Officials pulled Anderson’s car from the river on Friday-photo courtesy KCTV
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Dashcam video shows that a University of Missouri-Kansas City student seemed confused when she was stopped for wrong-way driving but let go without a road sobriety test before her car went into the Missouri River.
A medical examiner says the death of 20-year-old Toni Anderson, of Wichita, Kansas, was accidental and involved drug intoxication. A North Kansas City police officer had stopped Anderson on Jan. 15, the last night she was seen. She’d just left her job as a server at a strip club. The officer told her to go park and collect herself. She wasn’t asked to exit her car.
Police Maj. Kevin Freeman says that the officer “acted reasonably.”
Anderson’s body was found two months later. She died from hypothermia and drowning at a park near Parkville, Missouri.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A medical examiner says the death of a Wichita woman who died when her car went into the Missouri River was accidental and involved drug intoxication.
The Jackson County medical examiner’s office ruled Tuesday that 20-year-old Toni Anderson’s death was accidental. She died from hypothermia and drowning at the Platte Landing Park near Parkville.
Authorities say ethanol, cocaine and amphetamine intoxication contributed to the University of Missouri-Kansas City student’s death.
Anderson was last seen early on Jan. 15 when she was stopped by a police officer in North Kansas City, who
Anderson -courtesy photo
then watched her drive to a nearby convenience store.
It is unclear why she wound up at the park near Parkville. Her body and her car were recovered March 10.
The Downtown Hays Market will be open Saturday mornings from May 27 to Oct. 28 at 10th and Main.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Spring is here and the Downtown Hays Market will reopen for the season this weekend, Sat., May 27.
“We actually promote it as a farm and arts market,” according to Sara Bloom, executive director of the Downtown Hays Development Corporation (DHDC).
“You’re going to see a lot of produce, of course, and you’re also going to see grass-fed meat, along with handmade arts and crafts such as jewelry and pallet art. You’ll also see a lot of baked goods such as rolls and sweet breads.”
Bloom is hoping this year for the first time breakfast will be served. “We’ll have a vendor who plans to sell breakfast items and coffee in a little gathering area,” she said. “We’re excited to launch that.”
The market opens at the end of May and continues Saturdays until the end of October in the parking lot at 10th and Main. Hours of operation are 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
“That’s a long growing and selling season so we encourage people to come regularly. Every week there will be different produce and products for sale.”
Bloom estimated there are between 20 and 30 vendors at each market. “Not everybody is here every time,” she added.
Participation for vendors is free.
The Farm To Fork dinner is a fundraiser for the Downtown Hays Market. The evening of fine food, fellowship, and live entertainment will be held Thu., June 1 and Fri., June 2 in the the historic Strand Theatre, 1102 Main Street. The meal will be prepared by Gella’s Executive Chef, Manuel Hernandez, and feature local ingredients provided by vendors of the Downtown Hays Market. Friday’s seating is sold out. Tickets are still available for Thursday.
The money raised during Farm To Fork is used to promote the downtown market and waive vendor fees. “This is the second consecutive year vendors will not have to pay a fee to participate in the market and sell their products and produce,” Bloom said.
Information for market vendors is available on the DHDC website, www.downtownhays.com.
Rules and regulations required by the state of Kansas regarding food safety, licensing and retail sales tax at farmers markets are on the site as well as the vendor participant form used by DHDC.
“We do follow all the Kansas regulations for farmers markets,” Bloom emphasized. “We turn in the sales tax forms which some area markets do not.”
For more information, call DHDC at (785) 621-4171.
RILEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Riley County are investigating a fatal shooting and searching for a suspect.
Just before 6p.m. Sunday, police received several 911 calls stating there had been a shooting on Nelson’s Landing in Manhattan, according to a media release.
When officers arrived on scene to the 2800 block of Nelson’s Landing, they found one male,
identified as German Gonzalez-Garcia, 39, of Manhattan, dead from gunshot wounds.
A second man was found on scene, also suffering from gunshot wounds. He was lifeflighted to Stormont Vail in Topeka in critical condition.
Officers developed a person of interest in the case, identified as Steven Harris, 38, Manhattan. Harris is approximately 5 foot 7 inches tall and weighs approximately 145 pounds.
He has short brown hair, brown eyes, and has distinctive tattoos on his head and neck.
On Monday, the Riley County Police Department conducted an operation in the 600 block of Frey Dr. in an attempt to locate Harris. Officers were unable to locate Harris at that time.
Officers are also looking for a gold 2004 Buick Rendezvous that may be connected with the case.
A warrant, for 1 count of murder and 1 count of attempted murder, has been issued for Steven Harris.
Harris is considered armed and dangerous. If you locate Harris, DO NOT APPROACH, call 911. If you have information on his whereabouts, you can contact dispatch at 785-537-2112 or you can remain anonymous by calling the Riley County Crime Stoppers at 785-539-7777 or 1-800-222-8477.
The Ellis County Dolly Parton Imagination Library needs your help to continue an important program for young children and their families.
The program provides books for registered children from ages birth through 5 in Ellis County for free. The children receive a new age-appropriate book in the mail each month.
“The greatest indication of future academic success is exposure to early reading,” said Dana Stanton, Ellis County Imagination Library coordinator.
However, right now the program is putting new children on a waiting list due to lack of funding.
The program is completely funded through grants and donations. The program uses the resources of the Dolly Parton Foundation to order books at economical rates, about $2 per book, which includes mailing.
However, the Ellis County program currently has 743 children enrolled in the program, which costs about $1,500 per month.
When the program reaches a reserve of less than six month, it suspended new registrations until enough fundraising can be done to ensure the program can continue operating.
This is the third time since the program began in 2012 it has suspended registrations and created a waiting list. Stanton said the program has seen decreases in funding from state grants recently, which means it has had to look elsewhere for funding.
At this point, the program’s reserves are at five months.
CASA of the High Plains and Sunflower Electric recently made donations to the program, but more funding is still needed to reopen registrations. For a complete list of donors, visit the program’s website by clicking here.
Stanton said the program is especially important to families who struggle financially.
“It is so important to families who don’t have a lot of money,” Stanton said. “If you have to choose between paying the electric bill and buying a new book for child, which are you going to choose? It is doubly Important for families who struggle.”
Children whose parents read to them build social and emotional bonds with their parents, they learn how to hold a book and learn the importance of reading.
There are no income requirements to sign up for the program. Participants only need to live in Ellis County.
Since the program began, 37,335 books have been mailed to Ellis County children.
Donations to the program go through the USD 489 Foundation, so they are 100 percent tax-deductible, and 100 percent of donations go directly toward the purchase of books for the children.
To donate to the program or get on the program’s waiting list for books, contact Stanton at 623-2430.
You may also mail donations to the program. Donations should be made payable to USD 489 Foundation. Mail donations to:
Early Childhood Connections – Washington Site
Attn: Dana Stanton
305 Main St.
Hays, KS 67601
In the memo indicate: Ellis County Imagination Library
The school district heard a report about a proposed expansion of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program at its meeting Monday.
The City of Hays is seeking to increase the area of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program. The previous program encompassed about 200 acres.
The amended program would include 1,628, which is the boundary of the build out in Hays in 1965.
The appraised value of proposed
area is $644,777,390.
The proposed area reflects an area that encompasses buildings that are 50 years old and older.
The goals of the program are to improve commercial property and promote owner-occupied housing and purpose-built multi-family housing in an area where single family houses are already transitioning to single family rental housing.
The program would allow a residential or commercial owner to rebate 65 percent of the increased property tax from improvements.
The previous program resulted in about $500,000 increase in property value.
Wood said the program would not affect the current revenue the district is realizing from property tax. It is only rebating taxes on increases in property values in the program.
If a structure was assessed at $100,000, and $100,000 worth of improvements were made to project, the owner would save about $7,877 over 10 years under the new program.
The city is proposing a couple of changes to the program. They include simplifying the application process, establishing an appeals process and establishing a delinquency criteria.
It would also increase and standardize minimum investment from $5,000 residential/$15,000 commercial to $25,000 residential/$50,000 commercial projects.
Forty-five properties have benefitted from the Neighborhood Revitalization Plan since its establishment.
Some of the projects that have been done with the previous program include Gella’s Diner, Salon 1007, and the apartments at 100 E. Fifth.
The city has already approved the revitalization program. Because the program also will affect property tax collected by the school district and county, both entities must also approved the program.
The program will be on the district’s next meeting agenda for a vote on June 12.
To the thousands of Kansans who voted for change in August and November, who continue to contact their legislators pleading to end the Brownback experiment, who have felt the impact of the state’s exorbitant sales tax, or who can’t get the services they need because our state agencies are failing, please know this: Democrats hear you and we’re fighting for that change.
The Brownback era of borrow and spend government has nearly bankrupted the state and placed undue burdens on working Kansans and local governments. It must end.
There’s considerable pressure by Governor Brownback and Republican leadership to adopt an inadequate tax plan that will leave our state employees and judicial workers without a raise, will forego necessary investments in KPERS, will delay spending (again) for the maintenance and upkeep of our highways, and will fail to meet the constitutional requirement of the Supreme Court of Kansas to adequately and equitably fund our public school system.
These kinds of measures won’t get my vote.
Democrats believe the first step to restoring financial responsibility is to build and fund a school finance formula that meets the needs of our children and allows each to pursue his or her God-given talents.
Now is the time for the legislature to debate a school finance formula that invests in education as the cornerstone of a better future. Then we can complete our budget of core services and build a fair tax policy to meet those obligations.
Failure to include school funding in the overall tax package means Republicans will look to things like $3 utility meter fees or sales taxes on your utilities to pay for schools. “You want more money for schools?” they’ll say, “Well, we have to raise your electric, gas and water bill to do it.”
I’m not okay with this. Middle class families have been battered with more than their fair share of the tax burden to support the policies of Governor Brownback and ultra conservatives. It’s time the legislature steps up and enacts comprehensive income tax reform and stops relying on regressive taxes that weaken our middle class.
We have a structurally unbalanced budget that will end in a deficit of about $900 million over the next two years. Our tax system is inherently unfair and allows 330,000 Kansans to use public services while paying no state income taxes. The Kansas Supreme Court has ruled our public schools have been inadequately funded and we’re in violation of the Kansas Constitution. And finally, the Kansas health care system is in financial crisis.
Our schools have been underfunded for seven years. As a result, schools have closed, class sizes have increased, and teachers continue to leave the profession or move to other states to teach. The data now shows that our test scores have begun to flatline and decrease in direct relation to funding cuts. Governor Brownback and his followers have swept payments to the KPERS retirement system, taken more than $2 billion from our highway system, and rejected nearly $1.8 billion in Kansan paid federal tax dollars for Medicaid expansion.
Meanwhile our state has received multiple credit downgrades and fiscal warnings from global credit agencies, our state hospital for the severely mentally ill has been declared unsafe by the federal agency in charge of patient safety, and our state employees have not received a pay increase or cost of living increase in 10 years.
As we approach the 100th day of session, the battle continues to rage in the Capitol for how best to address these crises. Please know Kansas Democrats are there each day, no matter how long the session goes, fighting to put Kansas back on the right track.
Jim Ward (D-Wichita) is the Kansas House Minority Leader.
(This editorial first appeared in the Topeka Capitol-Journal.)
Ambrose Andrew Kisslinger, age 88, died Monday, May 22, 2017 at the Good Samaritan Society, Ellis, Kansas. He was born on March 1, 1929 on the family farm N.E. of Ransom, Kansas to Herman and Catherine Flax Kisslinger. He was the fifth-born of 11 children and the first-born son.
Ambrose attended the Cyrus Country School all 8 years of his education.
He worked at several jobs before he started farming on his own. He farmed successfully for many years in the Ransom area. He also raised registered Charolais cattle. He loved his farming and cattle, it was his life.
He married Rita Dinges in 1951. One child was born. Later in life he married Alverna Jacobs Kisner on October 25, 2004. They lived together in Ransom for 11 years, then moved to Hays in 2014.
He was a member of St Aloysius Catholic Church, Ransom until moving to Hays. He belonged to the Knights of Columbus, the Ransom Go-Getters Senior Citizens, he served on the Ransom Co-op board and belonged to the Sunflower Polka Club.
He is survived by four sisters, Ann Pfannenstiel, Little River, Regina Schuster, WaKeeney, Rosetta Healy, Ness City, and Berniece Blakely, Hays; two brothers, John (Barbara) Kisslinger, Ransom and Joe Kisslinger, Spokane, WA; one child; a beloved granddaughter, Amanda (Chris) Schuckman, Manhattan and three other grandchildren; four stepchildren, Roger (Patti) Kisner, Victoria, Rex (Lena) Kisner, Hutchinson, MaryJane Spresser, Littleton, CO, David (Susan) Kisner, Hays; several step-grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Ambrose was preceded in death by his wife Alverna; brother, Paul Kisslinger; and three sisters, Betty Casey, Frances Casey, and Rosalie Smith.
Rosary and Parish Vigil will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at St. Aloysius Church, Ransom. Funeral will be on Thursday, May 25, 2017, 10:00 a.m. at St. Aloysius Church, Ransom. Burial, in the St. Aloysius Cemetery, Ransom. Viewing at the Fitzgerald Funeral Home from 1:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday and from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. and at the church from 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday until service time.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be given to St. Aloysius Church, Ransom Senior Center, Masses or Donor’s Choice.
RENO COUNTY — A Kansas man entered a plea to aggravated battery Monday for reportedly throwing acid on his wife.
In addition, Rafael Gomez, 25, entered a plea to felony criminal damage and will avoid a more severe charge of attempted murder.
Deputy District Attorney Tom Stanton was considering filing the attempted murder charge against the former employee of the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Stanton says Gomez threw acid on the victim twice. She suffered the burns to her face during the domestic incident in March of 2016, at a home in Hutchinson.
With the plea, both sides are able to argue disposition. The first count is a level four felony with a sentencing range of just over three years to three years, six months.
Stanton says the case is presumptive prison, but the defense will argue for a non-prison sanction because of the lack of any other criminal history.
This week we will reach the 100th day of the 2017 session, and hopefully we will be out in the next few days, but there is still a lot of clean-up work to be done and agreements need to be reached on budget, school finance and taxes. The way it looks, by the time you read this column in your weekly newspaper, we should have an agreement on the tax structure for the near term. As I said on the campaign trail and early on in this session, there are no good choices when it comes to getting the state back on the right fiscal track. While, the state is seeing signs of growth, it is much slower than is needed.
As a member of the taxation committee, I have been working on finding solutions, which do not discourage growth and put extreme hardships on the working families or those on fixed incomes in Kansas. There continues to be large divide in the legislature of those who think things are okay and those who want to raise nearly two billion dollars in new taxes over the next two years. Negotiations are still underway, and I want to be part of the solution. I continue to make the case that we need a strong central and western Kansas to bring the economy back to a somewhat predictable level. This means slow and steady, we did not get in this situation overnight and it will take discipline and wise investments resolve the situation.
Last week I was honored to be asked to serve as chairman of the Committee of the Whole, this is when we go into “General Orders”, which is when select bills are discussed and voted on to final action the next day. It was a great experience and I appreciate the years of leading 4-H and Jaycee meeting which was a great foundation for parliamentary procedure.
A new school finance formula should be discussed this week, when legislators will have opportune time to bring amendments and be prepared for an honest and heartfelt debate on the pluses and minuses of a new formula. But in case you missed it, last Friday, Democratic Leader Jim Ward made the motion to advance HB 2410 (school finance formula bill) to first on “General Orders” to sidestep the legislative process and force debate on school finance before members had the opportunity to gather feedback from their constituents on the bill. Both Republicans and even Democrats were blindsided by this maneuver, and were wholly unprepared. While many members are looking forward to having input and on a new education-funding formula, Friday was not the proper time. Amendments were not drafted, nine representatives were absent, and Legislative Research had been dealing with a flood in their offices.
Republicans met and discussed the political theatrics at play and the necessity to stay the course. A vote was taken later on the floor, and the motion failed with only 39 voting in favor and 77 against the measure.
There are still several things very fluid as we are trying to wrap up this session, I would encourage you to see the latest by going to www.kslegislature.org.
I also want to let you know, the legislative assistants have gone home so the best way to contact me is: [email protected] or my cell phone: (785) 302-8416.
It is my honor to serve as your state representative.
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) recently announced the addition of Liberal native and former Kansas House Representative Reid Petty to his staff to serve as district director for southwest Kansas. Petty will be stationed in Garden City and serve as a liaison with community leaders, local government officials and businesses and provide assistance for Kansans seeking help with federal agencies.
“Reid’s extensive experience serving southwest Kansans, most recently at the Kansas Department of Transportation and in the Kansas House of Representatives, makes him a great addition to our team,” said Sen. Moran. “Reid’s service in this role will make certain that southwest Kansans know where they can turn for assistance with federal issues. He brings an understanding of the unique issues facing our rural communities and will be an asset to my staff as we continue working to serve the people of our state.”
“Senator Moran has proven time and time again that he understands the challenges we face in southwest Kansas with his frequent presence in the area,” said Petty. “I appreciate the opportunity and look forward to helping southwest Kansas continue to have a voice through the senator.”
Petty previously served as the Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) Legislative and Public Outreach Coordinator. Prior to joining KDOT, he served in the Kansas House of Representatives in 2013 and 2014. He has a background in education, having spent nearly four years teaching and serving on the Liberal Board of Education. He also worked at Seward County Broadcasting, KLKT-TV, and has been a contributor to the Leader and Times newspaper. Petty attended the University of Kansas and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma Panhandle State University.
Eber Phelps, D-Hays, is the 111th Dist. state representative.
For the last four years, all bills with the slightest hint of controversy were sent through the Senate and amended into conference committee reports (CCR). CCRs are not open to policy or funding change by amendment. They are debated and voted up or down. If there’s anything to be said for the sea-change in Topeka, it’s that at least we have the opportunity to have policy discussions on the House floor, offer amendments, and have serious debates.
One example is the bison herd in southeast Kansas. Years ago, the state planned to give up a small herd of bison on old mined land in southeast Kansas. Rep. Bob Grant (D-Frontenac) fought for the bison to remain as they had practically become family to many residents in the area. Rep. Grant’s nickname became “Buffalo Bob.” Rep. Grant passed away in December 2015 and HB 2098 would designate the herd at the Mined Land Wildlife Area in Crawford County as the “Bob Grant Bison Herd.” The bill became a political hot potato last year when Bob’s wife was running for a State Senate seat, and the Republican-led Senate blocked the bill. This year, however, the Senate and House passed the bill unanimously and it was signed into law in early May. This is a fitting tribute to our late colleague.
Making Headlines
Filing Deadline for Local Election Candidates Approaches
Anyone interested in running for local office in Kansas – take note! The filing deadline for candidacy is June 1st, 2017. If you would like to file, or know someone who would, please find all the details you need and the filing paperwork here.
School Finance Sub HB 2410 was pushed out of committee without recommendation to increase school funding. While the committee had been considering adding $750 million over the next five years, this bill falls far short of that amount. The projected five-year increase for funding in this bill is around $450 million. The legislation includes exact amounts of $179 million in the first year and $100 million in the second, but then school funding would only increase based on the inflation rate. Those increases are only projected to be around $55 million per year. The legislation funds all-day kindergarten and adds $2 million each year for at-risk students. I do not believe these amounts will satisfy the court, nor the future excellence of Kansas students.
Budget
The conference committee responsible for finding a solution to the state’s massive budget problem failed to advance a plan last week after members couldn’t agree on the timing for House and Senate votes to repeal Gov. Sam Brownback’s 2012 small business tax cuts. The bill, SB 30, also would have placed extra burdens on many Kansans by reducing the low-income tax threshold for individual and married filers. While the bill restores three tax brackets, it does raise the rate on lower- and middle-income taxpayers. Medical expenses would again be allowed to be deducted, per federal law, and the scheduled, automatic deductions in individual tax rates would be repealed. The state faces a $900 million shortfall in Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019.
It’s not just the House, the entire legislature is stuck. We are separated into a few different factions and everyone is frustrated. We did such a good job getting a tax bill passed in February that the rest of the session has been a struggle to get another bill with veto-proof majorities.
Due to the governor’s disconnection with reality, he will veto any tax bill which repeals the LLC tax break. A lot of new people went out on a limb, their first major vote and they’re voting a huge tax increase. They’re now understandably gun shy and just want to have one vote instead of multiple votes, they want one that will actually work and get 84-27.
House Floor Action
Judicial Funding HB 2041—The House approved a bill, 98-24, that allows the judiciary to extend surcharges on several docket fees until June 30, 2019 versus the current deadline of June 30, 2017. The bill also will require responsible parties to pay the cost of collecting debts owed to the courts when those parties fail to pay any debts owed, or the court must contract with an outside agent to collect the debt. Current law allows the costs of collecting debts be paid by the defendant only in criminal, traffic and juvenile offender cases.
Foster Care Reform H Sub for SB 126 creates the Foster Care Oversight Task Force to help the state improve the well-being and safety of children in the foster care system. The task force will have 18 members including legislators but also a family law attorney, foster parent, law enforcement officer, guardian, social worker, court-appointed special advocate, and a judge. This group will recommend policy improvements to the Legislature beginning in 2018, and the group will submit reports each year on its progress toward making recommendations. In addition, the Department of Children and Families will provide data and information on foster care programs as needed by the task force. The task force will disband by July 1, 2020. The House voted for the bill without opposition. The Senate voted, 38-2, for an earlier version of the bill, so a conference committee will need to work out the differences. Testimony is available here.
Local Control HB 2424—This bill lets cities and counties raise property taxes to fund needed contributions to social security, workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, health care costs, employee benefits plans, and retirement and pension programs without first going through a public vote. Current law forbids cities and counties from increasing property taxes beyond those tied to the consumer price index to pay for needed budget increases.
Taxation SB 146—The committee took up a bill that was previously approved by the Senate, 39-1, to keep a 20-mill school finance levy through the 2018-2019 school year. The bill exempts the first $20,000 of residential property from the levy. The bill was changed by the Senate to stop any new property tax exemptions for property financed by Industrial Revenue Bonds or other types of economic development. Learn more by reading the committee testimony here.
HB 2380 was approved by the House, 78-42, to lower the sales tax on food and food ingredients from 6.5 percent to 5.5 percent, but not until July 1, 2020. This reduction would apply to bottled water, but not to food sold through vending machines, soft drinks, dietary supplements, candy, tobacco or alcohol. To pay for the reduction, several service-related businesses that currently do not charge sales tax will be mandated to start adding sales tax beginning on July 1, 2017. They are pet care (excluding veterinarians); motor vehicle towing; collection agencies; mini-warehouse and self-storage; investigation; security guards and patrol; security systems (excluding locksmiths); and non-residential cleaning. These changes are expected to increase state revenues by more than $52 million in Fiscal Year 2018 and more than $161 million by FY 2022. Originally, this bill was to allow Marion County north of Wichita to add 0.5 percent to its sales tax, with voter approval, to provide property tax relief, pay for economic development initiatives and fund public infrastructure projects. Testimony on the Marion County sales tax proposal is available here.
Assistance for Kansans with Disabilities S Sub for HB 2053 creates the Crisis Intervention Act to allow law enforcement personnel to transport people in their care to a “crisis intervention center” if there is such a center nearby. The Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) defines a crisis intervention center as any licensed entity that is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to serve individuals in crisis because of mental illness or substance abuse. Anyone taken to a center by police must be admitted for evaluation. In addition, the bill allows a center to admit and detain any individuals who are at least 18 years old who are taken to a center for emergency observation and treatment upon written application of an adult or police officer. Finally, KDADS would create the Survey, Certification and Credentialing Commission to handle the increased caseloads involved in licensing these centers. The bill will cost the state almost $192,000 for Fiscal Year 2018. Both the House and Senate approved the bill without opposition. This bill was originally considered by the House as HB 2240. Read testimony for HB 2240 here.
Juvenile Justice Reform H Sub for SB 42 improves the juvenile justice system in addition to updating SB 367, which is the juvenile justice reform bill enacted during the 2016 session. One change centers on juveniles evading their court-ordered supervision. The bill mandates that evading supervision does not necessarily become a technical violation of probation. Courts can issue a warrant only after there has been a reasonable effort to find the juveniles who have “absconded from supervision.” In addition, the bill creates a statewide, searchable database for juveniles who participate in certain intervention programs; makes changes to sentencing and placement of a juvenile who uses a firearm to commit a felony; and adds two members to the Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee. The House passed this bill, 118-3.
It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I both value and need your input on the various issues facing state government. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room 43-S, 300 SW 10th, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at (785) 296-4683 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me. Additionally, you can e-mail me at [email protected]. You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org.
The Ellis County Historical Society, as part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of Hays and Ellis County, will host an authentic chuck wagon dinner and concert by acclaimed Western singer-songwriter Michael Martin Murphey on Friday, June 23, at the National Guard Armory and Municipal Park.
Tickets for the sesquicentennial fundraiser are $50. They are on sale at the Ellis County Historical Society, 100 West 7th Street, Bank of Hays, 1000 West 27th Street, and the Cerv’s convenience store located at 2701 Vine Street. Tickets are tax-deductible.
John Schaffner, a cowboy poet and chuck wagon cook, will provide an authentic cowboy meal of beef tips with gravy, cowboy hash browns, beans and biscuits, coleslaw and fruit cobbler. Tea and lemonade will be provided. Schaffner uses cast iron Dutch ovens covered with coals to cook. He was the official cook for John Wayne’s 100th birthday celebration. Schaffner also will delight guests with his cowboy poetry, which he learned as a child from an 85-year-old cowboy.
The dinner will be at 6:30 p.m. A cash bar will be open at 5 p.m., with horn roping also at that time. There will be cowboy poetry at 7:30 p.m., followed by the concert at 8 p.m.
Murphey, a multiple Grammy nominee, has six gold albums. He recorded the hit platinum single, “Wildfire.” In the summer of 1975 the song reached No. 2 on the Cash Box chart and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached No. 1 on the adult contemporary charts. The song surpassed two million in U.S. sales.
“We are very excited to bring Michael Martin Murphey to Hays, and to provide an amazing dining experience, courtesy of John Schaffner,” ECHS director Lee Dobratz said. “We expect everyone will have a great time stepping back into history and getting a glimpse of life in the Wild West.”
Sponsors for the event are Chris and Don Bickle; Brad Boyer; Toby Johnson; Lorena and Wilmer Kellogg; Elaine and Verlin Pfannenstiel; Judy and Jerry Rome; Henry Schwaller; Donna and Ed Stehno; Kay and Dick Werth; Sandee and Tim Werth; Marvin Rack and Northwestern Printers; Rocking M Radio; Hays Daily News; Eagle Communications; Hays Post; and Hits 106.9.
The Armory parking lot will be reserved. General admission parking is available at the Hays Aquatic Park, in Municipal Park lots, along Main Street and at NCK Tech.
