KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nate Karns struck out a career-high 12 in five innings, Eric Hosmer reached base four times and the Kansas City Royals beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 on Saturday night.
Karns is the first in franchise history to strike out 12 in five innings. The last major league pitcher to accomplish that was Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs on June 5, 2016.
Baltimore’s Chris Davis homered off Seth Maness (1-0) to tie it 3-3 in the sixth, but Brandon Moss homered off Alec Asher (1-2) to put Kansas City back ahead later that inning. Moss has homered in consecutive games.
Hosmer had two hits and walked twice. The Royals scored three runs in 4 1/3 innings off Chris Tillman.
Francisco Pena homered in the third and fifth innings against Karns. Pena had only one career homer entering the game.
TOPEKA, Kan. – The TMP-Marian Monarchs are the No. 4 seed and will host Wichita Independent in the opening round of the 4-3-2-1A Central/South Central Regional Tuesday at 5 pm. Hays High is the No. 7 seed and will host Augusta at 4 pm Tuesday.
OMAHA, Neb. — A Colorado man has been given five years of probation for a tractor sale scheme in Nebraska.
Federal prosecutors say 63-year-old Benedict Palen Jr., of Denver, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Omaha. He was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service and pay the remaining unpaid restitution of $2,500.
Prosecutors say Palen, acting through his company, Great Plains Farms, sold a tractor in September 2012 to a party in Holdrege, Nebraska, and to someone in North Dakota.
According to documents filed in the case Further investigation revealed that not only was there a lien against the tractor held by a bank in Kansas, but the same tractor had actually been sold in 2011 by the defendant, as vice-president of Pull Pans, Inc., to a company in Florida.
Prosecutors say Palen also sold a different tractor to someone in Bertrand, Nebraska, that also had been sold to the Florida company.
Henry A. Ostmeyer Jr., 94, of Oakley, died, Thursday, May 11, 2017 at Logan County Manor. Henry was born in Angelus, KS September 10, 1922 to Henry and Mary (Haverkamp) Ostmeyer. He was married to Vesta Fern Hatten Ostmeyer on January 4th 1944. He was a farmer for his entire life.
He is preceded in death by his parents, 4 brother, 5 sisters and great granddaughter.
Survivors include wife, Vesta; three sons, Larry (Cathy) Ostmeyer, of Royce City, TX, Tom (Diana) Ostmeyer, of Arvada, CO and Jerry Ostmeyer, of Dallas, TX; three daughters, Mary Lu (Rodney) Kruse, of Oakley, KS, Pat Wycoff, of Oakley, KS and Karen (Ken) Huelsman, of Lakewood, Co; 18 grandchildren and 27 great grandchildren.
Visitation will be 5-7:00pm, Monday, May 15, 2017 at Baalmann Mortuary, Oakley with Vigil service at 7:00pm. Funeral Mass will be 10:30am, Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at St Joseph Catholic Church, Oakley, KS. Burial will be at St Joseph Cemetery, Oakley, KS.
Memorials may be made to St Joseph Catholic Church or Logan County Hospital for the Independent living Center Activities Department in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 204, Oakley KS 67748. Online condolences: www.baalmannmortuary.com
GEARY COUNTY – Two Kansas men admitted in Geary Count court on Friday to felony drug charges.
Joshua D. Grilliot, 24, and Nicholas E. Bird, 28, both of Geary County plead no contest to one count each of the manufacture of methamphetamine – a felony offense.
In February, the two were arrested in connected with an alleged meth lab at 1303 Spring Hill Road in Junction City.
After a month-long investigation, the Junction City/Geary County Drug Operations Group assisted by the Riley County Hazardous Materials Response team executed a search warrant in into the alleged
Friday fire in Hutchinson-photo courtesy of Lori Tunnell Landron
HUTCHINSON- A Friday evening fire at a Kansas home is now blamed on kids playing with a lighter.
Just after 8:30p.m, the Hutchinson Fire Department responded to the 100 block of East 8th for a structure fire, according to a media release.
They found a fully involved four-car garage with intense heat.
Multiple exposures were being threatened with several starting to burn, including the backside of nearby Riverside Baptist Church.
Fire attack procedures were initiated when a second alarm was requested. The fire was controlled in approximately 20 minutes. Crews remained on scene for approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes performing investigation and overhaul operations.
Three juveniles from the area admitted to playing with a lighter in the garage and starting the fire, according to fire officials.
The garage and vehicles inside were a total loss. In addition, three exposure buildings were damaged, including the church, which received minor damage. The total damage estimate was $10,000.
The Hutchinson Fire Department responded 11 units, including staff and support vehicles. No injuries were reported.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A plan in Kansas to build a new prison to replace the state’s oldest and largest lockup faces bipartisan skepticism from legislators worried that their oversight is being skirted.
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration expects by the end of the week to have a list of qualified companies interested in building the new prison in Lansing.
The project would cost up to $155 million. The cash-strapped state could finance it with bonds or lease the new prison from a private company for up to 40 years before buying it.
Legislators must approve demolition of existing buildings and authorize any bonds for the project.
Brownback’s administration can sign a lease-purchase agreement with a private company on its own. But lawmakers have considered requiring another review of the project by legislative leaders.
KANSAS CITY – announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for producing child pornography of a 2-year-old victim, according to Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
Conner Michael Webb, 28, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 25 years in federal prison without parole.
On Nov. 14, 2016, Webb pleaded guilty to producing child pornography.
The investigation began when the subject of a federal investigation and prosecution for child pornography in the District of Kansas was arrested in November 2015. Federal agents searched his computer and cell phone and found numerous chat conversations with Webb, who used the profile name of Kinky PedoBoy. During one of those conversations, the Kansas subject (who is not identified in court documents) sent Webb several images and videos of child pornography. Webb sent a pornographic video of the 2-year-old victim, taken with his cell phone, to the Kansas subject.
On Oct. 15, 2015, Webb asked the Kansas subject to send him something to “get me in the mood” before he picked up the 2-year-old victim, identified in court documents as “Jane Doe.” The Kansas subject sent Webb several images and videos of child pornography on his cell phone. On the afternoon of the same day, Webb sent a pornographic video he had just taken of Jane Doe to the Kansas subject’s cell phone.
A federal search warrant was executed at Webb’s residence on Dec. 2, 2015. Officers seized Webb’s computers, phones and computer media. Webb, who was at home during the search, was arrested.
Webb admitted that he been communicating with the Kansas subject for approximately six years.
When Kat McEwan bought a gift for her husband’s birthday last year, she had no idea that the gift would turn into a growing business a year later. In February 2016, Kat and Jeremiah McEwan participated in their first “Escape Room” experience in Kansas City.
“I found something on the Groupon app, and we’re big gamers and it was his birthday. I thought he would enjoy it,” said Kat. “I honestly didn’t really want to do it. I didn’t think it sounded like fun — I was wrong. We had a blast and, the second we left, we starting talking about opening one up.”
“There’s not a whole lot of stuff to do in Hays, so we thought it would go over well with the local community and all the college kids. It would give them an alternative for something to do both during the week and weekends,” Jeremiah said.
After some internet research, talking to owners of Escape Rooms across the country, and months of looking for the right building, the McEwans registered their business in April 2016, saved up some money and officially opened Escape Hays in March 2017.
“The games that we make are our own, but the concept on how to build escape rooms we got from online research. We learned what works, what doesn’t work and what we should definitely stay away from,” Jeremiah said.
Escape rooms have recently gained popularity around the country because they feature a physical adventure game where participants solve puzzles using various clues, hints and strategies to complete the objectives given to them. There is usually a time limit to reach specific goals set by the creators of the challenges.
“When we did the Kansas City one, there were two escape rooms in Kansas City, one in Manhattan, and one in Wichita,” Jeremiah said. “A year later, there’s five in Kansas City, three in Wichita, one in Hutchinson, Topeka, Manhattan, Salina and two in Hays.”
Escape Hays currently features two different rooms. The first is a “CIA Mission,” during which players have 60 minutes to “save the world” from a terrorist attack. The second room is called “Room 1867,” where players will find clues to figure out a way to escape from a hotel room.
“We try to make our rooms immersive so it feels like you’re a CIA operative trying to stop a terrorist attack or feeling like you are actually trapped in a hotel room and have to figure out how to get out,” Kat said.
Before opening Escape Hays, the McEwans hired Bryan Snyder-Brown to manage the business and to help with graphic design and video production for commercials. Kat writes the scripts for the commercials and Jeremiah wrote the software that controls the games and is the communication between the owners and the players during their time in the rooms.
“The beauty of working with the McEwans and building our own website is we can have names up on our website and on our leaderboards before they even leave the building. It is all done through a spreadsheet that auto-updates through our website. That way if there are any problems, we can just log in a fix it ourselves,” said Snyder-Brown.
Another advantage of being in charge of every aspect of a business is that accommodations can be made a lot faster and easier.
“A thing that I love about the fact that we have built everything ourselves and designed everything ourselves is that I’m a mom of a 5- year-old and I don’t think I would want my child playing in a game that deals with terrorism or things like that so we can change it. We have backups to give families a more family-friendly option,” said Kat.
What sets Escape Hays apart from the rest of the escape rooms is how the owners have managed to implement the history and community of Hays into the puzzles and clues. They plan to implement a third room in the summer for the 150th anniversary of Fort Hays, which will be saloon-themed and based on the local legend of Hangman’s Bridge in Hays. Escape Hays is also planning a Halloween-themed room in October that will play on the legend of the local ghost of the “Blue Light Lady,” and a Christmas-themed room after Thanksgiving.
Escape Hays is located at 1506 Vine in Hays. More information can be found on their website at www.escapehays.com.
TOPEKA – On May 5, Governor Sam Brownback hosted a ceremonial signing of the bill renaming Lake Scott State Park to Historic Lake Scott State Park. Park staff and other officials from the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) attended the ceremony.
The new name will take effect beginning July 1, 2017.
The bill to rename the park was introduced in the 2017 Legislature and passed unanimously in both chambers. Governor Sam Brownback officially signed the bill into law on March 28, 2017.
The park opened in 1930. Adding “Historic” to the park’s name recognizes the historical significance of the land and lake to Native Americans, the State of Kansas, Scott County and surrounding areas. El Cuartelejo – the remains of the northeastern-most known Native American pueblo, which dates to about 1664 – are in the park. The park is entirely enclosed within the El Cuartelejo Archaeological District National Historic Landmark. More than 26 archaeological sites have been documented within and adjacent to the park’s boundaries.
The Herbert and Eliza Steele House, the home of early settlers in the area, was completed circa 1894 and has been preserved in the park much as it was more than 120 years ago. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Register of Kansas Historic Places.
A flood in August 1933 destroyed about 100 feet of the dam. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) acted quickly to repair the dam and make other park improvements, completing their work in May 1934. Remnants of the CCC camp are still visible in the park. A beach house, an example of revival Spanish architecture, was built in 1930 at the swim beach, and today serves as concessions for the public.
Battle Canyon, about one mile south of the park, is another notable historic feature. It is the location of the September 1878 Battle of Punished Woman’s Fork – the last battle between Native Americans (Northern Cheyenne) and the U.S Cavalry in Kansas.
Lake Scott State Park is located along the Western Vistas Historic Byway about 11 miles north of Scott City, west of US-83 on K-95.
Historic Lake Scott State Park
Listed by National Geographic as one of the country’s 50 must-see state parks, Lake Scott State Park is a stunning oasis of natural springs, deep wooded canyons, craggy bluffs and early American history. The 1,020-acre park is in Ladder Creek Canyon and surrounds the 100-acre Scott State Fishing Lake. Several active springs and Ladder Creek feed the lake. A 160-acre wildlife area also lies west of and adjacent to the park.
Listen to Mike Cooper interviewing Orthopedic Physician and Surgeon Dr. Gulraiz A. Cheema; from from Hays Orthopedic Institute at HaysMed, with the topic of “Orthopedics” by clicking the link above and then clicking the play button
PRATT – Outdoor Writers of Kansas (OWK) members have stepped up again to help fund hunting and fishing licenses for Kansas disabled veterans. OWK members challenge all Kansas conservation organizations to match or beat their 2017 donation of $1,000.
Each fiscal year, the Kansas Legislature appropriates funding to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) to provide hunting and fishing licenses for Kansas military veterans with service-related disabilities of 30 percent or more. Initially the funding was adequate, but as the number of veteran license applications has increased, funding has run out before the end of the fiscal year. When that happens, KDWPT uses donations to pay for licenses. Recently, the Ford County Sportsmen’s Club made a $1,000 donation, but there are still several hundred disabled veteran license applications awaiting funding.
Anyone can donate, and hunters and anglers who purchase licenses online can check a donation box. Any individual or organization interested in helping can mail a donation made out to WildTrust, specifying the Disabled Veterans License account. Checks can be mailed to KDWPT, c/o WildTrust, 512 SE 25th Ave., Pratt, KS 67124. Visit www.ksoutdoors.com/License-Permits-Veteran-Hunting-and-Fishing-Licenses for more information.
OWK is a nonprofit professional organization with members who are dedicated to communicating about Kansas’ hunting, fishing, and other outdoor- and wildlife-related recreation. Members meet twice a year and raise money to send youngsters to the Kansas Wildlife Federation’s Outdoor Adventure Camp, purchase equipment for the KDWPT Pass It On youth program, the Steve Harper OWK/Kansas Wildscape scholarship, as well as other outdoor programs.
Listen to Mike Cooper interviewing Orthopedic Physician and Surgeon Dr. Gulraiz A. Cheema; from from Hays Orthopedic Institute at HaysMed, with the topic of “Orthopedics” by clicking the link above and then clicking the play button
