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Man sentenced in fatal shooting of Wichita State student

 Isaiah Copridge- photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections
Isaiah Copridge- photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — One of two people charged in the shooting death of a Wichita State University student has been sentenced to 21 years and one month in prison.

Twenty-three-year-old Isaiah Copridge was sentenced Thursday on charges of second-degree murder and aggravated robbery in the death of 23-year-old Rayan Ibrahim Baba. Baba, an undergraduate student from Saudi Arabia, was found shot in a parking lot of one of the university’s dormitories on Aug. 8.

According to an affidavit, Baba had contacted Copridge’s co-defendant, Eboni Fingal, about sexual services she advertised online shortly before he was killed.

Fingal faces first-degree murder and aggravated robbery charges in the case. She has pleaded not guilty.

Tiger softball falls twice in Minnesota

FHSU Athletics

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Fort Hays State softball dropped a pair of games to open the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament in St. Cloud, Minn., on Thursday. The Tigers dropped the first game of the day in eight innings to Southwest Minnesota State 2-1, and then fell 11-8 to Concordia-St. Paul in the nightcap. FHSU now sits at 1-5 overall.

Southwest Minnesota State 2, Fort Hays State 1 (8 inn.)
The Tigers got off to a great start in the first game of the day as leadoff hitter Claudio Vazquez roped a triple and scored on a Samantha Villarreal single two batters later. Unfortunately, that was all the scoring the Tigers would get in the game despite several chances for more.

The score remained 1-0 in favor of the Tigers until the fourth inning. A base hit by Janae Annetts was just out of the reach of the Tiger third baseman Kylie Strand and it scored a runner from second to tie the game.

The next three innings landed a few runners on base for each team, but neither found a way to score until the eighth inning.  With two outs in the inning, FHSU committed a costly error by dropping a fly ball allowing a run to score from first.

The Tigers got a leadoff walk from Tori Beltz but the following batter, Samantha Villarreal, grounded into a double play. Kiley Strand then ripped a double, and Courtney Dobson followed here with an infield single and the Tigers had a chance to tie or win with runners on the corners. Unfortunately, Duran grounded out to third to end the game, also taking the tough-luck loss in the circle by allowing only one earned run in the game. She struck out eight.

Concordia-St. Paul 11, Fort Hays State 8
The second game started off shaky as FHSU gave up five runs in the first inning. Starting Pitcher Carrie Clark was chased from the game after recording just two outs. Paxton Duran came in and went the rest of the way in relief.

The Tigers responded quickly in the following inning when they were able to push four runs across the plate. Villarreal singled, Strand walked, Yago reached on a fielder’s choice and Dobson singled in Strand from second for the first run of the game. The next batter Rilee Krier singled in another run and tried to advance into scoring position but was caught stealing.  Duran then helped her own cause as she sent a two-run homer over the fence and the Tigers trailed just 5-4 going to the bottom of the second.

The Tigers made it a new game in the top of the third, when Tori Beltz got her first homerun of the season and the two teams headed to the bottom half tied 5-5. The tie wouldn’t last long though as the Golden Bears were able to plate two their next at bat.

The Tigers tied it up once again 7-7 in the fifth after Beltz walked and scored on a Strand double. Villarreal also walked and scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Dobson.

The Golden Bears responded once again with two runs in the fifth and sixth each, taking an 11-7 lead to the final inning.

The last chance for the Tigers fell short as Beltz led off with her second home run of the game but the next three batters went down in order.

The Tigers play one game on Friday (Feb. 19) at noon as they take on No. 20 ranked Augustana (S.D.).

1 dead after car crashed during KHP pursuit UPDATE

Fatal

TOPEKA – One person died in an accident just after 12-noon on Thursday during a law enforcement pursuit.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Chevy Impala driven by Marcos Adan Cruz Jr., 20, Topeka, was actively fleeing from State Troopers southbound on Gage Boulevard.

The driver failed to stop at the red light at Southwest 6th Street and struck a 2009 Toyota Camry driven by Jerry L. Griggs, 73, Topeka, in the passenger side doors.

A passenger in the Camry Edward Greene, 69, Tecumseh, was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to the Shawnee County Coroner’s office.

Cruz Jr., Griggs, and a passenger in the Impala Martay Cruz, 8-months, were transported to Stormont Vail.

Cruz Jr., and another passenger in the Impala Johnson Jr., Eric Keith Johnson, Jr., 21, Topeka, were also not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

Cruz Jr., will be booked in the Shawnee County Jail upon release from the hospital, according to a media release from the KHP.

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TOPEKA – One person died in an accident just after 12-noon on Thursday during a law enforcement pursuit.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a trooper attempted a traffic stop on a Chevy Impala at Interstate 70 and Gage Boulevard. The driver failed to stop and after a brief pursuit collided with a Toyota passenger vehicle at 6th Avenue, according to a media release.

The driver of the Toyota died. The driver of the Impala and a baby in the suspect’s vehicle were transported to the hospital. A second passenger in the Impala was not injured.

The driver of the Impala will be booked in the Shawnee County Jail upon release from the hospital, according to the KHP.

Check the Post for additional details as they are released.

Kansas Senate passes bill to shorten Legislature’s sessions

capitolTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate has approved a bill designed to shorten the Legislature’s annual sessions.

Its vote Thursday was 25-11 on a measure that would limit sessions to 100 days in odd-numbered years and to 60 days in even-numbered years.

The measure goes next to the House.

The proposal came after the 2015 annual session lasted a record 114 days.

The state constitution doesn’t limit sessions in odd-numbered years, though the tradition is 90 days. Sessions in even-numbered years are limited to 90 days.

Under the bill, legislators still could vote to extend their sessions longer, as they can now.

Some senators thought the bill is unnecessary, but supporters said it would promote efficiency and cut the state’s costs.

Tigers grind out big win over Lindenwood

Photo courtesy FHSU Athletics/Emma Henry
Photo courtesy FHSU Athletics/Emma Henry

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS — Rob Davis scored 16 points on his birthday, Craig Nicholson added 14 and Dom Samac 12 to lead Fort Hays State to a key 64-56 win over Lindenwood in front of 2,775 at Gross Coliseum. The Tigers (17-8, 11-8 MIAA) shot only 37-percent for the game but scored 21 points off 16 Lion turnovers to avenge a 19-point loss to Lindenwood (15-10, 11-8 MIAA) earlier this season in St. Charles.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview


Kenny Enoch Interview


Game Highlights

 

 

The Tigers used an 11-0 first half run to go up 12 and led by seven at halftime. The Lions pulled within two several times in the second half but could never take the lead. Fort Hays saw a nine-point lead trimmed to four with 1:45 to play but they hit all eight of their free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.

Cory Arentsen, the MIAA’s third leading scorer, led Lindenwood with 14 points – all in the second half after being shutout for the 26 minutes.

Wichita State routs Missouri State; opens 2 game MVC lead

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Zach Brown scored 16 points and Wichita State routed Missouri State, 99-68 on Thursday night to push its lead in the Missouri Valley Conference to two games over Illinois State.

The Shockers raced to a 51-27 lead at intermission and went 10 players deep into their bench before the dust settled. A dozen players figured in the scoring for Wichita State.

The Bears tied the game at 8-8 on Obediah Church’s jumper four minutes into the contest, Wichita State kicked into another gear, taking a 10-point lead with nine minutes left in the half and doubling the advantage with five minutes left.

Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker each had 15 points for Wichita State (20-7, 13-2). The Shockers were 39 of 66 from the field (59.1 percent) and collected 13 steals.

Church had 14 points and Dequon Miller added another 12 for Missouri State (11-16, 7-8).

 

Last chance to apply for on-farm research funding in 2016

KARTAKARTA

The Kansas Ag Research & Technology Association (KARTA) announced late last month that they will be making up to $11,000 available for research funding in 2016. Several KARTA members have already submitted their grant applications to let us know what they will be researching this year. At the 2017 conference, researchers will give presentations explaining the results of their projects.

There is still time for you to apply for your own project or apply to join in with one of the existing projects as a group participant. Group research gives producers in different parts of the region a look at how your trials could work in their operation.

Grants are still available for group and individual projects with an additional $100 for first-time participants.

Projects & locations already lined up for 2016:

  • Cover Crops (East and Northwest KS)
  • Gypsum as a Soil Amendment (Central KS)
  • Haney Soil Test comparison (North Central KS)
  • Ascend in Winter Wheat (Northwest and South Central KS)
  • Grain Sorghum Seeding Rates (Western KS and Northeast OK)
  • AgBoost NutriPlant in Irrigated Corn (Northwest KS)
  • Long-term Impacts of Winter Canola in Crop Rotation System (Northeast OK)
  • sUAS Imagery for Leak Detection in Drip Tape Irrigation (Northwest KS)
  • Comparison of Soil Sampling Methods (North Central KS)

Read more about the KARTA grant program under the “Research” tab at www.kartaonline.org. For more details, contact Research Coordinator Brent Rendel at [email protected] or 918-533-4081.

Application deadline is this Saturday. Apply online by Saturday, February 20.

Survey: Slight improvement in bankers’ view of rural economy

google image
google image

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new survey suggests there’s been a little improvement in some bankers’ views of the rural economy in their 10 Western and Plains states.

A report released Thursday says February’s Rural Mainstreet Index rose to 37.0 from 34.8 in January. Survey officials say any score below 50 on any of the survey’s indexes suggests that factor will decline.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the monthly survey, and he says it’s the sixth straight month that the index has registered below growth neutral.

The report says 8.7 percent of bank CEOs who responded say their local economy was expanding while 36.9 percent say their local economy was in a recession.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

Stout first half defense leads No. 10 Tigers past Lindenwood

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State used runs of 11-0 and 10-0 in the first half to build a double-figure lead and handed  Lindenwood their 14th-straight loss, 84-66 in front of 2,675 at Gross Coliseum. The Tigers (22-3, 16-3 MIAA) held the Lions (7-18, 3-16 MIAA) to 1-of-13 shooting in the second quarter and outscored them 29-4 off turnovers.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

 

Game Highlights

The Tigers led by 13 at the half and by as many as 25 in the fourth quarter to stay alone in second place in the MIAA.

Chelsea Mason led a balanced Fort Hays State attack with 14 points. Jill Faxon added 14, Taylor Chandler and Beth Bohuslavsky each added 11 and freshman Carly Heim 10.

Bri Wilber scored 16 to lead Lindenwood.

The Tigers shot 34-percent and were 7-for-19 from beyond the arc and 33-of-47 from the free throw line.

Kansas House advances proposal to have convention of states

Rep. Trimmer
Rep. Trimmer

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas House has given first-round approval to a resolution calling for a convention to propose changes in the U.S. Constitution to lessen the federal government’s power.

The vote Thursday was 77-44 on calling for a convention of the states. But conservative Republicans backing the idea will need a two-thirds majority of 84 votes in the 125-member chamber to prevail in a final vote Monday.

The U.S. Constitution allows 34 states to call for such a convention, and supporters anticipate each state having one vote in it. Constitutional changes still would have to be ratified in 38 states for them to take effect.

Supporters of the convention said the federal government is out of control. But Democratic Rep. Ed Trimmer of Winfield said he sees “too much opportunity for mischief.”

‘Wing Bee’ is Central Flyway tradition

wing bee
Central Flyway Wing Bee

KDWPT

HARTFORD– Everyone has heard of, and probably participated in, a spelling bee. But did you know there is such a thing as a wing bee? There is and it is well-known among waterfowl biologists. While it’s not a competition, the wing bee is part of the annual waterfowl harvest monitoring process, and each year it brings professional biologists and enforcement officers to a single location to analyze approximately 18,000 duck wings and 6,000 goose tail fans.

This year marks the 52nd year of the Central Flyway Wing Bee, which has been hosted for the last 25 years by the by Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism and Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge.

Wing bee participants are in Hartford in Lyon County through Thursday to examine wings and tail feathers in order to estimate the species, age, and sex of waterfowl harvested in the Central Flyway. Each year since 1964, a sample of waterfowl hunters have been asked to send a wing from each duck and primary wing feathers and tail from each goose they harvested.

The task of reading or classifying the large sample of wings and tails requires an extensive cadre of willing, dedicated and often highly experienced workers. In a typical year, about 40 biologists and enforcement officers from state wildlife agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and universities assemble for four days to “read” wings. In the 25 years that Kansas has hosted the wing bee, more than half-a-million parts have been analyzed.

KBI: Former Kansas police chief arrested

KBIMIAMI COUNTY – Former Osawatomie Police Department Chief of Police Robert Butters was arrested Thursday on charges that the Miami County Attorney filed, stemming from an incident on Tuesday in Osawatomie, according to a media release from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Butters was arrested for Aggravated Intimidation of a Witness, Attempted Interference with a Law Enforcement Officer, and Possession of a Firearm While Under the Influence of Alcohol and or Drugs.

Butters is being held on a $250,000 bond in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

The Miami County Sheriff’s Office, Osawatomie Police Department, and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation continue to investigate this matter

No further information was released in order to preserve the sanctity of this investigation, according to the KBI.

Local legislators to host meeting in Ellis Saturday

Ellis City Council Member Jolene Niernberger and Council President John Walz visit with Ellis County Clerk Donna Maskus (center) in Hays.
Ellis City Council Member Jolene Niernberger and Council President John Walz visit with Ellis County Clerk Donna Maskus (center) in Hays.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

ELLIS–The city of Ellis will host a legislative update Saturday, Feb. 20 in Ellis City Hall, 815 Jefferson, beginning at 9 a.m.

Area state representatives Sue Boldra, R-Hays, and Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, along with Sen. Ralph Ostmeyer, R-Grinnell, are expected to attend.

Ellis County Commission Chairman Marcy McClelland chats with Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, in Hays.
Ellis County Commission Chairman Marcy McClelland chats with Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, in Hays.

The public is encouraged to attend the free event.

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