2016 – Page 979 – Hays Post Archive

Sen. Moran to appear live on SHPTV

Posted on January 5, 2016

SHPTV

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) will appear on Smoky Hills Public Television’s “Conversation with Senator Jerry Moran” on Thursday, January 14. The 60-minute, live question-and-answer forum will be moderated by Dr. Chapman Rackaway, Fort Hays State University professor of political science.

The program will be broadcast live from 7 to 8 p.m. on Smoky Hills Public Television including KOOD/Hays, Channel 16; KSWK/Lakin, Channel 8; KDCK/Dodge City, Channel 21; KWKS/Colby, Channel 19; and DirecTV & Dish Network, Channel 9. The program will also be live-streamed on the Smoky Hills Public Television website, shptv.org. Kansans interested in calling in to ask questions or share feedback should dial 1-800-337-4788.

Public invited to 2016 election issues meeting in Hays

Posted on January 5, 2016January 5, 2016

Submitted

All Ellis County residents are invited to an upcoming meeting about important issues in this election year.

“This meeting is open to anyone, regardless of political party affiliation, who is concerned about the direction Kansas has taken over the last six years,” said Ellis County Democratic party chairman Henry Schwaller in a news release. “This year could be a critical election year for Kansans, and if we can enlist, support and elect forward-thinking representatives this November, we can change our state’s direction.”

Schwaller said discussion topics will include education, health care, the arts, mental health, economic development and taxes.

“Our goal is to form groups around those or other specific topics and begin working on a strategy or talking points for each of the topics,” he said. Schwaller is also a Hays city commissioner.

The meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 18, at 7 p.m. at 2200 Pershing Drive, Hays. RSVPs should be made to Schwaller at [email protected].

Kan. woman sentenced for embezzlement from real estate firm

Posted on January 5, 2016

TOPEKA, KAN. – A Topeka woman was sentenced Monday to 18 months for embezzling from her employer, according to U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom . She was ordered to pay $416,000 in restitution.

Lisa M. Davenport, 42, Topeka, pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of embezzled funds.

In her plea, she admitted the crime occurred while she was an officer manager for Kansas Associates, Inc., which was the Prudential Real Estate franchise in Topeka. She embezzled money from KAI by taking proceeds from the company’s commissions and depositing them into her personal account.

A forensic audit determined she embezzled $416,000 from the company

Grissom commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rich Hathaway for their work on the case.

Kenneth Eugene Howard

Posted on January 5, 2016January 5, 2016

Kenneth Eugene Howard, age 81, of WaKeeney, passed away Sunday, January 3, 2016 at Trego Manor, WaKeeney. He was born July 6, 1934 in Ness City, to John Donald and Agnes (Burling) Howard. He was raised near Utica. Kenneth married Barbara Rohr at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Park on August 25, 1952.

Kenneth worked as a farm hand for Doyle Schoen near Lenora for several years, then as a cattle foreman at Pioneer Feed Lot in Oakley, before moving to Gove in 1980, where he became Gove County Road and Bridge Supervisor for 18 years. He was a member of Christ the King Catholic Church in WaKeeney, and was a past member of the Order of the Oddfellows in Gove. His health forced him to retire in December of 2000. Kenneth and Barbara then moved to WaKeeney, where they remained until his passing.

Kenneth loved working with cattle and horses. In his younger days, he enjoyed racing horses. He loved his animals, and enjoyed coon hunting with his son and grandsons. He cherished his time spent with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and was known for his ornery teasing.

He leaves to mourn his passing, his wife of the family home; three sons, Fred (Melinda) Howard of Grainfield, Ted (Darcy) Howard of Oakley, and John (Linda) Howard of WaKeeney; a daughter, Collette Buchholz of Ellis; fifteen grandchildren, Amy (Clint) Gibson of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Amanda (Jerry) Gallentine of Grainfield, Dr. Kristy (Jason) Booker of Oakley, JD Draper of Oaklay, Ron (Whitney) Nieman of Colwich, Denny (Traci) Nieman of Gem, Mindy (Parker) Christensen of Rexford, Julie (Warren) Ziegelmeier of Gem, Greg (Ericka) Nieman of Edmond, Oklahoma, Johnny (Jessica) Howard of WaKeeney, Jay Dee (Veronica) Howard of Commerce City, Colorado, Dewey (Amy) Howard of WaKeeney, and Cody Howard of WaKeeney, Tracy (Jessica) Buchholz of Ogallah, and Scotty (Christina) Buchholz of Ellis; thirty two great-grandchildren; a brother, Donald “Dee Dee” (Ruth) Howard of Utica; many nieces and nephews; and many, many friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; two grandsons, Travis Eugene Howard and Kenneth John Howard; and two brothers, Bill and Russell.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m., Thursday, January 7, 2016 at Christ the King Catholic Church, WaKeeney. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Visitation will be Wednesday, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home in WaKeeney. A parish vigil service will follow at 7:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to Kenneth Howard Memorial Fund. Checks made to the fund can be sent to Schmitt Funeral Home, 336 North 12th, WaKeeney, KS 67672.

Condolences may be left at www.schmittfuneral.com.

FHSU rape suspect released on bond

Posted on January 5, 2016

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

Fernando Cantero, 20, Paraguay, who pleaded not guilty to suspicion of rape, aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated burglary in early December, was released on his own recognizance following a bond hearing Monday in the Ellis County District Court.

The release, however, came after provisions were made to keep the Fort Hays State University student under almost constant supervision and the surrendering of his passport.

The charges stem from a incident that occurred on the Fort Hays State University campus on Sept. 20.

Cantero will be under GPS monitoring while living with a Kansas City-area pastor and his wife. His mother will also be staying at the home.

While on bond Cantero is “basically on house arrest,” as described by District Court Judge Glenn Braun, during the hearing.

Other than remaining in the home provisions were made to allow Cantero to attend church services, visit a local gym and continue english as a second language classes, under supervision.

County Attorney Tom Drees raised an objection to the bond during the proceeding, but given the unusual circumstances surrounding the case and the language barrier, the court argued the release would give Cantero the opportunity to develop a defense as the case proceeds.

As is standard procedure, Cantero was given a no-contact order with the alleged victim and warned any contact would immediately revoke the bond, along with random drug and alcohol testing.

Cantero has been in the custody of the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department since his arrest in September and pled not-guilty during his Dec. 10 arraignment.

HPD Activity Log Jan. 4

Posted on January 5, 2016January 5, 2016

The Hays Police Department responded to 7 animal calls and 10 traffic stops Monday, Jan. 4, 2016, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Disturbance – Noise–100 block E 7th St, Hays; 1:40 AM
Drug Offenses–3400 block Vine St, Hays; 2:23 AM
Criminal Damage to Property–1200 block Vine St, Hays; 2:53 AM
Theft (general)–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 2:20 AM
Abandoned Vehicle–2300 block Canal Blvd, Hays; 8:28 AM
Civil Dispute–4400 block Vine St, Hays; 5/28/13
Credit Card Violations–1300 block E 21st St, Hays; 10:55 AM
Stolen/Recovered Property–Hays; 11:49 AM
Assist – Other (not MV)–2300 block Gen Custer Rd, Hays; 12:47 PM
Found/Lost Property–1900 block Vine St, Hays; 2:09 PM
Disorderly Conduct–3400 block Summer Ln, Hays; 3:09 PM
Animal At Large–500 block W 27th St, Hays; 3:47 PM
Animal At Large–400 block E 13th St, Hays; 4:45 PM
Theft (general)–1900 block Vine St, Hays; 12:30 PM; 12:35 PM
Suspicious Person–1400 block W 43rd St, Hays; 5:46 PM
Parking Complaint–200 block W 34th St, Hays; 8:34 PM
Violation of Restraining Order/PFA–2700 block Colonial St, Hays; 9:57 PM; 10:27 PM
Assist – Other (not MV)–2200 block Canterbury Dr, Hays; 11:44 PM

SCHROCK: Time to revive foreign language

Posted on January 5, 2016

John Richard Schrock is a professor at Emporia State University.

Enrollments in foreign-language courses at U.S. colleges have fallen 6.7 percent since the fall of 2009. Some public universities have closed their German, French, Russian and even Spanish language programs as they chase after student tuition and abandon programs that serve the public’s interests. The next annual report due out from the Modern Language Association in February will likely show further erosion in American student enrolment in foreign languages.

“I think we should have some institution comparable in stature to West Point or Annapolis, where the curriculum includes every language used officially throughout the world. We should never send anyone to any country, who is going to have any direct contact with the people of that country, who is not fluent in the language of that country. I have sat in on many meetings in which interpreters were used. It is almost impossible to translate the precise meanings from one language to another under the pressure of a meeting.”

The biology building where I work is named “Breukelman Hall” after biology educator John Breukelman. He was very much a gentleman so I was therefore surprised at this forceful assertion. Professor Breukelman spoke fluent Dutch and Spanish and was exasperated that, while working on a biology textbook in Spanish in a South American country, he had to translate it into English for the U.S. Embassy where none of the staff spoke Spanish!

Linguistic stupidity has a price. In the hostage crisis where Iranians took U.S. Embassy staff captive at the end of the Carter administration, not one of our intelligence officers spoke Persian!

Failures in translation became clear to me when I arrived in China a week after the disastrous Wenchuan earthquake in 2008. Heartbreaking pictures were released of students buried in the collapsed schools. I watched both the Chinese and American news reports. As the bodies of high school students were recovered, our U.S. news kept calling them “middle school” students.
Therefore, American viewers presumed that Chinese education must be behind ours because these older students were only in middle school. The problem was that the Chinese name for elementary is “little school,” their name for our high school is “middle school,” and their universities are “big school.” I immediately explained this by e-mail to both the PBS network and National Public Radio—and they did absolutely nothing. High schools continued to be called “middle schools” because that was their literal translation. The Chinese interpreters used by PBS and NPR did not understand our American school system names.

If you only speak English, you could come to China with me this summer. As long as you stayed on campuses, you can manage quite well speaking English. China makes English a school requirement. Students begin study of English in early elementary school. If every American began studying Chinese, we could not match them because they have more than 332 million students studying English!

But foreign students who grow up in their culture and study English do not fully understand America. Nor would American students who studied foreign languages fully comprehend other cultures. It takes both sides working together to prevent stupid misunderstandings that can escalate into conflict.

American education is not doing our part. Half of Europeans speak two or more languages. That is seven times the rate of foreign language fluency found in the United States. Unfortunately, if all of the students in our foreign language classes became language teachers and all of their students became language teachers, it would take several generations to scale up foreign language teaching to achieve the European or Chinese level of biliteracy. So what can we do?

Even in California where there is a maximum population diversity, there are not enough foreign language teachers to staff each school. But they promote biliteracy of their multi-lingual graduates by placing a “seal of biliteracy” on their high school diploma. According to Education Week, 13 states now offer such a reward for demonstrating language fluency and at least ten more states are working to add that recognition. All states should join them. This likewise gives recognition to our 5 million students who are English language learners and who can continue their bi-cultural biliteracy.

“Wo men ke neng!”—that is Chinese for “we can do it!”

Ellis Co. restaurant and lodging inspections for 12/28 – 1/3

Posted on January 5, 2016January 5, 2016

Last week’s inspection results from the Kansas Department of Agriculture:

Qdoba Mexican Grill 3310 Vine St. Hays – Dec. 30

A routine inspection found five violations:

There is a shut-off installed down stream from the atmospheric pressure breaker and the water was left on.
Wiping cloth used for sanitizing the grill thermometer was left setting on the prep counter and was soiled.
Diced tomatoes were 48 in the walk in cooler, in half pans, covered with plastic wrap. The tomatoes were prepared in large quantity and warmed while in preparation.
The water filter for the fountain machine has not been changed in over a year as required by instruction manual.
The drain line from the ice machine is broken.

Kansas train derailment under investigation UPDATE

Posted on January 5, 2016January 5, 2016

PARKER, Kan. (AP) — Crews are cleaning up after a freight train derailed in east-central Kansas.

Union Pacific Railroad said in a written statement that 11 of the train’s 166 cars jumped the tracks around 5 p.m. Monday near the Linn County town of Parker. The derailed cars were carrying lumber and soda ash, which is sometimes used to treat drinking water and not considered extremely hazardous. The statement says no one was injured.

The train was headed from Nebraska to Texas, powered by six locomotives.

Union Pacific says a team is working on cleaning up the site and reopening the line. Train traffic is being rerouted through the southeast Kansas town of Coffeyville.

The cause of the derailment is under investigation.

——————

LINN COUNTY – Law enforcement, fire and emergency management officials are investigating a train derailment in Linn County.

Ten cars of a 166 car Union Pacific train came off the tracks on Monday.

Due to the derailment County Road 1077 between 1700 and 1800 roads was closed and the road through Goodrich was also closed, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

There are no injuries reported. The train was on traveling to Texas from North Platte.

Cloudy, windy Tuesday

Posted on January 5, 2016

Temperatures continue around seasonal averages with highs in the lower 40s across much of the area. Winds will be on the increase, especially Tuesday, as a trough develops in advance of an upper level storm system.

Today Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41. Windy, with a south wind 15 to 25 mph.

Tonight Cloudy, with a low around 33. South wind 11 to 16 mph.

Wednesday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. South wind 9 to 14 mph.

Wednesday NightA 40 percent chance of rain, mainly after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. South wind 5 to 8 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.

Thursday Rain likely, mainly between noon and 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 41. Light east wind becoming north northeast 8 to 13 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Thursday Night A chance of rain before midnight, then a chance of snow between midnight and 1am, then a chance of rain after 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 28. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Friday A 40 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 36.

5 charged in stabbing death of Kan. man found in an SUV

Posted on January 5, 2016

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Five people have been charged in the stabbing death of a Wichita man whose body was found in a sport utility vehicle on Christmas Eve.

Authorities say 42-year-old Moises Arias-Aranda was stabbed and left on a roadside in north Wichita.

The Wichita Eagle reports that 20-year-old Gabriel R. Lara, 28-year-old Diego S. Olivas, 29-year-old Jose A. Rojas and 21-year-old Amelia Wilson-Ramos are charged with one count each of first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping.

Twenty-five-year-old Aubrey D. Cole is charged with first-degree murder and a probation violation. Rojas also has a probation violation charge.

The suspects are being held at Sedgwick County jail on bonds up to more than $1.5 million. They have preliminary hearings Jan. 20. It wasn’t immediately clear if the suspects have lawyers.

Kansas man enters plea in shooting death

Posted on January 5, 2016

HUTCHINSON— A Kansas man bound over for trial on a charge of first-degree murder was in court Monday for arraignment on the charge.

Brennan Trass, 31, entered a not guilty plea for the shooting death of 24-year-old Jose Morales.

Morales was found on the floor of a residence in Hutchinson on August 17 with multiple gunshot wounds.

He died later at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center.

Trass has other convictions for unlawful voluntary sexual relations, aggravated burglary and obstructing the legal process.

Judge Trish Rose set a trial date of March 22.

No. 1 Kansas outlasts No. 2 Oklahoma in 3 overtimes

Posted on January 5, 2016January 5, 2016

By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Perry Ellis had 27 points and 13 rebounds, Devonte Graham hit the go-ahead free throw in the third overtime and top-ranked Kansas outlasted Buddy Hield and second-ranked Oklahoma 109-106 on Monday night in an early showdown of Final Four contenders

Wayne Selden had 21 points and Graham finished with 20 for the Jayhawks (13-1, 2-0 Big 12), who had chances to win the game in regulation and each of the first two overtimes before finally getting it done.

Hield had a career-high 46 points for Oklahoma (12-1, 1-1), but he made two crucial turnovers in the final extra session, then missed a potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Jayhawks celebrated.

Jordan Woodard hit six 3-pointers and had 27 points for the Sooners, who were trying to extend their best start in 28 yards. Ryan Spangler finished with 14 points and 18 rebounds.