SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an armed robbery and asking for help to identify a suspect.
Just after 9p.m. officers were dispatched to a strong-arm robbery at a convenience store in the 2300 Block of South Seneca in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson. A 23-year-old employee told police an unknown suspect entered the business and ordered an item.
As the cash register was opened, the suspect jumped the counter and began taking money. The employee drew a handgun and fired it at the suspect who fled on foot. Police did not have contact with the suspect and had no information on possible injuries.
The suspect is described as an older black male in his 40s, gray hair, 6-foot tall and weighing approximately 200 pounds. He wore a blue button down shirt and shorts. Anyone with information is asked to call Police.
The Ellis County Commission will consider an agreement with a mid-level staff position at the Ellis County Health Department. At a work session last month, the commission gave the Health Department the authority to reach out to a mid-level who can provide additional services.
The commission will also consider selection an architectural firm to renovate the buildings at 601 Main Street and 2507 Canterbury Drive.
The building on Canterbury is the future home of the Health Department and 601 Main will continue to house the K-State Extension District.
Monday’s meeting is schedule for 5 p.m. at the County Administrative Building.
TOPEKA— Fire officials are working to determine the cause of a weekend house fire.
Just after 9:30 p.m. Saturday, three engine companies of the Topeka Fire Department responded to the blaze at 1241 SW High Avenue, according to a media release.
Upon arrival, fire crews found smoke coming from the two-story wooden frame home. Firefighters began an offensive fire attack keeping it confined to the home. A search of the structure revealed no occupants. They did rescue one dog from the structure.
Estimated dollar loss – $20,000.00, including $15,000.00 structural loss and $5,000.00 contents loss.
Kansas Gas Service, Westar Energy and the Kansas Chapter of the American Red Cross also responded to the scene.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – For the second time in the last four years, Kansas State was ranked in the Preseason Associated Press Top 25 as the Wildcats are 20th in the preseason survey released Monday.
K-State, which was also ranked 20th in the 2014 Preseason AP Top 25, was placed 19th in the 2017 Preseason Amway Coaches Poll released on August 3.
Other Big 12 programs joining the Wildcats in the 2017 Preseason AP Top 25 were Oklahoma (7th), Oklahoma State (10th), West Virginia (22nd) and Texas (23rd).
K-State returns 44 letterwinners – including 18 starters – from last year’s squad that earned a 9-4 record and capped its season with a 33-28 victory over Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl. The Wildcats, who were predicted to finish third in the Big 12 by the league’s media, placed four players on the Preseason All-Big 12 team in fullback Winston Dimel, offensive lineman Dalton Risner, defensive back D.J. Reed, and defensive end Reggie Walker.
Sharlene Kay Wendler was born March 6, 1942 in Wakeeney, Kansas. On August 18, 2017, she left this world to join her best friend and love of her life Gary Wendler.
Daughter of Darias and Della Luckey. She was raised in a loving home by Della and Swede Martin, along with Brother Terry Lee and Lana.
Sharlene was a graduate of Trego County High School Class of 1959. She loved school and was very active with all of her classmates. She showed enthusiastic team spirit, playing tennis and also as a cheerleader.
On January 7, 1961 she married her soul mate Gary Wendler. During their 38 years of love and happiness three children were born: Michelle, Chad, and Melissa.
Sharlene loved everything that involved her family. Her whole world revolved around her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.
For a small town girl she traveled the world; Europe, Japan, several cruises, and many adventures in the USA. She was an avid hunter and fishermen. She cherished all the activities with her grandkids and great grandkids. Some of these special times included spending the day at the zoo, Disney World Amusement Parks, school activities, and recitals.
Sharlene was a loving stay at home mom while her children were in school, she took on so many tasks including leading the girls campfire troop, and if need be leading Chad’s Boy Scout troop. She then went to work in the Orthodontic field for over 20 years, she loved connecting with the kids and helping to give them their beautiful smiles. After retirement she never slowed down she became a jetsetter visiting her family in Pennsylvania, Utah, Colorado, and Kansas.
Loved ones Sharlene left behind are her children Michelle Wendler, Chad Wendler, and wife Nikki, Melissa Herdt and husband Alvin; grandchildren, Amanda, Jordyn and Lyndsi, Cody and Samantha; great-grandchildren, Brantley and Viviann; sister Lana Hammond and husband Ray; also many nieces and nephews who loved their Aunt Sharlene. She was grandma Sharlene to so many that we cannot list them all.
Sharlene has now reunited in heaven with her husband Gary Wendler; her mom, Della Martin; her dad Swede Martin; and Brother Terry Lee Martin.
Everyone Sharlene met she welcomed with an open heart and loving hug.
SHARLENE’S LIFE WAS HER FAMILY AND TO HER FAMILY SHE WAS EVERYTHING!
Funeral services for Sharlene Wendler are Tuesday August 22, 2017 at Schmitt Funeral Home in Wakeeney Kansas. Viewing will be from 9:00AM – 11:00AM, Service at 2:00PM, and gravesite services to follow. Memorials may be made to Sharlene Wendler memorial fund and left in care of Schmitt Funeral Home, 336 N 12th Street, Wakeeney, KS 67672
As Congress works to make improvements to our health care system, we should make certain we continue to prioritize medical research and its ability to save lives tomorrow through today’s investments. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) plays a critical role nationwide in directing our medical research community.
I recently visited the NIH headquarters in Bethesda, Md., accompanied by NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins, several directors of NIH Institutes, University of Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod and members of the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Center, to see firsthand the work being done by some of our nation’s leading physicians and scientists. After touring NIH’s facilities and discussing research progress on neurodegenerative diseases — specifically, Alzheimer’s — it is clear, now more than ever, that sustained funding for the NIH is essential for the next generation of Americans and will help lower health care costs in the future.
As a co-founder of the Senate NIH Caucus and champion of NIH funding, I’ve made it a priority to make certain Congress prioritizes funding to assist our nation’s medical researchers in reaching groundbreaking discoveries, including new treatments and cures for diseases to make our health care system more effective while lowering overall health care costs.
Federal NIH dollars support 3,000 universities, medical schools and research facilities across the country, which are developing cutting-edge treatments that will serve as a catalyst for more affordable care in the future. The importance of NIH funding is real: the medical breakthroughs yielded from NIH research will ensure future generations can live longer, healthier lives knowing that our nation’s doctors, scientists and health care providers have improved treatments and cures for costly diseases.
For example, KU researchers at the Alzheimer’s Disease Center are already contributing through their work on brain imaging, Alzheimer’s prevention, mitochondrial genetics and cellular metabolism. To accelerate this research, KU has joined in partnerships to expedite clinical trials and get to testing and development of potential treatments. These resources and partnerships — combined with the availability of the Hoglund Brain Imaging Center — create research opportunities unique to KU due to its NIH status and research capabilities.
According to a recent NIH report on Alzheimer’s, today there are more than 5 million Americans living with this disease and by 2050 that number could rise to as high as 16 million. Alzheimer’s and other dementia diseases cost $259 billion in 2017; by 2050, that number could explode to $1.1 trillion in total expenses. Furthermore, the report indicates that “in the last five years of life, total health care spending for people with dementia was more than a-quarter-million dollars per person.”
These predictions do not need to become our reality. These astronomical costs can be curbed if these diseases themselves are made treatable and curable.
We must address the costs of health care, not just who pays for health care, to put the United States’ health system on a sustainable financial path forward, including ways to lower costs while treating diseases like Alzheimer’s. If we find new ways to identify diseases early, create new and improved treatments and find cures that improve patients’ lives, it will ultimately lessen the cumulative burden on our health costs.
So many of us care for people who have been affected by serious illnesses. This unfortunate circumstance we share should make it easy to rally behind NIH in hopes of curing these diseases and improving the lives of those we love.
I appreciate the tireless efforts of NIH researchers and the enthusiastic approach they bring to their jobs each and every day. I will continue to work with the National Institutes of Health, NIH-accredited institutions in Kansas and congressional NIH advocates on both sides of the aisle to ensure medical research funding remains a top priority.
COLBY — According to a press release, the Thomas County Attorney’s Office concluded a two-day jury trial Friday. The defendant — Francisco DeLira, 24, of Stock Bride, Ga. — was charged with possession of more than 100 grams of methamphetamine with the Intent to Distribute, which is a level 1 drug felony.
Thomas County Attorney Rachel Lamm and special assistant prosecutor Heather Alwin represented the state. Cheryl Stewart, Oakley, was defense counsel.
The crime took place Aug. 24, 2016, on eastbound Interstate 70 between exits 53 and 54 near Colby. Colby Police Officer Cole Andreasen stopped the Defendant’s vehicle for failure to use a turn signal when getting onto the highway and conducted an investigation that resulted in the discovery of 5 bags of methamphetamine totaling over 4,900 grams, or 10.9 pounds.
“I am proud of the hard work of the Colby Police Department.” Lamm said. “I would like to extend my gratitude to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Kansas Highway Patrol for their assistance in obtaining a conviction.”
Sentencing is set for Oct. 3. According to the Standard Kansas Sentencing Guidelines, a level 1 drug felony is punishable by a term of 138 to 204 months in prison at the Kansas Department of Corrections.
ELLIS — There will be a back-to-school barbecue in Ellis to give Washington Grade School students a chance to meet teachers and drop off school supplies.
The event will help support the Washington Grade School PTO.
Hamburgers, hot dogs and pulled pork will be served. Cost is $5 person or $20 for a family of five or more.
The event is scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Washington cafeteria. Click the image above for more details.
Kansas is counting down the minutes to the country’s first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse since 1918. The Most of Kansas will see only a partial eclipse on Monday. Social media is exploding with advice, instructions and fun.
More than 90 percent of the sun will be blocked by the moon in Wichita and most of southeastern, central and northwestern Kansas. The peak of the eclipse will occur shortly after 1 p.m.
TOPEKA – Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has announced new appointments to boards and commissions.
“I’d like to thank these individuals for committing their time and skills to serve the people of Kansas,” said Governor Brownback.
The Governor’s Office is always looking for qualified, interested Kansans to serve the state on commissions and boards in their areas of expertise. If you are interested in serving on a commission or board, please visit https://governor.ks.gov/serving-kansans/office-of-appointments.
Board of Regents
Shane Bangerter, Dodge City (reappointment)
Ann Brandau-Murguia, Kansas City (reappointment)
Helen Van Etten, Topeka (reappointment)
Kansas State Fair Board Robert Atkisson, Stockton
Harmon Bliss Jetmore (reappointment) Nick Ketzner, Bird City
Board of Agriculture
Dan Heinz, Rose Hill
Coordinating Council on Early Childhood Developmental Services
Alix Kumer, Fairway
Board of Adult Care Home Administrators
Noreen Fenton, Topeka (reappointment)
Sara Sourk, Seneca (reappointment)
Board of Cosmetology
Kelly Holmes, Topeka
Kimberely Mancuso, Olathe (reappointment)
David Yocum, St. Marys (reappointment)
Kansas Advisory Committee for the Blind & Visually Impaired
Ashlee Thao, Overland Park
Lyn Petro, Leawood
Cindy Brenner, Meade
Emergency Services Board
Dennis Shelby, Neodesha
Physician Assistant Council
Andrew Kneib, Emporia
Board of Nursing
Carol Bragdon, Topeka (reappointment)
Mandy Karstetter, McCune
Julianna Rieschick, Andover
Board of Examiners in Optometry
Ron Hansen, Hutchinson (reappointment)
Craig Lozada, Mission (reappointment)
Gary Slimmer, Topeka (reappointment)
Physical Therapy Advisory Council
Brent Martin, Belleville (reappointment)
Kansas Board of Examiners in Fitting & Dispensing of Hearing Instruments
Kevin Albee, Lansing (reappointed)
Paul Rowden, Wichita (reappointed)
State Historic Sites Board of Review
Sharron Hamilton, Salina (reappointment)
Kathryn Herzog, Wichita (reappointment)
Wichita State University Board of Trustees
Pierre Harter, Wichita (reappointment)
Joe Norton, Wichita (reappointment)
Sheryl Wohlford, Wichita (reappointment)
Hispanic and Latino American Affairs Commission
Bertha Mendoza, Holcomb
Board of Directors of the Delta Dental Plan of Kansas
Kim Borchers, Topeka
Athletic Trainers Council
Matt Way, Wichita (reappointment)
Kansas Guardianship Program Board of Directors
Stephen Atherton, Olpe
Dave Heinemann, Topeka (reappointment)
Paul Kallman, Scandia (reappointment)
Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission
Gary Hazlitt, Lakin (reappointment)
Veterans Claims Assistance Program Advisory Board
Jim Buterbaugh, Winfield (reappointment)
Larry Meadows, Tonganoxie (reappointment)
Advisory Committee on Trauma
Craig Concannon, Beloit (reappointment)
Cathy Heikes, Dodge City (reappointment)
Kristine Hill, Peck (reappointment)
John Hultgren, Junction City (reappointment)
Tina Pendergraft, Santana
Acupuncture Advisory Council
Cynthia Chamberlain, Overland Park
Rhonda Bathurst, Abilene
Douglas Petrie, Ozawkie
Kansas Turnpike Authority
David Lindstrom, Leawood (reappointment)
Athletic Commission
Dr. Matthew Bohm, Topeka
Board of Adult Care Home Administrators
Dr. Stephanie Murray, Wichita
Kansas Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Daniel Donaldson, Topeka,
911 Coordinating Council
Melanie Mills-Bergers, Topeka
The exhibit 50, commemorating 50 years of the Hays Arts Council will open at the Hays Arts Center during the Fall Art Walk Friday. Fifty local artists and those with connections to Hays will exhibit pieces in a variety of mediums. The show will run through Oct. 13.
2017 Hays Arts Council Fall Art Walk ~ Friday, August 25 ~ 6:30-9:30pm
Hays Arts Center, 112 E. 11th
“50” ~ Hays Arts Council 50th Anniversary Exhibition
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an armed robbery and asking for help to identify a suspect.
