Today
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. Northwest wind 13 to 16 mph.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 40. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable.
Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 72. West northwest wind around 6 mph.
Sunday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm, then a chance of showers between 9pm and 3am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. East southeast wind around 6 mph becoming south southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Monday
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9am, then a chance of showers between 9am and noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 72. West southwest wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Monday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am, then a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Tuesday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.
Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 43.
Kansas lawmakers have struggled since 2015 on whether to investigate alleged discrimination against same-sex couples in the state’s foster care and adoption system.
Rep. Jarrod Ousley, a Merriam Democrat, has asked the Legislative Post Audit Division to conduct a survey about potential bias against same-sex couples in child placement decisions. CREDIT FILE PHOTO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Now some think they’ve hit on an answer: Ask people working in the foster care system if they think the issue needs a deeper look.
Rep. Jarrod Ousley, a Merriam Democrat, has asked the Legislative Post Audit Division to conduct a survey about potential bias against same-sex couples in child placement decisions.
In 2015 and 2016, members of the Legislative Post Audit Committee declined other requests for audits of possible adoption bias in the foster care system.
The survey Ousley has requested would ask lawyers appointed to represent children’s interests in child welfare cases if they have seen discriminatory treatment in a case and whether they believe the Legislature should investigate the issue.
Rep. John Barker, an Abilene Republican and chairman of the Legislative Post Audit Committee, gave Ousley’s request preliminary approval, according to an email from audit staff. The survey and limited-scope audit would require an estimated 100 staff hours, so it would be automatically approved at the next Legislative Post Audit Committee meeting unless the other committee members ask for a vote.
Barker said he doesn’t know if same-sex couples have been treated unfairly in child placement cases, but he said a survey could settle the question or show lawmakers they need more information.
“I thought, ‘Well, that’s an interesting question and I don’t know the answer to it,’ and that’s why we have audits,” he said.
If the survey finds that lawyers working on child welfare cases think a larger audit is worthwhile, their views might resonate with committee members, Ousley said.
“If they come back and say, ‘Yes, it’s a good idea,’ maybe it would be a little more persuasive than a lawmaker or two asking for it,” he said.
Ousley and other members of the House Children and Seniors Committee forwarded a bill this session to create a task force that will recommend improvements to the foster care system. The House approved the bill but it awaits Senate action.
The Kansas Department for Children and Families oversees the foster care system, and two contractors operate it. In recent years, record numbers of children have entered the state’s foster care system, raising concerns among social service advocates and some legislators.
In April 2016, DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore submitted a letter to the post audit committee stating that the department and its two foster care contractors have no formal policies related to same-sex couples. She said DCF reviewed its training materials, internal memos and other policy documents but found no information about sexual orientation.
Kasey Rogg, deputy general counsel for DCF, told a legislative Special Committee on Foster Care Adequacy in November 2016 that the department doesn’t discriminate against same-sex couples.
“There is no policy that takes into account those issues. It’s not an issue,” he said.
The issue came up in late 2015 when lawmakers set the questions for a three-part audit of the foster care system, which post audit staff recently finished.
Rep. Jim Ward, a Wichita Democrat, had asked that a question about potential discrimination against same-sex couples be included, but other members of the Legislative Post Audit committee elected not to pursue it.
Ward referenced the case of a baby who was being raised by a lesbian couple in Wichita but then was placed with Jonathan and Allison Schumm, a Topeka couple raising some of her siblings. The Schumms later were charged with abusing another child in their home but reached a diversion agreement, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal.
A 2013 court ruling in Johnson County also alleged DCF had conducted a “witch hunt” against a lesbian couple seeking to adopt a child while allowing heterosexual parents with more serious past offenses to adopt.
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. You can reach her on Twitter @MegWingerter.
Diners fill Sake 2 Me’s new location at 2306 Vine.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
Sake 2 Me has opened in a new location — and with a new concept and menu.
You’ll still be able to get the same great sushi, but the restaurant has eliminated stir fry, expanded its seafood menu and added other American cuisine and international dishes at 2306 Vine.
The business was located at 700 Main.
Mike Huskey, owner, said his goal is to broaden the restaurant’s customer base and appeal.
“I have so many people who have come to me and said we would love to get our parents in here to eat, but they won’t eat raw food,” he said.
To pursue the restaurant’s new mission, it has brought in local executive chef Roy Herman, who is known for his work at the Rooftops Restaurant in Hays.
Although Huskey brings a personal touch to all the dishes, he said Herman brings some items on the menu to a new level, including the restaurant’s lobster mac and cheese.
Huskey said he wanted at opportunity to stretch his talents and the talents of his staff.
“My job and Roy’s is to turn people on to seafood,” he said. “We want to offer people something they can’t do at home.”
The duo are bringing new items to their menu, including clams, mussels, raw oysters, oysters Rockefeller, and peel-and-eat shrimp by the pound.
For those whose are not into the bounties of the sea, the restaurant’s grill menu will also include hamburgers, steaks and po’ boys.
“We took food from all over the world,” Huskey said. “We have a Vietnamese dish and American foods like Southern fried catfish.”
All the breading and sauces for the restaurants dishes are made from scratch. The restaurant ships its food in next day from all over the United States, including Hawaii, Texas, Massachusetts and San Diego. Hays’ proximity to a central airport in Salina and the interstate makes getting fresh seafood easy, he said.
The restaurants also will have price points to fit everyone’s pocketbooks, with dishes ranging from $5 to $38.
Sake 2 Me offered a bar with 12 craft beers on tap, all but two of which are from Kansas. Huskey is planning a beer and oyster happy hour.
Sake 2 Me is open now in its new location with extended hours. It will be open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. At its previous location, the restaurant was closed in the afternoons.
PRATT – What looks like a perfect day for boating can quickly become hazardous if someone ends up in the water. Boating safety advocates across the United States and Canada have teamed up to promote safe and responsible boating – including consistent life jacket wear every time boaters are on the water – during National Safe Boating Week, held from May 20-26, 2017.
“Each year hundreds of people lose their lives in boating incidents, but they may still be alive if they had been wearing a life jacket,” said Rachel Johnson, executive director of the National Safe Boating Council (NSBC). NSBC is the lead organization for the North American Safe Boating Campaign, a yearlong effort focused on boating safety that kicks off annually with National Safe Boating Week.
“It’s not enough to just own a life jacket and store it on a boat, you must wear it,” Johnson said.
U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that drowning was the reported cause of death in three-fourths of recreational boating fatalities in 2015, and that 85 percent of those who drowned were not wearing life jackets.
Today’s life jackets are more comfortable, cooler and lighter than the bulky orange jackets most boaters are familiar with. Innovative options, such as inflatables, allow for mobility and flexibility during boating activities such as fishing, paddling or hunting.
Kansas law requires all youth 12 and younger to wear life jackets when on a boat, but lives can be saved if everyone onboard wears a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket.
“Being a strong swimmer is no excuse to not wear a life jacket. An incident can happen in less than a second when you are least prepared for it, and a life jacket can be the difference between surviving that incident or potentially losing your life,” said Chelsea Hofmeier, Boating Education coordinator for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT). “Getting your Kansas Boater Safety Education Certification is another way to ensure your boating days are safer and more enjoyable,” Hofmeier added.
The Kansas Boater Safety Education course is offered three ways – home study packet, online and classroom. Go to www.ksoutdoors.com, click on “Boating,” then on “Boating Education” to learn more.
The North American Safe Boating Campaign unites the efforts of a wide variety of boating safety advocates and is produced under a grant from the Sports Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, administered by the U.S. Coast Guard. For more information and to follow the campaign on social media, please visit www.safeboatingcampaign.com.
PRATT – It’s fishing and boating season, and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) reminds boaters and anglers that they play a critical role in preventing the spread of aquatic invaders that threaten Kansas waters. Anyone who boats or fishes in Kansas can learn more about Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) at ProtectKSWaters.org.
ANS in Kansas include: white perch, two species of Asian carp – silver and bighead, zebra mussels, and three plant species – salt cedar, Eurasian watermilfoil and purple loosestrife. Kansas boaters and anglers should be familiar with the regulations put in place to prevent the spread of ANS.
Live baitfish may be caught and used as live bait only within the common drainage where caught. However, live baitfish shall not be transported and used above any upstream dam or barrier that prohibits the normal passage of fish. Live baitfish collected from designated aquatic nuisance waters shall be possessed or used as live bait only while on that water and shall not be transported from the water alive. Bluegill and green sunfish collected from non-designated aquatic nuisance waters may be possessed or used as live bait anywhere in the state.
Live bait purchased from a permitted bait dealer can be used anywhere in the state but no live fish may be transported from an ANS designated water. Baitfish must be disposed on land or in approved receptacles. Bilges and livewells must also be drained before leaving.
These regulations are necessary because zebra mussel larvae, called veligers, are microscopic and suspended in the water column. At Kansas lakes with established zebra mussel populations, there may be as many as 1,000 veligers in a single gallon of lake water. Within 2-3 weeks, the veligers settle out under the weight of their forming shell. Adult zebra mussels look like small clams with jagged brown or black stripes. They attach to underwater surfaces and can reach densities of 100,000 individuals per square meter. Zebra mussels can clog water intake pipes, costing electric generating plants an estimated $145 million annually to control them. In addition, shells from dead mussels can accumulate along shorelines, making wading and swimming dangerous.
Silver and bighead carp threaten Kansas waterways and fish populations. These prolific plankton eaters can eat up to 40 percent of their body weight each day, competing with native fish for food and threatening the diversity and quality of other aquatic life. When young, Asian carp resemble native minnows and shad, which is why baitfish regulations limit the movement of wild-caught baitfish. When grown, Asian carp can weigh up to 100 pounds, and they are prone to leaping out of the water when disturbed by a passing motorboat, posing a real physical threat to boaters.
There are three primary ways the public can help stop ANS from spreading:
CLEAN – DRAIN – DRY– boats and equipment after every visit to any lake or river
DON’T MOVE LIVE FISH – between bodies of water or up streams
DON’T DUMP BAIT IN THE WATER OR DRAINAGE DITCHES – Instead, discard bait on dry land or in an approved receptacle
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A man who fatally stabbed a student on the Wichita State University campus 40 years ago has died.
Leonard Bell attacked 19-year-old Julie Ladd on May 15, 1977, when she interrupted him as he was trying to steal money from the coin-operated laundry machines in her basement dormitory.
Bell already was serving a life term in Colorado for a 1981 killing when he was linked to Ladd’s death seven years later. A Sedgwick County judge imposed a similar sentence for Ladd’s slaying and ordered it be served consecutively to the Colorado case.
A Kansas Department of Corrections spokeswoman says Bell hadn’t yet begun serving the life term he received for Ladd’s stabbing when he died last month in a Colorado prison. He was 62.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A former Haskell Indian Nations University student will not be tried a third time on charges of raping another student.
The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office said Thursday it would not retry 22-year-old Galen Satoe.
Satoe and 21-year-old Jared Wheeler were charged with raping a 19-year-old Haskell freshman in November 2014 in their dormitory room. The men maintained the encounter was consensual.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports Satoe’s two previous trials ended in mistrials on most of the charges.
The Douglas County attorney said it did not expect a different outcome in a third trial without more evidence.
Wheeler’s one trial ended with a hung jury in June 2016. He then pleaded no contest to aggravated battery and was sentenced to 60 days in jail and two years’ probation.
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa will pay $6.5 million to settle discrimination lawsuits filed by former athletic administrator Jane Meyer and her partner, former women’s field hockey coach Tracey Griesbaum.
The school agreed in settlements released Friday to pay Meyer $2.33 million, Griesbaum $1.49 million and $2.68 million to the Des Moines law firm that represented them.
Jurors this month found that school officials discriminated against Meyer based on her gender and sexual orientation, retaliated against her for speaking out and paid her less than a male counterpart- Gene Taylor.
They awarded $1.45 million in damages in what advocates for women in college athletics called a landmark verdict.
The settlement avoids a June trial in a lawsuit brought by Griesbaum, whose firing by athletic director Gary Barta was center to both cases.
In 2014, Barta hired Gene Taylor to take over some of Myer’s responsibilities. Taylor is the new Athletic Director at Kansas State University. On Taylor’s first day at Iowa, Barta fired Griesbaum.
EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — A man has been re-sentenced to 20 years in prison for fatally shooting another man in 2009 after an altercation hours earlier.
The Emporia Gazette reports that Jimmy Dominguez apologized Thursday when he was sentenced for second-degree murder in the killing of Jose Leyva. Dominguez blamed drinking and said he wasn’t in his “right mind.” Another man was wounded but survived the shooting, which followed a wedding dance and party.
The re-sentencing came after years of delays, brought on by a cancer diagnoses, a 2010 mistrial and the reversal of his 2011 conviction because of jury instruction mistakes.
Dominguez is receiving palliative care after radiation treatment failed. He’ll serve the remainder of his sentence at the infirmary at the Lansing Correctional Facility.
SEDGWICK COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in Sedgwick County are investigating a home invasion robbery and asking the public for help to locate suspects.
Just after 2:30 Thursday police were dispatched to a home in the 2200 Block of Piatt In Wichita for report of a robbery, according to Friday’s media briefing.
A 67-year-old man arrived at the residence and found his 70-year-old brother with a head injuries.
A suspect had forced his way into the home and a blue Porsche Cayenne was missing, according to police.
Officers later found the car on North Minnesota Street. In injured victim was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, according to police.
Police did not released information on what was taken from the vehicle or if it was damaged.
The Wild West Fest planning committee expects this year’s Main Street parade to be one of the largest in recent history. The theme is “150 Years Out West,” in celebration of the Sesquicentennial anniversaries that occur this year for the City of Hays, Historic Fort Hays, and Ellis County. The parade will take place Saturday, July 1 at 10 a.m.
Sandi Maier has been working on the Wild West Festival committee for nine years, and has served as event coordinator for two years.
“This year the City of Hays and the Hays Convention & Visitors Bureau have teamed up with the Wild West Festival to increase the prize money for the best parade entry. We would love to see many entrants this year, to make this one of the largest parades ever for our community,” Maier said.
For the 2017 parade, 1st place winner will receive $200, 2nd place winner will receive $175, and the 3rd place winner will receive $150.
The parade will include appearances by special guests as well.
Members of the Hays Community Theatre have plans to walk the parade with a historical Wild West performance to remind citizens of Hays’ early rough and rowdy days.
The Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard from Fort Riley also plans to attend. The troopers of this unit, as well as their horses, will be outfitted in Civil War era uniforms and equipment. The unit will also perform a demonstration at the FHSU Rodeo grounds that will be free to the public.
Community organizations can register for the parade online at www.wildwestfestival.com. There is no fee for parade entries. Entries must be received on or before Wednesday, June 21, 2017.
The 23rd annual Wild West Festival is set for June 28-July 4, 2017. Headline performers include Chris Janson, Mark Chestnutt, and Resurrection: A JOURNEY Tribute. The event’s grand finale is a fireworks show on July 4 at 10 p.m.
For more information on the Wild West Festival or parade, email [email protected] or call 785-623-4476.
GEARY COUNTY – One of two Kansas teens injured in an accident just before 4p.m. Monday has died.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Ford Explorer driven by Dayton A. Bilyeu,18, Milford, was northbound on U.S. 77 eight miles north of Junction City.
The SUV crossed the center line, entered the west shoulder, traveled back to the east, began to roll, hit a guard rail, and continued to roll down an embankment.
Bilyeu was transported to Geary Community Hospital. His sister, a passenger in the SUV Katelynne A. Bilyeu, 15, Milford, was transported to Children’s Mercy Hospital where she died.
Both were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
Junction City Principal Melissa Sharp sent the following to JCHS parents:
It is with heavy heart that I write this note today. This morning, we had a sophomore student, Katelynne Bilyeu, pass away. Katie was involved in a single car accident after school this week, which led her to be transported to Children’s Mercy in Kansas City.
Today, I spoke to her mother, father and brother by phone, and as they prepare the funeral, they want to thank all of you for your outreach and support over the last few days. Servicesare pending at this time, but they believe they will occur on Monday or Tuesday. It will be an open ceremony, with all staff and students invited. When we receive more details, we will communicate the specifics through our District Communications office.
Katelynne has a senior brother, Dayton. It was the desire of the family to have Dayton at graduation practice on Friday, and for him to participate in the Saturday commencement event. They believe this is what his sister would have wanted. I would ask all of you reading this note make an effort to lift him, and his family, up this weekend.
I would also ask that you check on your own student and how they are responding to Katelynne’s untimely death. Our district crisis team is on site for our students; and we will continue to offer counseling support for as long as you believe your student needs the service.
Please let me know how we can further support your needs.
Today
