimed for a touchdown 3½ hours later — on Wednesday — in Kazakhstan
Kelly and Kornienko have spent 340 consecutive days in space. By the time the Soyuz lands, the pair will have circled the world 5,440 times.
Russia continues to rule, however, when it comes to long-duration spaceflight with the world record of 438 days.
Scientists are hoping for more one-year subjects as NASA looks ahead to Mars trips.
___
12:19 p.m.
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly is closing the door on a space mission that has spanned a U.S.-record 340 days.
Kelly and his roommate for nearly a year, Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, check out of the International Space Station on Tuesday night, U.S. time. By the time their Russian capsule lands in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, the pair will have circled the world 5,440 times and experienced 10,880 orbital sunrises and sunsets. Their mileage: 144 million miles. Says Kelly, “We did it!”
Kelly’s closest U.S. contender trails him by 125 days. Russia continues to rule, however, when it comes to long-duration spaceflight. The world record of 438 days was set by a Russian doctor during the 1990s.
Scientists are hoping for more one-year subjects as NASA looks ahead to Mars trips.
By James Bell and Becky Kiser
Hays Post
What began as routine work on a sewer line in the 700 block of Main Street in Hays turned to tragedy Tuesday as the trench dug to access the line collapsed early Tuesday afternoon, killing two workers and injuring a third in the 11-foot deep trench.
Hays Public Information Officer Kim Rupp confirmed Tuesday night the three workers were employees of Hays-based JCorp.
Families of the three men were at the scene, sequestered in the nearby Ellis County Administration Center. The building was without water and sewer services during the operation, according to Rupp.
Rupp declined to identify any victims and said “a news release will be made available Wednesday.”
The call came into 911 at 1:36 p.m. alerting emergency responders to the accident. “It was a trench collapse,” Rupp said. “The dirt caved in as the three were in the trench.” Underground work on sewer lines had been in progress in the area over the past several days.
RELATED: Ellis County offices will be closed Wednesday.
During the operation, Main was closed to traffic from Sixth to Eighth, along with several blocks to the east of the area.
Dozens of law enforcement, fire fighters and city of Hays workers struggled to secure the hole and rescue the trapped workers.
A first victim was rescued shortly after the accident happened and transported to HaysMed. By 4:30 p.m. Rupp had confirmed the operation had changed from rescue to recovery for the other two workers still trapped in the trench.
“The Hays Fire Department, Ellis County Rural Fire Department, Ellis and Victoria Fire Departments, and the Northwest Kansas Regional Technical Rescue Team are conducting a rescue operation of two victims in the trench. The Ellis County Coroner, Dr. Lyle Noordhoek, is investigating the accident,” Rupp said in an announcement around 4:30 p.m.
“American Red Cross, Ellis County Emergency Management, Kansas Highway Patrol, and Ellis County EMS are also involved and working diligently to recover the victims,” he added.
One of the two bodies was recovered about 5:30 p.m. and transported to a local funeral home.
As darkness set over Hays, special lighting and large construction equipment from APAC-Hays were moved to the area to assist in the recovery efforts. Hays officials, including Mayor Eber Phelps, City Manager Toby Dougherty, Utilities Director Johnny O’Connor, Public Works Director Greg Sund, and Assistant Public Works Director John Braun were also at the scene.
It was another four hours before the second body was finally recovered about 9:25 p.m. and taken to a local funeral home. A Hays priest said prayers at the site as the rescue workers removed their hardhats and bowed their heads.
“The rescuers were painstakingly removing dirt from the trench one bucket at a time,” Rupp said. “APAC lowered a large piece of equipment into the trench to shore up the trench walls so no more dirt could fall in while they were in there working.”
“They had to be very careful for their own safety and the victims.”
The trench and scene were finally secured by about 10:15 p.m. Rupp said the street will remain closed Wednesday as the sewer line work is finished.
By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
UPDATE 9:25 p.m. The body of the second victim of the trench collapse in the 700 block of Main St. in Hays has been recovered. A local funeral home transported the body from the scene. The identities of the two men killed and a third that was injured have yet to be released. According to Hays Public Information Officer Kim Rupp, the three workers were employees of JCorp in Hays.
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UPDATE 9:00 p.m. The search for the second victim continues as recovery workers continue to remove dirt and search the collapsed trench. A funeral home vehicle has just arrived on scene as screening blankets went up. EMS director Kerry McCue has moved inside the search area.
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UPDATE 7:20 p.m. Public Works Director Greg Sund has arrived on scene as dirt is still being removed from the collapsed trench in an effort to locate the second victim of the collapse.
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UPDATE 7:00 p.m. The dirt mover brought to the scene is in place above the collapsed trench. The machine has been outfitted with a special attachment to aid efforts. Extra lighting is also being set up to allow work to continue. Members of the HFD are moving buckets of dirt out of the trench.
Raw Video
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UPDATE 6:46 p.m. The search for the second victim is ongoing according to HPD Lt. Tim Greenwood.
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UPDATE 6:30 p.m. A dirt mover from APAC is working in the area as the search for the second victim continues. Assistant Director of Public Works John Braun has also arrived on scene.
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UPDATE 6:10 p.m. A contingent of City officials have arrived on scene, including Mayor Eber Phelps, City Manager Toby Dougherty, and Utilities Director Johnny O’Connor. Two priests are also with family members in the Ellis County Administration Building. The search for the second victim is ongoing.
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UPDATE 5:45 p.m. The body of one of the two victims has been recovered from the collapsed trench. Crews are currently working in the trench to recover the second victim.
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UPDATE 4:33 p.m. Hays Public Information Officer Kim Rupp says the scene of a trench collapse on south Main Street is now a “recovery operation.”
“The Hays Fire Department, Ellis County Rural Fire Department, and Ellis and Victoria Fire Departments are conducting a rescue operation of two victims in the trench. The Ellis County Coroner, Dr. Lyle Noordhoek, is investigating the accident,” Rupp said.
“American Red Cross, Ellis County Emergency Management, Kansas Highway Patrol, and Ellis County EMS are also involved and working diligently to recover the victims,” Rupp added.
Raw Video
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UPDATE 4:25 p.m. Officials say one man has been removed from the trench collapse that occurred about 1:36 p.m. this afternoon on south Main Street near the Ellis County Administrative Center. He was taken to HaysMed. The spokesman says two men remain trapped in the collapse. The families of all three men have been notified. Police officials confirmed one fatality shortly after 4 p.m.
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UPDATE 4:03 p.m. The Hays Police Department has confirmed the death of one man trapped in a trench collapse about 1:36 p.m. this afternoon on south Main Street between 7th and 8th Streets. Another man remains trapped at this time. Another update from the HPD is expected shortly.
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UPDATE 3:45 p.m. Two men are trapped in a trench collapse on south Main Street in Hays as confirmed by an eyewitness at the scene.
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UPDATE 3:15 p.m. Rescue work continues at the scene of a trench collapse about 1:36 p.m. Tuesday afternoon on Main Street between 8th and 7th Streets. Sewer line repairs have been underway for several days. According to notices from the city of Hays, the work is being done by Wichita-based Layne and Christensen.
The Hays Fire Department is still securing the trench hole.
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A section of Main Street between Seventh and Eighth streets, just in front of the Ellis County Administrative Building has caved in, trapping at least one worker.
Information is still sparse at this time, but a large contingent of Hays Police and Fire Department officials, along with Hays City workers, are working the area, trying to secure the hole and remove the trapped worker.
Main Street has been closed, along with Eighth Street two blocks east of the Main Street intersection.
Residents have been asked to avoid the area as work continues.
By JEREMY McGUIRE
TMP 63, Ellsworth 17
TMP started Tuesday night’s 3A Sub-State semifinal match-up with Ellsworth on a 19-0 run and the rout was on. The Lady Monarchs built their lead to 34 (41-7) at halftime following a Melissa Pfeifer three pointer. TMP continued to roll in the second half outscoring the Lady Bearcats 19-6 in the third quarter and eventually winning 63-17.
Pfeifer led TMP with 18 points, Madyson Koerner added 13 and Kayla Vitztum chipped in with 11. TMP has now won 17 games in a row and improve their record to 19-2. They will face Russell in the semi-finals on Friday. The Lady Broncos were 52-39 winners over Minneapolis.
ROSE MCFARLAND INTERVIEW
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board says pilot inaction was the likely cause of an October 2014 plane crash in Wichita that left four people dead, including the pilot.
The Wichita Eagle reports the NTSB report issued Tuesday says 53-year-old pilot Mark Goldstein failed to follow emergency procedures after the plane lost power in its left engine.
The NTSB says the Beechcraft King Air B200 crashed into a FlightSafety building at Wichita Eisenhower National Airport. In addition to those who were killed, six others were injured in the crash.
A Texas aviation company had purchased the airplane two days before the crash.
NTSB says it doesn’t know why the engine lost power because a post-crash inspection didn’t reveal anything that would have precluded normal operation of the aircraft.
