SEDGWICK COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a drive by shooting and have a suspect in custody.
Just after 7p.m. Thursday police were dispatched to a disturbance with weapons call at a gas station in the 2300 Block of South Seneca in Wichita, according to officer Charlie Davidson with Wichita Police.
An employee of the business told police an unknown woman came into the gas station and prompted a disturbance.
The woman left in a gold colored Ford Fusion with at least one child passenger, according to Davidson. As she drove away, the woman fired a gun that caused damage to the business.
Police were able to locate the suspect identified as Aubrey Ambler, 23, and arrested her, according to the sheriff’s department booking report.
She faces charges of criminal discharge of a firearm, aggravated assault, child endangerment, destruction of property, possession of drugs and traffic violations.
Logan resident Paul E. Becker passed away July 23, 2017 at the Phillips County Hospital in Phillipsburg at the age of 86.He was born June 26, 1931 in Logan, KS, the son of Rhodney and Lucille (Jaenicke) Becker.
Survivors include his daughters, Shirley Colby & Susan Elliott of Phillipsburg; 3 brothers, Robert, Ronald & Clifford of Logan; 4 grandchildren & 12 great grandchildren.
A Rosary will be held Tuesday, Aug. 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the Logan Funeral Home, Logan.
A Mass Of Christian Burial will be held Wednesday, August 2 at 10:00 a.m. in the St. John’s Catholic Church, Logan, with Father Daryl Olmstead officiating.Burial will follow in the Pleasant View Cemetery, Logan, with military honors by the Ft. Riley Honor Guard.
Visitation will be Monday & Tuesday, July 31 & Aug. 1, from 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the Logan Funeral Home.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Logan Fire Dept. or the Logan American Legion.
Sam Vanochen during Friday’s sentencing in Reno County
HUTCHINSON— A Kansas teenager convicted last August as an adult in the deaths of his mother and 11-year-old sister in a 2013 house fire was sentenced to life in prison Friday.
Samuel Vonachen, 14 at the time of the crime had been described as a scheming psychopath. During the trial, the defense suggested he had a mental defect.
During Friday’s sentencing, Reno County District Attorney Keith Schroeder recounted the night of the fire and called Vonachen a danger to the community. He said the judge should not depart from the sentencing guideline of life in prison without parole.
Vanochen’s grandmother briefly addressed the court prior to the judge announcing sentence. She told her grandson that she loved him and was sorry for what happened. No other family members spoke on his behalf.
In August of 2016, a Reno County jury convicted the teen for the killings of his mother and sister who died after he poured gasoline and set fire to the family home. His father was able to escape.
Vonachen was also convicted of attempted first-degree murder for trying to kill his father and aggravated arson for setting of the fire.
Scene of the fatal 2013 house fire in Hutchinson
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HUTCHINSON — A sentencing hearing is underway for a Kansas teenager convicted last August as an adult in the deaths of his mother and 11-year-old sister in a 2013 house fire.
Samuel Vonachen, 14 at the time of the crime had been described as a scheming psychopath. During the trial, the defense suggested he had a mental defect.
During Friday’s sentencing, Reno County District Attorney Keith Schroeder recounted the night of the fire and called Vonachen a danger to the community. He said the judge should not depart from the sentencing guideline of of life in prison without parole.
Check the Post for additional details as they become available.
Ashley Stroup, co-owner of Smallcakes, shows off a box of cupcakes outside of her future Hays store’s home in Tebo Village.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
A franchisee of Smallcakes, a cupcake shop and creamery, signed lease papers Friday to open a shop in Hays.
Ashley Stroup and David Hart of Great Bend are co-owners in the venture. They just opened another franchise in Great Bend in February, which Stroup said has been very successful.
The Hays store will be in Tebo Village at the corner of 43rd and Vine streets. Construction will start on the new store in 30 days and is estimated to take three months.
The franchise was founded by Jeff Martin, whose cupcake recipes earned acclaim after he appeared on television shows including “Cupcake Wars” and “The View.” The franchise started in Kansas City and has spread to more than 160 stores in 20 states.
The shop offers up to 500 different flavors of cupcakes with 12 regular selections on the menu and two rotating flavors each day, in addition to several flavors of ice cream that can be combined into sweet treats.
A box of Smallcakes minicupcakes.
Smallcakes’s regular size cupcakes are larger than a standard cupcake. The store also will offer minicakes. The cupcakes can be purchased as singles or by the dozen. Smallcakes will cater large events, such as weddings or birthdays. Cost for a single standard cupcake will be $3.75, and cakes can be purchased for $38 per dozen.
Some of the flavors include red velvet with cream cheese icing, carrot cake, pink chocolate, pink vanilla with butter cream icing, chocolate cream with fudge icing, peanut butter cup with peanut butter icing, Oreo, strawberry rita, cheesecake and wedding cake.
Smallcakes offers cupcake shakes as well as a signature dessert called a cupcake smash. This is half of a cupcake, topped with two scoops of ice cream, which is topped with the other part of the cupcake.
All of Smallcakes’ ice cream and cupcakes are homemade fresh daily. The Great Bend store makes about 80 to 100 cakes per day.
Stroup said she and Hart chose the Tebo Village location because there were no other ice cream shops on the north side of Interstate 70 in Hays. There also were no other cupcake shops in the city.
“We think the Hays community is a great place to put a small business,” she said.
The business will employee eight to 10 people once it opens. Stroup said the hours for the business have not yet been set.
“We are very excited to be in the community,” she said.
Hays native Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, is set to be elevated to Kansas governor following the upcoming departure of Sam Brownback.
OFFICE OF GOV.
TOPEKA – Hays native Lt. Governor Jeff Colyer today issued the below statement following the announcement of Governor Sam Brownback’s presidential nomination to Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom:
“Sam Brownback has served our state and our citizens with distinction. I will be forever grateful for his service.
“As a doctor and a father of three beautiful girls, I am always optimistic for the future. As I’ve served in worn-torn countries, helping victims begin the healing process, I’ve seen first-hand the resilience of human beings. A Reagan alumni, I too believe people have an inherent dignity, requiring a respect for vulnerable life and civility for our fellow man.
“With humility and a deep sense of honor, I look forward to working with Kansans from across the state, listening to their vision for the future, as together we move toward a better tomorrow for the place that we love.”
Dr. Colyer’s biography can be found here. He is a 1978 graduate of Thomas More Prep Marian High School in Hays.
Colyer’s International Medical Corps mission to Sierra Leone in 2002 (Photo courtesy CBS)
While Dr. Colyer has made many International Medical Corps (IMC) trips since then, 60 Minutes documented a 2002 mission to Sierra Leone, one of his earlier IMC trips. The full interview can be seen below.
For anyone in Hays who wants to go bowling, there has only one place to go — and for many years, that has been Centennial Lanes. People around the area of all ages have enjoyed Centennial Lanes since it opened in 1959. In 1979, Bruce and Jill Herreman bought the bowling alley, and it has been in the Herreman family ever since.
“I think I was about 4 when my parents bought the center and my brother was 1,” said Tyler Herreman. “We grew up in the business. I moved away for a few years, but I came back and now my brother Dallas and I handle the majority of the day-to-day operations.”
Centennial Lanes closed from July 17 to 27 this summer to renovate and update the center, giving it a more modern look.
“What people will probably notice first is a new playing surface. We have replaced the approaches, which is where you stand to deliver the ball. We replaced the lanes, we replaced the bumpers, we have replaced the hoods and racks — the portion where your ball comes out to you,” Herreman said. “Those are going to be some of the most noticeable changes. We have also replaced the flooring in the bowlers’ area.”
Despite the aesthetic changes, the family business side of things continues to be the same.
“Now Dallas’ children are working in the business with us. My niece and two nephews help us with some of the day-to-day operations like taking out the trash, wiping down tables and things like that,” Herreman said.
From hosting events for charities to “Sizzling 60” night for Fort Hays State University students, being a part of the community has always been a priority to incorporate the business into the Hays community.
“We have been very fortunate to be involved not only in our local business but with a number of different charities in our community like Big Brothers Big Sisters, First Call For Help, school groups and others,” Herreman said.
Centennial Lanes will reopen for the first time Friday at 7pm for “Glow Bowl,” which is when the overhead florescent lighting is turned off, and black-lights, lasers, disco balls and loud music are turned on to create a unique bowling environment for customers.
More pictures of the renovation and information about Centennial Lanes can be found on their website and their Facebook page.
FORD COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities are investigating a July 23, double shooting and continue searching for an alleged suspect 20-year-old Xavier Alejandro Maestas.
On Friday, the Hodgeman County Sheriff’s office reported receiving numerous tips that Maestas has been seen in Jetmore and Hodgeman County, according to a social media report.
He is possibly driving a blue passenger car with partial gold wheels.
If seen do not approach contact Law Enforcement immediately. Maestas is considered armed and dangerous.
Just after 2:30 a.m. Monday, Officers from the Dodge City Police Department were dispatched to a mobile home at 201 E. McArtor for a shooting, according to a media release.
When Officers arrived they found two adult men suffering from gunshot wounds. During the investigation
Detectives determined the victims were standing outside the trailer when they were shot.
Detectives were able to identify a suspect and an arrest warrant was issued for 20-year-old Xavier Alejandro Maestas for Attempted Murder in the First Degree, Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, Aggravated Assault – Use of a deadly Weapon, and Criminal Discharge of a Firearm – Shooting into an occupied dwelling.
RENTON, Wash. (AP) – Kansas City and Seattle have swapped linebackers, with D.J. Alexander joining the Seahawks and Kevin Pierre-Louis being sent to the Chiefs.
The clubs made the trade Friday on the cusp of training camp for both teams.
Alexander was a Pro Bowl selection last season as a special teams player for the Chiefs and played sparingly on defense. He had 16 total tackles in the regular season on defense and made one start.
Pierre-Louis never matched his potential with the Seahawks. An exceptional athlete, Pierre-Louis struggled with injuries and with inconsistent performance when he got on the field. Pierre-Louis appeared in 34 regular-season games with one start. He had 43 total tackles playing outside linebacker for the Seahawks.
SEDGWICK COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are searching for a missing inmate.
Levi Coykendall, 30, is described as 6-foot tall and weighs approximately 194 pounds. He has strawberry blonde hair.
Deputies at the Sedgwick County Jail gave him a pass for work release and permission to get a change of clothes, according to the sheriff’s department.
He never returned.
He has previous convictions for burglary in Sumner County, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
First responders on the scene of Friday accident-photo courtesy KAKE
SEDGWICK COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accident that sent a child to the hospital.
Just after 8 a.m. Friday, a Chevy Silverado driven by a 62-year-old man was eastbound in the 3700 Block of Ross Parkway, according to officer Charley Davidson with the Wichita Police Department.
A 4-year-old was in a front yard of a home with family and ran into the street. The driver was unable to stop and hit the child. Emergency responders transported the child to a local hospital. He is expected to made a full recovery.
Davidson said the speed limit is a non-posted 30-mile-per hour in that residential area.
Alfred Peter (Pete) Heeke, 84, died July 22, 2017 in Conroe, Texas. He was born September 8, 1932, at Windthorst Ford County, Kansas to Harry and Emmeline (Ackerman) Heeke. He attended Windthorst schools, graduating in 1950. He was united in marriage to Marcella Hattrup on April 24, 1951 in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Windthorst.
He farmed in that area and worked in construction and carpentry until retirement in 1996 at which time he moved to Hays, Kansas. Mr. Heeke was a member of the St. Leon Council, Knights of Columbus, Windthorst from 1950 to 2013 when he transferred to the Hays Council of Knights. The couple moved to Conroe, TX in 2016.
Mrs. Heeke survives; also surviving are his sons, Daryl (Nan) Heeke of Taylor, Texas, Ronald (Cynthia) Heeke of Kearney, Missouri; two daughters, Theresa Davidson of Emporia, Kansas, Elaine (Albert) Rambaud of The Woodlands, Texas; grandchildren, Matthew Davidson, Amanda (Adam) Zuch, Kyle Heeke, Brian (Hailey) Heeke, Sean Heeke, Kim (Pete) Taylor, Aimee Rambaud, Emilee Rambaud, and two step-grandchildren, Jayci (Willie) Stratton and Joshua (Amanda) Hamilton; five great-grandchildren and four step-great-grandchildren; two sisters, Evelyn Durler of Dodge City and Julie (Tony) Durler of Dodge City. He was preceded in death by a sister, Louise Downey and two brothers-in-law.
Funeral mass will be held at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Spearville on Monday July 31, 2017 at 10:00 AM with Rev. John Forkuoh presiding. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in Windthorst. Vigil service will be at Swaim Funeral Chapel in Dodge City on Sunday July 30, 2017 at 7:00 PM. Memorials are suggested to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Building Fund of Hays, Immaculate Heart of Mary Heritage, Inc. of Windthorst, and Holy Cross Cemetery Fund of Windthorst. Thoughts and memories may be shared in the online guest book at www.swaimfuneralhome.com.
