CHAPMAN, Kan. (AP) — A former middle school teacher in central Kansas has been convicted of misdemeanor battery in an incident involving a 12-year-old child.
The Salina Journal reports former Chapman Middle School seventh-grade math teacher Dick Everley was found guilty March 9 in Dickinson County District Court.
The criminal complaint states that Everley was charged in January with having physical contact with the child in an insulting or angry manner in December.
Roger Unruh, Everley’s attorney, said Wednesday that his client is no longer employed at the middle school. He was removed from his teaching duties after charges were filed.
Everley faces probation to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Sentencing is scheduled for April 6.
Unless the Legislature makes a change, community mental health centers across Kansas will have to allow patients and staff to bring their guns starting in July.
Officials with the 26 community mental health centers across Kansas are requesting an exemption from a state law set to take effect in July that would allow concealed weapons. Valeo Behavioral Health Care in Topeka is among the centers. FILE PHOTO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
A 2013 state law requires most publicly owned buildings to allow concealed weapons or to install metal detectors and post armed guards. The law included a four-year exemption for community mental health centers, universities, publicly owned medical facilities, nursing homes and low-income health clinics that ends July 1.
The Senate Ways and Means Committee had a hearing Thursday on a bill that would make the some exemptions permanent, however. Senate Bill 235 would continue the exemption for medical facilities, including the University of Kansas Hospital, but not college campuses.
Tim DeWeese, director of the Johnson County Mental Health Center, said he hopes lawmakers decide to continue the exemption for community mental health centers. He estimated it would cost millions to secure the center’s four buildings.
“There’s just no way we can take that much money away from services,” he said.
The mental health center already trains its employees to recognize and respond to signs of danger in case a patient decides to break the rules and bring a weapon, DeWeese said. Still, he worries that if more people bring guns, the odds of a violent incident will go up.
“With it being legal to do so, you’re going to see an increase” in people bringing guns, he said.
How To Afford Added Security?
Brett Hildabrand, a former legislator who lobbies on behalf of the Kansas State Rifle Association, told the committee it would be naïve to assume patients already aren’t bringing guns into hospitals or mental health treatment facilities.
“We believe the facility should provide adequate security or allow individuals to feel secure” by carrying their own handguns, he said.
Most community mental health centers don’t have extra money for the added security measures, said Colin Thomasset, associate director of the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas. The state has cut its base grant to the 26 centers by 70 percent since fiscal year 2007, he said in written testimony to the committee.
Bill Persinger, CEO of Valeo Behavioral Health Care in Topeka, estimated installing metal detectors and hiring at least one guard for each of Valeo’s nine facilities would be “cost-prohibitive,” with expenses running to at least half a million dollars.
“There’s no place for a gun in a mental health facility,” he said.
The committee has yet to vote on the bill, which if approved would go to the full Senate.
State Hospital Estimates Lowered
The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services didn’t take a position on SB 235, but KDADS staff said installing metal detectors and hiring guards for the state’s four facilities would cost more than $11 million. A previous estimate put the costs at more than $25 million.
Amy Penrod, director of finance and budget at KDADS, said the department calculated the lower cost based on securing only buildings where patients congregate and allowing a single entrance to those buildings. The estimate would go up if the facilities, which currently use unarmed security staff, have to retrain them to carry guns, she said.
Kimberly Lynch, KDADS chief counsel, said the department has concerns that patients at Osawatomie or Larned state hospital could take a gun from a visitor. Adding guards and metal detectors also could be a problem at Kansas Neurological Institute and Parsons State Hospital and Training Center, which house people with severe developmental disabilities, she said.
“These are their homes. They live there,” she said.
SB 235 is at least the fourth bill introduced this session that relates to the concealed carry law. A bill to permanently exempt only community mental health centers from the concealed carry law has yet to get a hearing, making it unlikely it could advance. A second bill exempting KU Medical Center failed in a committee vote, and a third bill, which would have extended all of the exemptions indefinitely, didn’t come up for a vote.
Meg Wingerter is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of kcur.org, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics in Kansas. You can reach her on Twitter @MegWingerter.
Hays Post will be live from the Eagle Communications Customer Care Center at 12:30 p.m. Friday to draw the winners of home opener tickets in Kansas City and Denver.
There are two finalists for the Rockies home opener tickets, and four finalists for the Royals home opener tickets.
To see who won, check out the Facebook Live feed at 12:30 p.m. Friday HERE.
SEDGWICK COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities in Sedgwick County are investigating a drive by shooting into a home.
Just after 5a.m. Friday, a man and woman reported suspects shot at their residence in the2200 Block of North Minneapolis Street in Wichita, according to Sgt. Nikki Woodrow during an online media briefing.
Several bullets struck the home and entered the window of a bedroom where four children ages 7, 3, 2 and 1 were sleeping, according to police.
Authorities are asking the public for help with information in the case. Police had no suspect or vehicle description early Friday.
There were no injuries reported only damage to the residence.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a Topeka man ordered to stand trial in a deadly Fourth of July crash had more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in his blood.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that a judge found sufficient evidence Thursday for 33-year-old Jason Patterson to stand trial in August on a felony charge of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence of alcohol. He also could face an alternative charge of reckless second-degree murder.
He’s accused of hitting 60-year-old Tara French with a pickup truck as she crossed a street after an argument over fireworks that had been shot off near Topeka’s Lake Shawnee. Witnesses testified at the preliminary hearing that fireworks debris had dropped onto people at French’s gathering.
Police say Patterson’s blood alcohol level was 0.18 percent.
Bobbi Pfeifer, Hays, was recognized by Kansas Special Olympics as Volunteer of the Year.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
By all measures, last week’s Special Olympics state basketball and cheerleading tournament in Hays was a great success.
It takes a lot of local volunteers and Assistant City Manager Jacob Woods said the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau took charge of recruitment.
“They actually got over 450 volunteers to help out this year. Last year, the volunteers kind of lacked a little bit and that’s something the CVB said they would help to pick up,” Wood reported to city commissioners Thursday night.
CVB employee Bobbi Pfeifer received the 2017 Bob Magerl Outstanding Volunteer Award from the Special Olympics of Kansas.
“She’s the one who spearheaded the effort to get the volunteers,” Wood said. “She also worked with the Adopt-A-Team program. We had 38 teams of people from the community who escorted the players around town.”
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A father has been charged with fatally shooting his 17-year-old son during an argument in Wichita.
Glen Farrow, 41, is jailed in Sedgwick County on $150,000 bond. He was charged Wednesday with second-degree intentional murder in the death Sunday of Michael Farrow. Sedgwick County Chief Public Defender Mark Rudy says an attorney hasn’t met with him yet.
Keri Brooks described her son as “loyal” and said that what happened was “incomprehensible.” She said she heard that the argument was about school and that her son was being moved to an alternative program after arguing with a teacher. Police have offered no specifics about the argument.
Brooks recently moved to Florida, and said Michael and two siblings were planning to move there in May.
Ronald Wente has announced plans to retire from his role as president and CEO of Golden Belt Bank, effective Oct. 1. Wente joined Golden Belt Bank in 1973, and has served as president/CEO since 1974. He will continue to serve as chairman of the board.
Wente has been instrumental in the exponential growth and success of Golden Belt Bank, which was chartered in 1920. When he began as CEO in 1974, the bank’s assets totaled a mere $5 million. A series of expansions followed with additional branches being opened, marking Golden Belt Bank’s entrance into the Hays community. Today’s assets are in excess of $140 million.
Under Wente’s direction, Western Plains Service Corporation was created. This subsidiary of Golden Belt Bank was organized to facilitate land development in Ellis County. On the land developed during its over 40 year existence sits approximately 1,000 single family homes, 50 duplexes, 10 apartment buildings and 20 businesses.
During his tenure, Wente expanded products and services to include long-term fixed rate home loans, helping turn Golden Belt Bank into the largest home loan lender in Ellis County. His customer-centered approach led Golden Belt Bank to adopt the practice of maintaining local servicing for every loan originated.
During his banking career, Wente has also served as an advocate for the banking industry. Wente served as a director for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka for 17 years. He also served on the Heartland Community Bankers Association Board and on various committees of the American Bankers Association. Currently, Wente serves as a director for the Kansas Bankers Association. This dedication was also apparent in his community involvement as he served on a vast number of community organizations throughout his career.
Golden Belt Bank Director Dennis Bieker stated, “Ron has loyally served this bank for over 40 years. He helped Golden Belt Bank successfully navigate through multiple industry hardships. His depth of experience will be greatly missed.”
Chris Wente
Wente’s son, Chris Wente, has been elected by the Board of Directors to fill the position of President/CEO.
“Golden Belt Bank is a community centered, community focused bank. I am excited to be leading a bank with such strong core values into the future,” said Chris Wente.
Chris currently serves as Executive Vice President. Chris graduated from Kansas State University in 1999 and worked in management at the Payless Distribution Center in Topeka, Kansas for several years before returning to Hays and assuming a position with Golden Belt Bank in 2006. During his tenure, Chris has served as the Branch Manager of the Hays office. As a loan officer, he has worked to provide home loans to individuals, commercial loans to businesses and everything in between. He has also played a big role in continuing the land development his predecessor began, expanding development in the northwest part of Hays, adding dozens of residential lots to the Hays community.
Chris Wente’s election to this position is the fruition of a long-standing succession plan. “The Board has every confidence that Chris can continue to build upon the success his father has developed,” stated Director Dennis Bieker.
KHAZ is giving you the chance to win a pair of tickets for this show. Register by calling 785-628-2995 when you hear Theresa Trapp play an Eric Church song Tuesday, March 21 – Friday, March 24, 2017. Only one entry per person. No age requirement to register.
Winners contacted Friday, March 24, 2017. Winners will need to pick up their tickets at the KHAZ Studio, 2300 Hall, Hays, KS.
Thursday night’s front that moved through northwest Kansas offered only trace amounts of rain to parched Ellis County.
The rain fell farther west, with Trego County receiving between a tenth and 0.4 inches of rain. Gove County had a report of 0.87 inches.
The heaviest rain in the region fell in Sheridan County, which had a report of 1.25 inches of precipitation.
The National Weather Service is calling for a slight chance of showers Friday evening. The next chance for precipitation is Sunday, according to the NWS, with a 60 percent chance of rain. Despite the chance for rain, the NWS is only calling for the potential of up to a quarter inch of rain from the Sunday event.
Victoria, Kansas- John Leo Brungardt, age 79, died Wednesday, March 22, 2017, at the Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice Center at Via Christi Hospital St. Francis in Wichita, Kansas. He was born March 14, 1938, on the family farm south west of Victoria, Kansas to Leo F. and Mary (Kuhn) Brungardt. He married Eileen Kay (Herman) on October 6, 1962 in Gorham, Kansa
He was a oil field pumper for 23 years with Sun Oil Company and a farmer. He was a graduate of Victoria High School and served in the Kansas National Guard. He was a member of the Basilica of St. Fidelis and Knights of Columbus both of Victoria, Kansas.
Survivors include his wife, Eileen Kay Brungardt, of the home; one son, Russell John Brungardt and wife, Alison, Dallas, TX; two daughters, Rebecca Robben and husband, Mark, Victoria, KS; Tammy Brungardt and companion, Dan Pfannenstiel, Norton, KS; four grandchildren, Cole James Robben, Taylor James Meder, John Leo Brungardt and Victoria Ruth Brungardt; one brother, Gene Brungardt, Victoria, KS; two sisters, Connie Dreiling and husband, Allen, and Jane Dinges, both of Victoria, KS; one sister-in-law, Geraldine Brungardt-Kendel and husband, Don, Victoria, KS.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Cletus Brungardt and one brother-in-law, Robert Dinges.
Services are 10:00 A.M. Monday, March 27, 2017, at The Basilica of St. Fidelis Victoria, Kansas. Burial in St. Fidelis Cemetery Victoria, Kansas.
A vigil service is at 7:00 P.M. Sunday and a Victoria Knights of Columbus rosary is at 7:30 P.M. Sunday both at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary, 412 Main Street, Victoria, Kansas 67671.
Visitation is from 5:00 to 9:00 P.M. Sunday and from 8:30 to 9:45 A.M. Monday all at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary Victoria, Kansas.
