Tuesday night fatal I-70 crash -photo courtesy Fox 4 Kansas City
WYANDOTTE COUNTY – Two men died in an accident just before 10p.m. on Tuesday in Wyandotte County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Lincoln Navigator driven by Troy Elliott Reliford, 34, Lee’s Summit, MO., was westbound on Interstate 70 just east of the 18th Street Expressway in the wrong lane.
The Lincoln hit a 2004 Dodge Ram driven by Tyrone A. Jennings Jr, 30, Kansas City, Kansas.
Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Frontier Forensics.
They were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.
Just before 2a.m., the Kansas Department of Transportation cleared the accident scene and reopened the road.
Today Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Patchy fog before 10am. High near 45. Windy, with a north wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 39 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Tonight Rain and possibly a thunderstorm before 11pm, then rain likely. Steady temperature around 42. Breezy, with a north wind 17 to 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Thursday A chance of rain before 8am, then a slight chance of showers between 8am and 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. North wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Thursday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 35. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming east northeast after midnight.
FridayPartly sunny, with a high near 55. East wind 6 to 13 mph.
Friday NightShowers likely, mainly after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
SaturdayShowers. High near 51. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Saturday NightShowers, mainly before 2am. Low around 42. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
SundayA 40 percent chance of showers before 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden’s prime minister says the United Nations and Congo must investigate after three bodies, including those of Swedish and American investigators with the United Nations, were found in central Congo.
Stefan Lofven says he learned with “great sorrow and dismay” that the bodies of Swedish national Zaida Catalan, American Michael Sharp and their interpreter Betu Tshintela were found this week.
Sharp is the son of Hesston Kansas College Bible faculty members John and Michele Sharp.
They went missing March 12 along with driver Isaac Kabuayi and two motorbike drivers while looking into large-scale violence and alleged human rights violations by the Congolese army and local militia groups.
Lofven said Wednesday that Catalan worked “tirelessly for peace and justice,” adding Sweden was “naturally ready to assist” in investigating their death.
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BENI, Congo (AP) — Congolese authorities say the bodies of an American Michael Sharp and a Swedish U.N. expert and their interpreter have been found in the Central Kasai region where they recently disappeared.
Police inspector general Charles Bisengimana said Tuesday the bodies of the two U.N. experts were identified after being found Monday.
Sharp is the son of Hesston Kansas College Bible faculty members John and Michele Sharp.
Government spokesman Lambert Mende says tests confirm the bodies are the experts and their local interpreter.
Sharp, Zaida Catalan of Sweden and interpreter Betu Tshintela disappeared March 12 with their drivers while looking into alleged human rights violations by the army and local militia groups.
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DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Congo’s government says the bodies of two Caucasians and a Congolese have been found in the Central Kasai region where two U.N. experts and their colleagues recently disappeared.
Government spokesman Lambert Mende told Top Congo FM on Tuesday that national police confirmed the discovery of the male and female Caucasians and one Congolese.
The finding raises fears about the two U.N. experts and four Congolese who went missing two weeks ago.
Mende says the government knows no other foreigners missing in the region, but the provincial commissioner still must identify the bodies.
Michael Sharp, the son of Hesston Kansas College Bible faculty members John and Michele Sharp, according to the school’s social media page is among 7 who went missing March 12.
In addition to Sharp, Zaida Catalan of Sweden, interpreter Betu Tshintela, driver Isaac Kabuayi and two motorbike drivers were looking into alleged human rights violations by the army and local militia groups.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a Topeka man charged with driving drunk and killing a woman is being sued.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the wrongful death lawsuit against 33-year-old Jason Patterson alleges negligence.
Patterson is charged with involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence of alcohol. He also could face an alternative charge of reckless second-degree murder in the Fourth of July death of 60-year-old Tara French. Shawnee County District Court records show the victim’s widower, Rodney French, is seeking more than $75,000.
Patterson is accused of hitting French with a pickup truck as she crossed a street after arguing with another woman over fireworks that had been shot off near Topeka’s Lake Shawnee.
Patterson denied drinking, but police say his blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.
ASHLAND, Kan. (AP) — Relief efforts on behalf of Kansas and Oklahoma property owners affected by recent wildfires are getting a lift from country music star and Oklahoma native Toby Keith.
The Wichita Eagle reports Keith has partnered with the Ashland Community Foundation in southern Kansas’ Clark County to record a 50-second public service video asking for a “helping hand” through donations.
The grass fires in early March charred more than 1,000 square miles in Oklahoma and Kansas, destroying miles of fencing on ranches and farms.
The foundation’s board president, Bill Shaw, says Keith’s video plea for donations was posted Monday on the nonprofit’s website and Facebook page.
In his video spot, Keith says, “if you know anything about the people from around here, we don’t stay down.”
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State University is preparing to dedicate its first residence hall to be built in more than 50 years.
The university says in a news release that the public ceremony is planned for Saturday for Wefald Hall. The coeducational residence hall can house up to 540 students and features its own coffee shop.
The building’s one- and two-person rooms feature walk-in closets. There also are study spaces, kitchenettes and lobbies available on each floor. The eight-story residence hall is in the same area as Goodnow and Marlatt halls on the west side of campus.
The hall was named for former Kansas State President Jon Wefald, who served from 1986-2009. Wefald will speak at the ceremony. Other speakers will include U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts and football coach Bill Snyder.
STEVENS COUNTY – A Kansas man died in an accident just before 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday in Stevens County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Chevy Venture driven by James B. Farnham, 28, Johnson, Vehicle 1 was traveling westbound on Stevens County Road Y.
The driver failed to stop at stop sign at the intersection of Kansas 25. The van crashed into the trailer of a southbound semi and caught on fire.
Farnham was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Paul’s Mortuary.
The semi driver William D. Parks, 46, Garden City and a teen passenger were not injured.
The occupants of the semi were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
HUTCHINSON– Two Kansas men arrested a high-speed chase involving a reported stolen vehicle have been formally charged.
Bryson Allen, 22, Hutchinson, is charged with felony flee and elude, possession of stolen property and possession of methamphetamine.
Corey Drake, 37, is charged with felony interference and possession of marijuana.
Just after 2:30 p.m. March 18, a Reno County Sheriff Deputy patrolling near Haven spotted a Jeep reported stolen earlier in the day from Hutchinson.
The deputy initiated a traffic stop, but the Jeep sped up and a chase began.
Other deputies laid stop sticks at Yoder and Trailswest Roads. The driver went around the stop sticks but drove
Allen-photo Reno Co.
through the ditch and went airborne.
The vehicle continued southwest through a field before it became disabled.
The driver, identified as Allen and his passenger Drake both fled on foot.
They were both quickly apprehended and then complained of minor injuries. They were transported by EMS to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center where they were treated and released to deputies who transported them to the Reno County Correctional Facility.
SEDGWICK COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Sedgwick County are investigating an armed robbery and asking the public for help to find a suspect.
Just after 10a.m., Monday, an employee of a grocery store La Tienda Del Ahorro in the 1700 Block of North Broadway in Wichita went to her car to take a business deposit to the bank, according to Sgt. Nikki Woodrow during Tuesday’s online media briefing.
An armed suspect approached the woman and demanded the bank bag. It contained over $20,000in cash, according to store manager Vicky Guijosa.
The suspect got into a 2000 Chevy Impala and left the scene. He is described as a white male in his 30s wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, jeans and a black bandanna.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call police.
On Monday at the Rockwell Administration Center, the Hays USD 489 Board of Education was presented with an update from the DLR Group, the architectural firm that the board unanimously hired to handle the new bond issue for the district after last year’s bond was soundly defeated by voters.
Amber Beverlin, project manager for DLR, updated the board on the schedule DLR presented to the board in January. The schedule features seven different workshops from February to May as a way to gauge where the USD 489 schools are at as far as observing facility conditions and educational environment and getting feedback from faculty, students, and community members.
“We had staff interviews at the very beginning. We stationed architects and planners at every one of your schools and met with as many staff members that wanted to come and bend our ear about any thoughts they had,” said Beverlin.
DLR Schedule
During the initial meetings with staff, Beverlin said that some teachers started to ask questions about what DLR was doing around the rest of the country to get a better idea of how other schools were upgrading learning environments. DLR added two extra workshops (a teacher workshop and a student workshop) at both the high school and middle school in Hays as a way to get better feedback and listen to what the students thought of the situation.
“We just wanted to get the flavor of what the kids were thinking, what their parents were saying to them and some of their own thoughts, which was fantastic,” said Beverlin.
DLR has conducted a total of 15 meetings so far at the halfway point of the five-month process. Through this process, the group has been able to hear opinions and thoughts from over 400 people in the community and has put together three committees (executive team, district planning team and community vision team) that collaborate in an effort to figure out what is best for the district.
“It is a three-tiered process,” Beverlin said. “The planning team is the voice for the educators, and the community vision team is obviously the voice for the community. So what we do is merge all that together and adjust and come back the next trip and talk through what we heard and how we will adjust and find out the direction we are going.”
At the heart of the process is the community vision team. DLR has had approximately 20 attendees at each meeting with people aged 20 to 60 years old represented. The vision team also consisted of USD 489 residents ranging from 1 year to 20 years spent in the district, parents and non-parents of current students, and a mix of “yes” and “no” voters from the last bond.
The three main topics DLR hits on consistently in the meetings are building assessments, what 21st-century learning looks like to the community and establishment of guiding principles.
“We walked as a team (engineers, architects, construction manager) through the buildings and looked at 19 categories and really investigated the state of the buildings,” Beverlin said. “Aside from bricks and mortar, we also assessed educational environments. This includes things like how much daylight there is, what kind of spaces are there to teach the way that they (teachers) want to be teaching, if there are project-based learning spaces or student-centered spaces — so all the things that a 21st-century school would have.”
DLR presented graphics indicating what areas the schools were good, average and poor in as far as facilities and learning environments.
Along with building assessments and explaining what 21st-century learning looks like in a modern school, DLR also used the community vision meetings as a way to gather guiding principles from teachers and staff.
“Right now, we have five guiding principles (safety and security, engaged learners, sense of community, plan for future needs and flexibility) and tomorrow (March 28), we will talk even more with the community group and confirm that these really are the top five guiding principles they want to go with,” Beverlin said. “These principles really help us decide what to do when we are at a fork in the road.”
The group will hold Workshop #4 today to confirm the five guiding principles with the community group and will return to Hays on April 11 and 25 and May 16 to conduct the final three workshops on the schedule.
In addition to the DLR update, the board also voted 6-0 to pass the continuation of the Head Start Program, which is in year three of a five-year grant.
The board also discussed briefly the recommended renewal of the Go Math curricular materials for grades K-5. The cost for the renewal will be $96,315.60 and will be voted on at the next board meeting.
LYON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in southeast Kansas are looking for a suspect after a homeowner was injured during a confrontation in their garage.
Just after 5:30a.m. Tuesday, a resident in the 200 block of East K99 in Olpe discovered a person inside his garage and confronted the suspect, according to a social media report.
The suspect was armed with a knife and the victim was cut on the hand.
The suspect fled the scene in a mid-sized dark colored pickup with the tailgate down.
The suspect is described as a white male in his mid-to-late twenties around 5 foot 9 inches to 5 foot 11 inches tall.
The victim was treated at a hospital and released.
The suspect is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office.
The annual Hays Public Library Trash’n Show is Thursday evening at 5:30 p.m.
HPL
Young adult patrons worked hard over the last few weeks to put together a “Trash’n Show Fashion Show.” This exciting fashion show will take place in the library’s Schmidt Gallery on Thursday, March 30 at 5:30 PM. The public is invited to attend this unconventional fashion show event.
“Each spring, the Young Adult Department holds a fashion show. This spring we decided the theme of our fashion show is ‘Mystical Creatures’” said Nicole Thibodeau, one of the staff members in charge of the show. “The teens have been busy working on creating everything from dragon skin to unicorn horns using recycled and previously used items like old paper, packing peanuts, magazines and fabric scraps.”
Thibodeau also said “the Trash’n Show is a great way to get everyone involved and thinking about ways to be creative with items we might otherwise discard.” Both boys and girls will wear their fashions on the runway this Thursday. This fashion show is definitely one of a kind. Don’t miss it!”
For more information contact the library’s young adult department at (785) 625-9014.
SEDGWICK COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities in Sedgwick County are investigating the case of missing 5-year-old.
Just after 3:20 p.m. Monday a woman called 911 to report she had found a 5-year-old boy in a parking lot in 1500 Block of South Oliver, according to Sgt. Nikki Woodrow during the online media briefing.
Police took the child into protective custody after they were unable to locate parents or an address for the child.
Just before 6:30 p.m., another woman called to report her 5-year-old son was missing. It was the same child found in the parking lot, according to Woodrow.
The mother told police she was cleaning the house and didn’t realize the boy was missing. Police also took a 13-month-old child at the residence into protective custody.
Tonight Rain and possibly a thunderstorm before 11pm, then rain likely. Steady temperature around 42. Breezy, with a north wind 17 to 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
