MCPHERSON COUNTY- Officials reopened U.S. 56 just before 7 a.m. on Tuesday. The investigation into the gas leak at Williams Energy was completed overnight.
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MCPHERSON COUNTY- Law enforcement officials kept a portion of U.S. 56 highway in McPherson County closed to traffic overnight due to the investigation of a gas leak at Williams Energy Service west of McPherson. The road is shut down between 4th and 8th Avenue.
The company reported in a media release that they have isolated the area and there have been no evacuations because there is no danger to the public.
Drivers are encouraged to avoid the area or expect significant delays.
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MCPHERSON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities and first responders are near the scene of a reported gas leak running across U.S. 56 highway in McPherson County.
Just after 11:30 on Monday a section of pipe associated with an underground storage cavern at the Williams Energy operated Conway complex began to vent an unknown quantity of butane, according to a company media release.
Official with Williams notified emergency responders and isolated a 2-mile perimeter around the complex.
Williams shut down the system and isolated the cavern, which ended the gas leak. No injuries have been reported.
The immediate area around the complex remains closed as an investigation continues. Highway 56 in McPherson County near the Williams complex remains closed.
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MCPHERSON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are reported a gas leak running across US-56 highway in McPherson County..
The road is temporarily shutdown between 4th and 8th avenue, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
Check Salina Post for additional details as they become available.
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A fleeing motorist is charged with causing a suburban Kansas City crash that injured a pregnant woman so severely that she died soon after her baby was delivered.
Twenty-one-year-old Raphael Sherman was charged Monday in Johnson County District Court with involuntary manslaughter in the death of 25-year-old Denise Lopez of Kansas City, Kansas. Bond is set at $250,000. No attorney is listed for him in online court records.
Police say the crash happened Sunday night in Overland Park soon after police in nearby Prairie Village attempted to stop a driver. Police say three vehicles were involved in the crash.
The woman who died was 39 weeks pregnant. Police say her baby is doing well. Five other people were taken to hospitals with injuries that police said weren’t life-threatening.
LARNED, Kan. (AP) — An inmate who raped and killed two young sisters in Topeka nearly 30 years ago has died.
The Kansas Department of Corrections said Monday it was investigating the death of 66-year-old Nolan D. Prewett. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that he died Sunday night at the Larned Correctional Mental Health Facility.
Corrections department spokesman Adam Pfannenstiel says no additional information is available.
Prewett was serving time for the 1986 deaths of the 3- and 6-year-old sisters. Their nude bodies were found in his basement, wedged between a furnace and a wall.
Beforehand, Prewett had been in and out of Veterans Affairs medical centers. The slain girls’ mother alleged the VA was negligent and received an undisclosed settlement.
Prewett would have become parole eligible for the first time in November 2017.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers will consider new limits on local property taxes this year.
The Republican-controlled Legislature opened its annual session Monday.
It enacted a law last year aimed at lessening annual increases in the property tax levies cities and counties rely heavily upon to finance local services. The restrictions take effect in 2018.
But Republican Sen. Jake LaTurner of Pittsburg has a new bill to tighten the restrictions and have them take effect in July.
The Kansas Association of Realtors said imposing the restrictions earlier than planned is its top legislative priority.
The idea also is supported by Americans for Prosperity. The anti-tax group is backed by billionaire political donors Charles and David Koch.
Groups representing cities and counties plan to ask legislators to repeal the restrictions before they take effect.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A motorist who had drugs in his system when he struck and killed a Kansas lawmaker’s wife in a supermarket parking lot has been sentenced to five years and nine months in prison.
Twenty-three-year-old Christopher Schrader apologized Monday when he was sentenced in Sedgwick County for the February 2015 death of 60-year-old Annette Hedke. The Wichita Eagle (bit.ly/1mRlHBP) reports that Schrader pleaded no contest previously to involuntary manslaughter.
Hedke was the wife of Rep. Dennis Hedke, a Republican representing the Wichita area. He’s part of a wrongful death lawsuit that seeks more than $75,000.
The lawsuit says Schrader shouldn’t have been allowed to drive because of his driving record and drug use. It also alleges negligence on his mother’s behalf because she gave her son permission to drive the vehicle.
JUNCTION CITY -Law enforcement officials in Geary County are investigating four suspects on drug charges.
The Geary County Sheriff’s Department has reported the arrest of four people on drug related allegations just before 12:30a.m. on Sunday.
Deputies arrested Lydell Sheegog, Memphis, TN, on suspicion of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute, Possession of Methamphetamine, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, plus Defective Tag Light and Defective Tail Lamps.
Also arrested were Robert Bradley, Cosby, TN, Sarah Colley, CA., and Robert Bobb, Orville, CA., all on suspicion of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Rollover accident near the Saline-McPherson County line Monday morning /Photo- KHP
The Kansas Highway Patrol and Emergency responders were busy on Monday morning working dozens of accidents blamed on icy roads.
Eduiges Gonzalez-Najera, 39, Salina died just before 6:30 a.m. on Monday when he lost control of a Chevy Silverado southbound on Interstate 135 at Crawford and hit a northbound semi head-on.
In Shawnee County, a 1996 Chevy pickup driven by Hector Ramirez, 43, Topeka, was westbound on Interstate 70 at West Union Road. The driver lost control on an icy bride and the pickup rolled.
Ramirez was transported to St. Francis Medical Center in Topeka just before 6:30 a.m.
Just after 7 a.m. in Saline County, a 2008 Mercury passenger vehicle driven by Larry Alan McDaneld, 54, Salina, was westbound on Interstate 70 at 9th Street when he lost control of the vehicle and struck a Ford passenger vehicle, which was parked on the shoulder unoccupied.
McDaneld and a passenger Angel K McDaneld,15, were transported to Salina Regional Medical Center.
At about the same time, a 2000 Chevy passenger vehicle driven by Carlos E Rodriguez, 37, Wichita, was northbound on Interstate 135 at the Bridgeport exit in Saline County.
The driver lost control of the vehicle due to road conditions. The vehicle rolled multiple time and came to rest in the east ditch.
Rodriguez and passengers Brandon Truaillo, 19, and Ismael Vital, 28, Wichita, were transported to Salina Regional Medical Center. Vital was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
Just before 7:30 a.m. in Sedgwick County, a 1998 Ford SUV driven by Lanai Nakiel Sellers,17, Wichita, was on the ramp from northbound Interstate 135 to westbound U.S. 54 when she lost control and struck the KDOT bridge wall. Sellers was transported to Wesley Medical Center.
Just before 8a.m. in Lyon County, a 1996 Toyota pickup driven by Kody Wayne Comstock, 17, Beverly, was southbound on Interstate 35 two miles east of Emporia. He lost control and the pickup rolled into south ditch. Comstock was not wearing a seat belt and was transported to Newman Regional Medical Center.
In Saline County a 2009 Ford passenger vehicle driven by Donald Fortin, 59, Topeka, was westbound on Interstate 70 just west of Solomon.
The vehicle slid, went through the median, across the eastbound lanes and overturned. Fortin was transported to Salina Regional Medical Center.
Click below to listen to Monday’s Tiger Talk with Fort Hays State women’s basketball coach Tony Hobson and men’s coach Mark Johnson. The program airs Monday evenings at 6 p.m. on Tiger Radio Mix-103.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas will use a $2 million donation from a Kansas City, Missouri, couple to establish an architecture scholarship and to help a reading program for children.
The university announced Monday it had received the gift from Michael Cummings and his wife, Pamela Miller. It said about $1.6 million will be used to establish the Michael A. Cummings Scholarship for architecture students, giving preference to architecture students from rural communities.
The other $400,000 will go to Reach Out And Read Kansas City, a nonprofit program at the University of Kansas Medical Center that partners with doctors to provide books for children and encourage parents to read to them.
Michael Cummings earned bachelor’s degrees from Kansas in 1983. Pamela Miller earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Rockhurst University.
Even in a world filled with fears and frets, you have some control over your health and happiness. College of Human Ecology researchers at Kansas State University offer advice to help you survive and thrive in 2016.
Be a loving partner
Jared Durtschi, assistant professor of marriage and family therapy, has one word for people who want to build a stronger romantic relationship: sacrifice.
In our culture, it is common for us to value our own wants and needs more than those of others. Unfortunately, research shows that this type of self-centered approach has the tendency to erode romantic relationships.
Durtschi studied 260 married couples across four years to determine which of among 25 specific observed behaviors demonstrated by each spouse best predicted the quality of the relationship.
“What I found surprised me,” he said. “The most consistent and strongest predictor of relationship quality was the willingness to change one’s own behavior and comply with the needs of the partner. In other words, sacrificing.”
To strengthen a romantic relationship, Durtschi suggests both partners assess how they can do a better job at putting their partner’s wants, wishes, hopes and preferences before their own.
Be money savvy
According to a study by the American Psychological Association in 2014, money is the top stressor for Americans. For couples, research has demonstrated that money is one of the most intensely argued about topics, which can have negative impact on a relationship.
However, if couples have shared goals and values and engage in positive communication tactics, such as no yelling, they are more likely to resolve their conflicts and satisfaction with the relationship goes up, said Kristy Archuleta, associate professor of personal financial planning, and licensed marriage and family therapist.
She advises couples start the new year by discussing their hopes for the future and then identifying short-term — one year or less — and longer-term goals. Develop a spending plan to help achieve those goals.
One of the most important things, Archuleta said, is for couples to regularly talk to one another about their financial goals and how they are going to continue to work toward reaching them.
Be active
Emily Mailey, assistant professor of kinesiology, studies working parents’ struggles to establish an exercise program.
Especially for busy people, Mailey recommends rethinking what counts as exercise.
Find little ways to add movement to your day, even if it’s just using the restroom on a different floor, or dancing around with your kids while you’re making dinner. An activity tracker is a great motivator to accumulate more steps throughout the day.
Being active with others makes the activity more enjoyable and helps keep you accountable, she said. “If you don’t love exercise, but you value time with your friends, combining the two can make doing the activity more meaningful to you.”
Set small, manageable goals and plan ahead, Mailey said. Put your exercise sessions on the calendar at the beginning of each week, then bring your gym bag to work, sleep in your exercise clothes, or do whatever you need to do to follow through.
Be smart at the table
Start to improve your eating habits with an honest assessment, recommends Jennifer Hanson, assistant professor of human nutrition and a registered dietitian.
Hanson suggests keeping a food diary for three to five days. Compare what you typically eat to the guidelines at www.choosemyplate.gov.
Once you identify an area for improvement, set goals that are realistic. For example, research has shown that most Americans fall short when it comes to eating enough fruits and vegetables. Replacing a bag of chips with a side salad or fruit at lunch is a small change that will have positive effects. Preparing more meals at home will allow you to control portion sizes
Good nutrition does not have to be complicated, Hanson said. It is about identifying those things we need to improve and then taking incremental steps to get there.
Be grateful
People who express their gratitude for the good things in their lives feel more happiness and optimism, have better health, deal better with adversity, and build stronger relationships than those who do not, according to Amber Vennum, assistant professor at Kansas State University’s School of Family Studies and Human Services.
In romantic relationships, researchers find that taking the time to express gratitude to your partner may increase how positive you feel about your partner as well as increase your comfort with expressing concerns in the relationship.
Expressing gratitude isn’t ignoring the bad; it’s paying special attention to what is working in order to increase your ability to navigate the tough times, she said.
Linda K. Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.
MCPHERSON COUNTY –Two drivers were injured in an accident just before 12:30 p.m. on Monday in McPherson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Lincoln MKX driven by Karol K. Elliott, 62, Great Bend failed to stop on Kansas 61 at Comanche Road seven miles south of McPherson.
The vehicle entered the intersection and was struck by a southbound 2013 Dodge Charger driven by Mattison Leigh Carey, 25, Hutchinson.
Eagle Med transported Elliott to a hospital in Wichita.
Carey was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center.
Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A train has crashed into a tractor-trailer in the northern part of Topeka and injured the rig’s driver.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the crash happened Monday afternoon.
Kansas Highway Patrol Lt. Dennis Shoemaker says the truck halted at the stop sign but that the driver didn’t hear the train’s whistle. Shoemaker says the driver of the truck was “coherent and talking” following the crash. The driver was taken to a hospital in an ambulance.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) – Kansas State coach Bill Snyder announced Monday that he will return next season, ending months of speculation that the 76-year-old Hall of Famer might retire for the second time.
(Courtesy K-State Athletics)
Snyder said he spoke with his family after a loss to Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl. They told him to keep coaching as long as he was in good health, he was having a positive impact on his players and Kansas State officials wanted him on the sideline.
Snyder is entering his 25th season, a period interrupted by a brief retirement. He needs seven wins to reach 200, and figures to have a good shot at it with plenty of talent returning.
Kansas State went 6-6 this season, despite a slew of injuries on both sides of the ball.
