Month: May 2017
Kansas House panel adds funds for at-risk kids
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the Kansas Legislature’s debate on the state’s budget problems and education funding (all times local):
4:50 p.m.
Kansas legislators looking to boost spending on programs for at-risk public school students have decided to be more generous than previously planned.
A House committee worked Friday on a bill that would phase in a $783 million increase in annual aid to public schools over five years.
The Kansas Supreme Court ruled in March that the state’s funding for its 286 local school districts is inadequate. The court said helping under-performing students is a key issue.
The bill initially had a lower total cost, but committee members voted Friday to add an additional $21 million for programs for students who are at risk of failing. That’s an extra $111 per student for the 2017-18 school year.
The committee hopes to vote on the entire plan Monday.
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1:45 p.m.
Kansas legislators have advanced a proposal that would help the state a little with its budget problems by closing sales tax exemptions while promising a future reduction in the tax on groceries.
The House gave first-round approval to the measure Friday on a voice vote. It expects to take a final vote Monday.
The measure would raise $115 million over the next two years by applying the state’s 6.5 percent sales tax to a few services such as towing, security, pet boarding and non-residential cleaning.
Kansas faces projected budget shortfalls totaling $887 million through June 2019. The bill would lessen the need to increase other taxes.
But new revenue would be offset starting in July 2020 by a reduction in the sales tax on groceries to 6.4 percent.
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7:15 a.m.
Kansas legislators are hoping to advance a proposal to increase spending on public schools even though some lawmakers question whether it would be adequate.
A special House committee planned to vote Friday on a bill that would phase in a $762 million increase in aid to the state’s 286 local school districts over five years.
The bill also creates a new per-student formula for distributing the money to see that enough goes to programs for at-risk students.
Kansas spends more than $4 billion a year on aid to its public schools. But the state Supreme Court ruled in March that education funding is inadequate.
Lawmakers must also close projected budget shortfalls totaling $887 million through June 2019. They expect to raise income taxes but haven’t settled on a plan.
Kansas House advances bill on sales tax breaks
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators have advanced a proposal that would help the state a little with its budget problems by closing sales tax exemptions while promising a future reduction in the tax on groceries.
The House gave first-round approval to the measure Friday on a voice vote. It expects to take a final vote Monday.
The measure would raise $115 million over the next two years by applying the state’s 6.5 percent sales tax to a few services such as towing, security, pet boarding and non-residential cleaning.
Kansas faces projected budget shortfalls totaling $887 million through June 2019. The bill would lessen the need to increase other taxes.
But new revenue would be offset starting in July 2020 by a reduction in the sales tax on groceries to 6.4 percent.
Ashland student wins Torch Award as FHSU’s outstanding graduating senior
Giles Fox, Ashland, was named today as the recipient of the Torch Award as the outstanding graduating senior from the class of 2017 at Fort Hays State University.
He will receive a Bachelor of Science degrees in physics and mathematics at Commencement ceremonies beginning today at 6 p.m. in Gross Memorial Coliseum. Today’s event is for graduates from the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Peter Werth College of Science, Technology and Mathematics.
Commencement for the W.R. and Yvonne Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship, the College of Education, and the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences begins at 9 a.m. Saturday.
The announcement of the Torch Award came at the annual Graduate and Faculty Luncheon, sponsored by the FHSU Alumni Association. The Pilot Award for outstanding faculty member and the Navigator Award for outstanding faculty advisor were also announced. All three recipients will be recognized at Commencement ceremonies.
Dr. Stacey Smith, associate professor and chair of the Department of Applied Business Studies, was the Pilot Award recipient, and Dr. Cheryl Duffy, professor of English, was named the recipient of the Navigator Award.
Dr. Marcy Aycock, a 1984 FHSU graduate and a past president of the Alumni Association, introduced Fox, a 2012 graduate of Ashland High School. Fox was selected from 45 nominees.
Quoting from the nomination form for Fox, Aycock said, “Giles Fox is a natural leader. His presence in our Physics Department sets a fine example for our younger and older generation of students. He is well respected and sought for help in studying and problem solving sessions.”
This nominator also said, “I believe Giles is in the top 5 percentile of all physics graduates that I have known in my 17 years teaching physics at Fort Hays State University.”
Fox is a former pitcher and captain of the FHSU baseball team. He has tutored in both math and physics and is a member of the Sigma Pi Sigma and Phi Theta Kappa honor societies. He is also a member of the American Institute of Physics, the Society of Physics Students and the Physics and Engineering Club. An FHSU NASA Scholar, he has completed research on Doppler-free laser spectroscopy of rubidium atoms.
Aycock also introduced the Pilot Award winner. Quoting from one student’s nomination of Smith, Aycock said, “One of the main reasons I chose to attend FHSU and work towards earning my B.S. in tourism and hospitality management is because of Dr. Smith and her impressive efforts to help her students grow.”
The student continued, “She has trained us to become future leaders with the tourism industry and has provided us not just with the endless knowledge necessary to succeed, but also has instilled her passion for what we do that separates FHSU THM graduates from the rest of the field.”
Smith has written several peer-reviewed journal articles and scholarly presentations and has served on a wide variety of university and community committees and boards, including the Downtown Hays Development Corporation, the Hays Public Library, and the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau Advisory Board.
In 2015, she was named Citizen of the Year by the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce and was a recipient of the FHSU Alumni Association’s Young Alumni Award in 2010.
Introducing the winner of the Navigator Award for 2017 for outstanding academic advising, Vivian Agnew, vice president of the Student Government Association, said, “This year’s recipient was noted for providing words of love and encouragement to struggling students and for making herself available not only to her assigned advisees, but other students who seek her counsel as well.”
“Her nominator attributes the success of their undergraduate career to the consistent and readily available wisdom provided by this advisor,” said Agnew, continuing, “and concludes the nomination by stating, ‘During the last few years at Fort Hays State University she has not only become my favorite professor, but also a dear, dear friend.’ ”
The Navigator Award was created in 1998 to recognize an outstanding academic advisor based on how closely he or she adheres to the university goals for academic advising. Candidates are nominated, interviewed and selected by graduating seniors.
The Alumni Association instituted the Torch and Pilot awards in 1974 to emphasize the importance of excellence in teaching and learning. They are presented every year at the Graduate and Faculty Luncheon in advance of Commencement.
The Torch Award candidates are nominated by members of the faculty on the basis of classroom excellence, participation in professional organizations, and involvement in student or civic activities.
The Pilot Award is given on the basis of classroom excellence, ongoing research and service activities. Candidates are nominated by graduating seniors.
Nominations for the Navigator Award are also made by graduating seniors in a process conducted by the Student Government Association.
The Alumni Association, established in 1916, is dedicated to identifying and serving the needs of more than 63,000 graduates living throughout the United States and in more than 70 foreign countries. For more information, contact the Alumni Association at 785-628-4430 or [email protected].
🎥 Newest NCK-Tech house waits for a new home
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
House #8 built by students at NCK Tech in Hays was celebrated Thursday morning with a ribbon cutting by the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce.
House #1 was built 35 years ago and overseen by Doug Marrs, an instructor in the Carpentry/Cabinetmaking program who is now department chairman. The house building project was discontinued and then resurrected seven years ago. Marrs has been involved the entire time.
NCK Tech President Eric Burks pointed out during remarks at Thursday’s ceremony the latest house is smaller than usual, although it has an attached garage.
(Video and photos by C.D. DeSalvo, Hays Post)
“We only had six carpentry students this year and this was a big undertaking for them to do,” Burks said. “They’ve really been humping it over the last few weeks to get the house into shape.”
Many other students participated in the project and all were under the supervision of licensed faculty. The Electrical Technology students did all the wiring and lighting in the house under the direction of instructors Keith Bunger and Allan Hill. Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning students worked with program instructor Skip Cox.
“It really is a culmination from efforts from a lot of students,” said Burks, “and we really appreciate all the efforts they do.”
In 2016, NCK Tech changed how their houses are sold. Previously the new homes were sold in a public auction.
“It was a stressful time for all of us because you never know what you’re going to get,” Burks explained. “We’ve had houses that have sold for over $200,000 and we’ve had houses sell for barely over $100,000…it’s ranged that much and that’s difficult to budget around.”
Last year NCK Tech partnered with Northwest Kansas Housing Inc., Norton, establishing a multi-year relationship to provide housing in rural Kansas communities.
“They said we’ve got a purpose for these houses and we can stabilize (the NCK Tech costs). NCK Tech said we can supply houses which NWK Housing has had a hard time finding contractors for. I think it’s been a mutually good partnership,” Burks said.
Randy Hrabe, executive director of NWK Housing, agreed.
“NWK Housing started about 17 years ago with the idea that we knew there are rural areas that needed housing,” Hrabe told the crowd.
“We’ve already built 110 houses throughout northwest Kansas and we have a hard time getting contractors. When I talked to Eric a year ago, we made an agreement to buy each of the houses constructed in Hays and at the Beloit campus for the next five years.”
Hrabe, who is also executive director of the Northwest Kansas Planning and Development Commission, hopes to expand the NWK Housing/NCK Tech partnership beyond the house projects.
“We do approximately $10 million worth of business loans a year. I’d like to work in NCK Tech students and talk to them about what it takes to start your own business in our rural communities and keep them here and be productive citizens within our own communities,” Hrabe said. “That’s our goal.”
NWK Housing also has a house construction agreement with Northwest Kansas Technical College in Goodland.
“That’s a little different out there. The city of Goodland gave us an entire city block. The students are building one house each year on that site. We don’t have to move them,” Hrabe explained.
House #7 purchased last year by NWK Housing from NCK Tech in Hays was moved to WaKeeney. It sits just west of the Kansas Veterans’ Cemetery on one of several lots owned by NWK Housing.
“Hopefully, in about two weeks the flooring will all be done in the basement. It’s going to be a wonderful home. It’s probably going to be as nice a house as any house in WaKeeney,” Hrabe said with pride. He plans to invite the NCK Tech students to the open house ceremony.
The WaKeeney house now features a walk-out basement and a 10-by-30-foot deck.
“Everybody is just impressed with the cabinets the students here make. It’s going to be a super nice house for somebody,” he added.
The NWK Housing partnership agreements with NCK Tech in Hays and Beloit along with NWK Technical College in Goodland caught the attention of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce.
“Last year, we did receive the Kansas Ad Astra Award for Housing Development because this is something different that nobody else has really tried,” Hrabe said.
“I think this is a wonderful partnership that we can work regionally to get housing for northwest Kansas.”
KHP: Goodland man dies in Friday morning accident
SHERMAN COUNTY — A 73-year-old Goodland man died while attempting a U-turn at 9:55 a.m. Friday, according to a report from the Kansas Highway Patrol.
The KHP said a 2004 Chevrolet pickup driven by George O. Schmidt, 73, Goodland, was stopped southbound near the intersection of Kansas 27 and Sherman County Road 60 waiting for a vehicle to pass before making a U-turn.
After that unidentified vehicle passed, the truck attempted a U-turn in front of a 2007 Peterbilt semi driven by Steven R. Smith, 41, Goodland, the KHP said. The semi struck the pickup in the intersection and both vehicles came to rest facing southeast in the ditch.
Schmidt’s next of kin were notified by the Sherman County Sheriff’s office, the KHP said. He was taken to Bateman Funeral Home in Goodland.
Smith reportedly was not injured.
Sheriff: Kan. man wakes to find woman eating in his home
SALINE COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities in Saline County were working to identify a woman found unexpectedly in a home early Friday.
Just before 5a.m. Friday, a man who lives in the 4900 block of North 81 Highway woke up about to a noise in his home, according to Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan.
He thought it might have been his wife who works nights, so he got up and dressed. He confronted a woman in the hallway who stated she was going to stay in the home, because it belonged to her and her husband. Fellers and the woman began to argue after he told her she had to leave.
When deputies arrived, they found the woman hiding in the basement. She had also had a beer, hot dog, and chips after entering the home and was dressed in clothing that she had found in the home.
Sheriff Soldan says they don’t know how she gained entrance into the home or how she got there.
Corrections officers at the Saline County Jail were trying to determine her identity after the incident. The woman will face requested charges of burglary, and theft.
Settlement reached in civil case involving zip-line at Kansas State Fair
HUTCHINSON— The two sides in a civil case reached a settlement with each other Thursday morning just as the trial was about to go to the jury.
The plaintiff, Earl Stevens of Valley Falls, Kansas, was suing Butler County Community College, who did business as Grizzly Adventures, for $75,000 over injuries he suffered in an accident involving an attraction the college had at the 2013 Kansas State Fair.
On September 7, 2013 when Stevens and his family had been walking along the east end of Lake Talbot on the fairgrounds. The Zip-Line attraction crossed the sidewalk and one of the riders on that attraction struck Stevens.
Stevens and his attorneys claimed in the lawsuit filing that the operators of the Zip-Line were negligent for operating the ride when pedestrians were walking on the sidewalk. They also claim that they should have warned pedestrians and barricaded the area to prevent pedestrians from using the sidewalk while the Zip-Line was being operated. They also argued the design and construction of the ride exposed people on the ground to risk of injury.
Stevens was thrown into the cement stairs and limestone blocks. He was knocked unconscious and was taken by Reno County EMS to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center. Once there, it was determined that he suffered various fractures. He apparently suffers some joint pain to this day. He also cannot control drool out of the corner of his mouth, experiences numb teeth and the inability to sense hot and cold in his mouth.
The trial was near an end with District Judge Trish Rose getting ready to read jury instructions when the two sides announced they had reached a settlement. The amount of the settlement was not disclosed.
Pickin’ at the Deines May 21
RUSSELL–Pickin’ at the Deines Sunday, May 21st starting at 3:30 p.m.
Bring your acoustic instruments and play along with musicians of all skill levels.
Bring a salad, dessert, or appetizer and join in on the potluck starting at 5:30 p.m.
The Deines Cultural Center is located at 820 North Main Street in Russell. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.
Call (785) 483-3742 for information
KDHE: Recall issued for Aunt Jemima frozen breakfast food products issued in Kan.
KDHE
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) would like to alert consumers that a recall has been issued by Pinnacle Foods Inc. for Aunt Jemima frozen breakfast foods including pancakes, waffles and French toast slices because of potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. This recall was initiated after Listeria monocytogenes was found in the production environment. All affected distributors and retail and food service customers are being notified.
To date, no illnesses have been linked with this recall. Please visit https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm557098.htm for up to date information on this recall. All “best by” dates for these products have been recalled. These products were distributed to grocery stores, hospitals, schools and other institutions in Kansas.
Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. Symptoms begin from three to 70 days after consuming the bacteria. Listeria cannot be spread from person to person. Anyone who believes they may have become ill with listeriosis should contact their health care provider.
For questions related to the recalled products, consumers can contact Pinnacle Foods Consumer Care at 888-299-7646. For questions about listeriosis, please visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/listeria or call the KDHE epidemiology hotline at 877-427-7317.
Candidate filings for Ellis mayor and Victoria school board
Ellis Mayor David McDaniel filed Friday morning for re-election. There are also three open council seats and that of the Ellis city treasurer.
Ryan Mauch, Victoria, also filed Friday morning for the Victoria USD 432 school board where there are three positions open.
The filing deadline is noon, Thu., June 1, in the Ellis County District Clerk’s office, 718 Main, Hays.
Names of candidates filing for office are available on the Ellis County website, www.ellisco.net, along with other information about the upcoming primary and general elections.
Largest Kan. Health Insurer To Offer ACA Marketplace Plans In 2018
By JIM MCLEAN
FILE PHOTO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
With a Monday deadline approaching, it isn’t clear whether all of the health insurance companies now participating in the Affordable Care Act marketplace in Kansas will continue in 2018.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, the state’s largest health insurer, has made a preliminary decision to continue and has filed initial paperwork with the Kansas Insurance Department, said Mary Beth Chambers, a company spokeswoman.
“We have the intention of continuing both on and off the exchange in 2018 for both individual and small group plans, but at this time we have not yet filed rates,” Chambers said. “We will ultimately make our final decision in August or September.”
The company’s final decision may depend on whether the U.S. Senate rewrites the ACA replacement bill recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. Specifically, BCBS Kansas is concerned about the House bill’s elimination of cost-sharing subsidies that help policyholders earning less than $30,000 a year cover out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles and copayments.
“We know that the federal government has assured insurers and consumers that the (premium assistance) tax credits will be available for those that want to purchase insurance in 2018, but we really need clarity with regard to the cost-sharing reductions,” Chambers said, adding that a “large number of Kansans” depend on them.
BCBS of Kansas operates in every county except Wyandotte and Johnson, which are covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City.
Kelly Cannon, a spokeswoman for Blue KC, which also covers 30 counties in western Missouri, said the company has not decided whether to continue offering plans on the ACA marketplace.
“Like many insurers across the country, we have concerns about the sustainability of the individual market under the Affordable Care Act in its current form,” Cannon said in a prepared statement. “We have been working with legislators to address our concerns and find solutions to help stabilize the market.”
The only other company now offering plans on the Kansas marketplace, Minnesota-based Medica, also is considering its options, said spokesman Gary Bury.
“We haven’t made any decision about Kansas at this point,” Bury said.
However, concerns similar to those expressed by BCBS Kansas and Blue KC are prompting Medica officials to consider withdrawing from the individual marketplace in Iowa.
“Our ability to stay in the Iowa insurance market in any capacity is in question at this point,” said Geoff Bartsh, a Medica vice president, in a statement released May 3 to Iowa media.
Medica entered the Kansas marketplace last year at the urging of state Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer but capped its ACA enrollment at 10,000.
To date, slightly more than 100,000 Kansans have purchased ACA coverage. Open enrollment for 2018 will begin Nov. 1 and continue through Jan. 31, 2018.
Monday is the deadline for insurers to file ACA “plan designs” with the Kansas Insurance Department. They have until mid-July to file proposed rates.
Clark Shultz, deputy insurance commissioner, said while the department will work to hold premiums down, it must allow companies to cover their costs.
“There is no doubt there will be premium increases,” Shultz said. “The question is what can we do to keep them as low as possible?”
Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of kcur.org, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks.
UPDATE Name of person injured in accident at 23rd and Canal released
The woman who was taken to the hospital this morning after an accident at 23rd and Canal Streets was reported in good condition.
Just before 10 a.m. today, Yvonne L. Braun, 77, of Hays was driving a 2014 Chevy van on Canal Street when a 2014 Jeep Cherokee driven by Timothy P. Schmidt, 70, failed to stop at a stop sign at 23rd and Canal, according to Lt. Brandon Wright of the Hays Police Department.
Braun’s vehicle collided with Schmidt’s, and Schmidt’s vehicle rolled on its side.
Schmidt was not reported injured in the accident.
The road was temporarily blocked while the vehicles were removed from the scene.
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At about 10 a.m. today two vehicles collided at the intersection of Canal and 23rd streets. At least one person was taken to the hospital due to the crash.
One of the vehicles involved rolled on its side.
Traffic was blocked while the cars were being removed.
Watch the Hays Post for further updates.