CLOUD COUNTY – Two people were injured in an accident just before 11a.m. Thursday in Cloud County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Lincoln passenger vehicle driven by Tegan M. Kemmerer, 27, Jewell, was eastbound on Highway 9 just east of 150th Road.
The vehicle left the roadway, struck the guardrail and the concrete bridge rail and overturned.
Kemmerer and a 6-year-old passenger Kash Kemmerer were transported to the Cloud County Hospital. The driver was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
WICHITA — A man has caught an unusually large flathead catfish in a lake northeast of Wichita and locals think it’s the largest fish of any kind reeled in during the lake’s 50-year history.
Charlie Henning had caught an 80-pound (36 kilograms) catfish at Marion Reservoir last week that was more than 50 inches (1.3 meters) long.
All of Henning’s gear used to catch the fish, dubbed Moby Catfish, had cost less than some fishing lures. Henning says his equipment may be cheap but it is reliable. He told the Post he used cut up shad for bait and “it was just our time, I guess. The biggest I ever caught before this weighed 12-pounds.
Marion resident Warren Kreutziger says the biggest confirmed flathead he knew of was 65 pounds (29 kilograms) prior to Henning’s catfish.
Kansas’ record of the heaviest flathead is 123 pounds (56 kilograms), caught at Elk City Reservoir in 1998.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) Behavioral Health Commission has been awarded a $1.7 million grant to continue its work with homeless individuals experiencing mental illness. The grant is provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), under the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Kansas,” said KDADS Secretary Tim Keck. “Our agency is committed to the development of effective ways to address homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse, and this program allows us to do that at the grass-roots level.”
SAMHSA has designated Kansas as a Cooperative Agreements to Benefit Homeless Individuals (CABHI) state. The purpose of the CABHI-Kansas program is to strengthen state infrastructure and treatment systems to provide coordinated treatment, recovery support and permanent supported housing to individuals who experience chronic homelessness and to veterans who experience homelessness/chronic homelessness with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders.
CABHI-Kansas is taking a “Housing First” approach to connecting homeless individuals with permanent housing without preconditions such as sobriety, substance use treatment or other participation requirements. Earlier this year, the program conducted Housing First training for community health centers as well as mental health and substance treatment centers in conjunction with the University of Kansas. The Housing First model is used by all the CABHI-KS team. It is an alternative to the traditional approach in which homeless individuals are required to first participate in and complete short-term residential and treatment programs before obtaining permanent housing.
The CABHI-Kansas teams utilize evidence-based practices to provide the best services and outcomes for the clients they serve. The model also incorporates a rapid job search that is available for any individual who is looking for a job, regardless of their work history or treatment status. It is the mission of the employment teams to connect individuals with behavioral health needs to steady employment that can assist them in their path to recovery.
“Our CABHI Kansas teams in year one served more than 300 individuals in three counties, Shawnee, Wyandotte, and Sedgwick,” said Korrie Snell, CABHI Coordinator for KDADS. “Working with substance abuse providers Heartland RADAC and the Substance Abuse Center of Kansas (SACK), CABHI-Kansas has linked 135 chronically homeless individuals to permanent supported housing.”
Additionally, more than 50 individuals have obtained employment through the CABHI Individual Placement and Support (IPS) supported employment program.
KDADS Housing, Employment, and Benefits Program Manager Melissa Bogart-Starkey said, “This grant allows CABHI-Kansas teams to continue to provide services for chronically homeless individuals in need. We see positive outcomes every day.”
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs, and Related Agencies – today joined U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, in introducing broad, bipartisan legislation that seeks to improve veterans’ education benefits and enhances the post-9/11 G.I. Bill.
“The G.I. Bill, which was drafted by Kansan Harry W. Colmery in 1944, has made a significant difference in the lives of millions of American veterans who have earned this benefit through their service and sacrifice,” said Sen. Moran. “This bipartisan legislation will build upon the post-9/11 G.I. Bill, making certain that our nation’s heroes are able to utilize this benefit for years to come. As they transition from service, our veterans deserve to have the support and opportunities offered by the G.I. Bill so that they can continue their contributions to our country long after completing their service.”
The Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 will further invest in the proven educational success of our veterans and help propel them toward becoming our nation’s civic, business and public leaders.
“We have worked closely with our partners in the veterans community and with our colleagues in the U.S. House to ensure this legislation makes the necessary changes to improve the G.I. Bill and helps veterans succeed in their desired career field,” said Sen. Isakson. “I am proud to introduce this important legislation with Senator Tester after the House introduced its companion legislation last week. We urge our Senate colleagues to join us in supporting these improvements to the G.I. Bill to help further our investment in the futures of our veterans.”
“The G.I. Bill has provided generations of veterans with access to higher education after they have bravely served our country,” said Sen. Tester. “It’s been a pleasure working with my colleagues in the House and Senate, as well as veterans and advocates, to craft bipartisan legislation that will break down barriers to and strengthen education benefits for servicemembers, Guardsmen and Reservists. I look forward to working with Senator Isakson and our colleagues on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee to ensure veterans have every shot at success.”
The Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 makes much-needed updates for reservists, Purple Heart recipients, veterans who face school closures while enrolled and surviving family members. The legislation also provides increased resources and authority for educational assistance to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs, computer programming and career technical training.
Most significantly, this bill recognizes our country’s need for an agile and adaptable workforce and that American workers need to be lifelong learners. For that purpose, this bill eliminates the arbitrary 15-year period within which a veteran is required to use their G.I. Bill so they can use their benefits at any time in their professional career.
Additionally, the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017:
· Provides G.I. Bill eligibility for reservists mobilized under selected reserve orders for preplanned missions in support of the combatant commands or in response to a major disaster or emergency;
· Provides G.I. Bill eligibility for reservists undergoing medical care;
· Provides full G.I. Bill benefits for Purple Heart recipients regardless of length of service;
· Extends Yellow Ribbon Program benefits to Fry scholarship recipients; and
· Increases G.I. Bill payments by $2,300 per year for veterans with less than 12 months of active service.
The legislation is named in honor of Harry Walter Colmery, a Kansan Army Air Service veteran and former national commander of the American Legion who drafted the original G.I. Bill in 1944 to improve the transition for World War II veterans back to civilian life.
The Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 is also co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Susan Collins, R-Maine, John Cornyn, R-Texas, Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Steve Daines, R-Mont., Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., Al Franken, D-Minn., Dean Heller, R-Nev., Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C.
Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Reps. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., and Tim Walz, D-Minn., chairman and ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, on July 13.
University of Kansas Medical Center’s Health Education Building
OFFICE OF GOV. BROWNBACK
TOPEKA – Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer, M.D. today served as a special guest speaker at the University of Kansas Medical Center’s grand opening of its new Health Education Building.
The new Health Education Building is a 170,000 square-foot facility that will transform education for the KU Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Health Professions. The $82-million Health Education Building will serve as the primary teaching facility for all three schools, and it will feature state-of-the-art simulation technology and flexible learning spaces with inter-professional education in mind.
“On behalf of the state government of Kansas, we are proud to support this project,” said Dr. Colyer, a Hays native. “As a KU Medical School graduate, I am personally thrilled that today’s students – in medicine, nursing and the health professions – will have the opportunity to work in realistic clinical and hospital settings, putting them ahead of the curve once they graduate and enter the workforce serving our Kansas communities.”
“This building is the first in which medical, nursing and health professions faculty will work together to teach students from all three schools, practicing together during simulation training, giving all students real-world experience working as a team to improve patient outcomes,” said Douglas A. Girod, M.D., chancellor of the University of Kansas.
“As technology evolves, and the science of teaching continues to change, we are prepared now with a flexible, high-tech facility that can change with it,” said Robert D. Simari, M.D., interim executive vice chancellor of KU Medical Center and executive dean for the KU School of Medicine. “We look forward to educating doctors, nurses and health care professionals in a space that will meet our needs now and in the future.”
The project was funded with $26 million from the state of Kansas, $21 million from the University of Kansas Medical Center and the remainder with private gifts raised through KU Endowment, including a $25 million lead gift from the Hall Family Foundation.
MANHATTAN — Following a public hearing in October 2016, a proposal to expand the boundaries of the Beds Groundwater Management District No. 2 (GMD 2) was approved by David Barfield, Chief Engineer in the Division of Water Resources at the Kansas Department of Agriculture on July 7, 2017.
GMD 2 comprises portions of four counties in south central Kansas which rely upon the Equus Beds aquifer as the principal source of fresh and usable water. The boundary expansion resulted from a resolution which was brought to the chief engineer by the GMD 2 Board of Directors to request annexation of a territory which is part of the same hydrologic community of interest as the existing district.
The resolution was followed by a petition, submission of maps and evidence, as well as written and oral testimony, comments, and other documents as part of the public hearing. Based upon the materials presented, the chief engineer determined that the requirements for the expansion of a groundwater management district were met and the expansion became effective upon his approval of the resolution.
Details about the expansion, including the original resolution and petition and a detailed description of the expansion areas, can be found at the KDA–DWR website at agriculture.ks.gov/GMDs.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Democratic Party’s new executive director is a lawyer who has worked on voting rights litigation.
The party announced in a news release Thursday that Ethan Corson, a former U.S. Department of Commerce official, will take the party’s top job beginning August 1.
He previously worked on voter protection litigation for former President Barack Obama’s second campaign in Wisconsin in 2012 and for the Kansas Democratic Party in 2014.
Party Chairman John Gibson says Corson’s previous work is especially important at a time when Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is working to tighten the state’s and the country’s voting laws. Kobach also is running for the GOP nomination for Kansas governor.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), has issued a public health warning for three lakes and a watch for five lakes due to harmful algal blooms.
Zones A and C of Milford Reservoir are under a warning for blue-green algae. Zone B is in watch status. Please see the attached news release for a map of the lake’s zones.
If a lake is under a public health warning for blue-green algae, activities such as boating and fishing may be safe. However, direct contact with water (i.e., wading, skiing and swimming) is strongly discouraged for people, pets and livestock. The lakes currently under a watch or warning status are:
Warning: Marion County Lake, Marion County
Warning: Milford Reservoir (Zones A and C), Geary, Dickinson and Clay counties Warning: Wolf Pond, Barton County
Watch: Marion Reservoir, Marion County
Watch: Milford Reservoir (Zone B), Geary, Dickinson and Clay counties
Watch: Overbrook City Lake, Osage County
Watch: Sam’s Pond, Syracuse, Hamilton County Watch: Webster Lake, Rooks County
Lakes under a warning are not closed. Marinas, lakeside businesses and park camping facilities are open for business. If swim beaches are closed, it will be specifically noted. Drinking water and showers at parks are safe and not affected by algae blooms. Boating and fishing are safe on lakes under a warning, but contact with the water should be avoided. It is safe to eat fish caught during a harmful blue-green algae outbreak, as long as the fish is rinsed with clean water. Only the fillet portion should be consumed, and all other parts should be discarded. Hands should also be washed with clean water after handling fish taken from an affected lake. Zoned lakes may have portions fully open for all recreation even if other portions are under a warning.
Kansans should be aware that blooms are unpredictable. They can develop rapidly and may float around the lake, requiring visitors to exercise their best judgment. If there is scum, a paint-like surface or the water is bright green, avoid contact and keep pets away. These are indications that a harmful bloom may be present. Pet owners should be aware that animals that swim in or drink water affected by a harmful algal bloom or eat dried algae along the shore may become seriously ill or die.
When a warning is issued, KDHE recommends the following precautions be taken:
Lake water is not safe to drink for pets or livestock.
Lake water, regardless of blue-green algae status, should never be consumed by humans.
Water contact should be avoided.
Fish may be eaten as long as they are rinsed with clean water and only the fillet portion is consumed, while all other parts are discarded.
Do not allow pets to eat dried algae.
If lake water contacts skin, wash with clean water as soon as possible.
Avoid areas of visible algae accumulation.
KDHE samples publicly accessible bodies of water for blue-green algae when the agency receives reports of potential algae blooms in Kansas lakes. Based on sampling results, KDHE reports on potentially harmful conditions.
At 3:28 p.m. Wednesday, first responders were dispatched to the Hays Aquatic Park for an almost-3-year-old child not breathing.
The child was unconscious in the deep end of the zero-entry pool. Hays Aquatic Park Lifeguard Morgan Mathews pulled the child from the pool and started CPR.
Mathews revived the child, who was lethargic when officers arrived on scene.
The child had been at the pool with a daycare provider. The child’s parents were called to the scene. The child was responsive when the parents took their child to the Hays Medical Center.
The child was released in good condition from the hospital and also was in good condition at a follow-up appointment with the doctor Thursday.
The child is expected to not have any lasting injury from yesterday’s incident.
EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued boil water advisories for 12 public water systems in Lyon and Coffey counties.
The advisories were issued Thursday after a major water main break in Emporia left that city nearly without water on one of the hottest days of the year.
The break has been repaired. The water system will be slowly turned back on and will take several hours to be restored late Thursday or early Friday
The health department says the line break caused a loss of pressure that could result in bacterial contamination in Emporia and other systems.
The city of Emporia also is under a boil advisory. Others involved in the advisories include Admire, Allen, Coffee County Rural Water District 2E, Hartford, Lyon County water districts 1-5, Olpe and Park Place Communities Management in Lyon County.
The advisory will be in effect until the line break issues can be resolved.
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EMPORIA- Officials are working to determine the cause and fix a large water main break in Emporia. The break reported just after 4 a.m. has left nearly all of Emporia without water, according to a social media report from police.
The Lyon County Communications Center is being overwhelmed with calls about no water.
They asked residents not to call the police or 911 to inquire about this situation as street crews work to repair the problem.
Simpson-photo courtesy Nevada Dept. of Corrections
NEW YORK (AP) — Television networks returned to the scene of an old obsession Thursday with blanket coverage of O.J. Simpson’s parole hearing Nevada. The former football star is now set for release this fall.
The biggest broadcast networks, news networks and even ESPN and CNBC set aside regular programming for the odd spectacle that NBC’s Savannah Guthrie dubbed “the parole hearing of the century.”
It was 22 years after Simpson’s trial for the 1994 murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman, became a television soap opera.
Commentators harshly criticized Simpson and his lawyer for their performance at the parole hearing. CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin called it “an absolute disgrace.”
A Nevada parole official says if O.J. Simpson is cleared to be supervised in Florida, he would report to a Florida parole officer.
Capt. Shawn Arruti of the Nevada Division of Parole and Probation told reporters Thursday after Simpson was granted parole that if he violated the terms of release, he would come back to Nevada to have his parole revoked.
Arruti says Florida parole officials will decide whether to accept Simpson, but it’s common when an inmate has family in the area like he does.
