COLBY, Kan. – TMP-Marian’s Shannen Chin shot a 2-over-par 78 to win the Colby Invitational at the Meadow Lake Golf Course. Chin won the event by five strokes over Goodland’s Karrigan Rudolph.
The Monarchs finished fourth in the five-team event. They shot a 425 and were nine strokes behind third-place Holcomb.
LABETTE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug charges.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Labette County Sheriff’s Office, and the Chetopa Police Department arrested a Kansas man Monday evening for growing marijuana in a Chetopa city park, according to a media release.
At approximately 3:30 p.m. on Monday KBI agents, Labette County Sheriff’s deputies, and officers from the Chetopa Police Department arrested Joseph “Scott” Skibo, 54, of Chetopa, for cultivation of marijuana and criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Skibo was allegedly cultivating marijuana on an island in Elmore Park. The park is located within the city limits of Chetopa, Kan. Skibo attempted to flee law enforcement in a boat, but was arrested without further incident.
FORD COUNTY — A Kansas man was injured in an accident just after 8:30p.m. Monday in Ford County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Ford County Emergency Vehicle Dodge Ram 1500 driven by Robert Boyd, 52, Dodge City, was southbound on 113th Road at Comanche Road with lights and sirens on the way to a call.
The emergency vehicle was behind a 2006 GMC Yukon driven by Sarah M. Malloy, 38, Dodge City.
The emergency vehicle attempted to pass as the Yukon turned left in front of the Dodge sideswiping the vehicle.
Boyd was transported to Western Plains Medical Center. Malloy and a passenger in the GMC were not injured. All were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
TOPEKA – “We are excited to report that we had the lowest ever recorded infant mortality rate in the history of the state in 2015 and we have maintained that rate again in 2016,” said KDHE Secretary Mosier, MD, MBA, FACS. The state recorded 223 resident infant deaths in 2016 the lowest number ever recorded. The infant mortality rate for the state was 5.9 infants per 1,000 live births. This was unchanged from the 2015 infant mortality rate. A decline in the number of births to Kansas resident women was responsible for the unchanged rate. Kansas recorded 38,048 resident births, a 2.8 percent decrease from the 39,126 births in 2015.
The long term trends for White non-Hispanic and Black non-Hispanic infant mortality rates show a decline. The Black non-Hispanic infant mortality rate in 2016 was 15.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, almost three times higher (2.9) than the White non-Hispanic infant mortality rate of 5.2. The infant mortality rate for Hispanic origin was 5.1 per 1,000 live births.
KDHE continues to collaborate with community providers and organizations on several key initiatives to continue the progress made in decreasing cases of infant death and disparities in infant mortality. Initiatives include the Infant Mortality Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (IM CoIIN) and reducing the state’s early elective delivery rate.
HASKELL COUNTY —Officials are waiting for autopsy results after the death of a Kansas man in a grain elevator accident.
Just after 3:30p.m. Thursday, the Haskell County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call that an employee was trapped in a grain elevator at the Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) facility, 1892 U.S. Highway 83 in Haskell County, according to a media release.
First responders determined that 2 ADM employees were in a grain silo trying to remove another employee who was entrapped in grain within the silo. Efforts to remove the 25-year-old Javier Trejo, 25, Liberal, were unsuccessful.
Just after 6:00p.m. officials pronounced Trejo dead at the scene. An autopsy is going to be performed.
The Gray County Fire Department and Grant County Fire Departments assisted at the scene according to the sheriff’s department.
TOPEKA — Registration is open for the 2017 Kansas Energy Conference, which will be held Sept. 26 and 27 in Wichita. The 2017 conference is co-sponsored by the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Clean Energy Business Council.
The Kansas Energy Conference will highlight the latest developments in the state’s renewable energy sector, focusing on how technology will accelerate the move to a clean energy economy and the role that Kansas can play to lead this transition. The day-and-half conference will feature three general sessions and several breakout sessions focusing on public sustainability programs, wind, solar, green efficiency programs, renewable energy storage, and oil and gas.
Speakers for this year’s conference include Greg Greenwood, Senior Vice President of Strategy for Westar Energy, Jeff Glendening, State Director for Americans for Prosperity (Kansas Chapter), and JR Tolbert, Vice President of State Policy for Advanced Energy Economy.
A new optional offering this year is a Pre-Conference Wind Farm Tour, enabling conference attendees to experience wind energy production up-close. For a nominal fee, attendees will participate in an engaging tour of the Kingman Wind Energy Center.
Another bonus with this year’s conference is a post-conference Distributed Generation Workshop, ideal for those who are unable to attend the full conference. This workshop will kick-off the Clean Energy Business Council’s “Around the State” initiative, which will include a total of four community workshops aimed at increasing exposure about market opportunities in renewable energy within Kansas. The workshop is free to conference attendees and available to others for a nominal cost.
The conference will be held September 26, 8:30 a.m. – 4:45 p.m., and September 27, 8:00 a.m. – noon at the DoubleTree by Hilton Wichita Airport, 2098 S. Airport Road in Wichita. Exhibits will be open from 9:45 a.m. – 6 p.m. on September 26 and 8:00 a.m. – noon on September 27. A reception is planned from 4:45 p.m. – 6 p.m. on September 26. The Pre-Conference Wind Farm Tour will be held on Monday, September 25, from Noon – 4:00 p.m, while the Post-Conference Distributed Generation Workshop will be held Wednesday, September 27, from noon – 5:00 p.m.
SPONSORS: Next Era Energy, Polsinelli, Tradewind Energy, Apex Clean Energy, Cromwell Solar, Distributed Energy Association, EDF Renewable Energy, EDP Renewables NA, Foley Power Solutions, Grain Line Express Clean line, ITC Great Plains, Kansas Soybean Commission, Midwest Energy, MC Power, NEC Energy Solutions, Olsson Associates, Stanion Wholesale Electric Company, Stantec Consulting Services, Westar, Wilson & Company.
REGISTRATION INFO: The deadline for conference registrations is September 20. A complete itinerary and online registration is available through the Kansas Energy Conference web page at KansasCommerce.gov/EnergyConference.
State Representative 19th District- Stephanie Clayton
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A lieutenant colonel in the Kansas’ Civil Air Patrol who resigned his command after posting on Facebook that a state lawmaker should “swing from a tree” has chosen not to resume participation in the volunteer organization after being cleared to do so.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Col. Linette Lahan, commander of the Kansas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, says Jonathan Holder is “not active.”
The Civil Air Patrol conducts emergency searches. Holder had led a squadron at the based at the Kansas National Guard Armory in Emporia.
The dispute stems from a Facebook post saying that Republican Rep. Stephanie Clayton of Overland Park ought to die for introducing what he considers an unconstitutional bill to block carrying of concealed handguns on college campuses.
TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Commerce’s Office of Minority and Women Business Development announces plans for its 33rd Annual Minority and Women Business Awards Luncheon. The luncheon will take place during Kansas Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week, the Department’s annual celebration of minority and women entrepreneurs in Kansas.
The luncheon will be held at noon on Thursday, Oct. 5 at the Capitol Plaza Hotel, 1717 SW Topeka Boulevard, Topeka. The event will recognize 16 companies and four individuals for their support of Kansas minority and women-owned businesses and their efforts to create opportunities.
Among the winners is Project Fitness CrossFit in Garden City.
“Minority and women-owned businesses make a significant contribution to the Kansas economy,” said Nick Jordan, Interim Secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce. “Seven percent of women and five percent of minorities in Kansas describe themselves as self-employed which, when taken together, equals a substantial portion of our local-owned businesses and employers. We greatly value their entrepreneurship and role in driving our state’s economy.”
The emcee of the event will be Regan Porter, an on-air reporter with WIBW-TV in Topeka. Dr. Jeff Colyer, Kansas Lieutenant Governor will be providing remarks. The event will also feature live music by the Washburn Rural High School Jazz Band. Sponsors of the luncheon include Dillons, GO Topeka Entrepreneurial & Minority Business Development, KCP&L, Network Kansas, PTMW, Inc. and Textron Aviation.
The registration fee for the luncheon is $40 per person or $320 for a table of eight. Registration is required and the deadline to register is September 22. Please visit KansasCommerce.gov/MEDWeek to register or contact Rhonda Harris, Director of the Office of Minority and Women Business Development, at (785) 296-3425 or [email protected].
Companies being recognized at the luncheon will include:
Two individuals will also be recognized for their contribution in supporting the growth of minority- and women-owned businesses. Sandra Olivas with the Bank of Labor in Kansas City, Kansas will be recognized as the Minority Business Advocate of the Year while Debra Kunz with the Center for Deliberate Growth in Mission, Kansas will be recognized as the Women Business Advocate of the Year.
The luncheon also annually recognizes both a rising star entrepreneur and an established corporation that has demonstrated efforts to assist in the growth of women and minority businesses. This year, Paul Kaster with Crooked Branch Studio in Leawood will be recognized as the Young Entrepreneur of the Year, while Textron Aviation in Wichita will be honored as the Corporation of the Year.
About The Office of Minority and Women Business Development
The Office of Minority and Women Business Development provides assistance in business development, identifying resources for financing and establishing contacts in the public and private sectors. The office is responsible for certifying minority and women-owned businesses as small disadvantaged businesses for procurement and subcontracting opportunities.
Low-income Kansans are less likely to have health insurance than their counterparts in other states, according to an analysis of new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The uninsured rate among Kansans living below the federal poverty level has been worse than the national rate for many years. But the gap has widened in recent years, mainly because of the state’s rejection of Medicaid expansion, said Robert St. Peter, president and CEO of the nonpartisan Kansas Health Institute.
In Kansas, younger or low-income adults are less likely to have health insurance than their counterparts in other states, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. COURTESY KANSAS HEALTH INSTITUTE
“Since 2014 when many states expanded Medicaid, which of course is targeted to low-income families, the gap between Kansas and the rest of the country has actually increased,” St. Peter said.
In 2014 — the first year of the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansion — the national uninsured rate for families living below the poverty line was 21.3 percent, compared to 24.6 percent in Kansas. In 2016, the national rate dropped to 16 percent. The Kansas rate also declined, but only to 22 percent.
The 2016 poverty threshold was annual income of $11,880 for individuals and $24,300 for a family of four.
Efforts to expand Medicaid coverage to low-income families earning up to about a third more than the poverty level — $16,040 for an individual and $32,718 for a family of four — gained traction in the 2017 session of the Kansas Legislature. Lawmakers passed an expansion plan but failed by a few votes to override Gov. Sam Brownback’s veto of the bill.
The recent failure by Republicans in the U.S. Congress to repeal the ACA has expansion supporters in Kansas gearing up for another attempt when the 2018 legislative session convenes in January.
The latest U.S. Census numbers show Kansans losing ground in other areas as well.
Prior to implementation of the ACA, young adults in Kansas were more likely to have health coverage than 19- to 25-year-olds across the country.
“Now, young adults in Kansas are slightly more likely to be uninsured than young adults in the rest of the country,” St. Peter said.
In 2009, the national uninsured rate for young adults stood at 31.7 percent, compared to 26.8 percent in Kansas. But Kansas lost its advantage in 2016 when the decline in its rate to 15.7 percent was exceed by a drop in the national rate to 14.1 percent.
“This isn’t unique to Kansas,” St. Peter said. “I think all of the states that haven’t expanded Medicaid are seeing similar trends.”
Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia have expanded eligibility for their Medicaid programs. Kansas is among 19 states that haven’t.
Although rejection of Medicaid expansion is the main reason uninsured rates in Kansas and other non-expansion states are declining more slowly, there are other factors, St. Peter said, explaining that some states led by governors opposed to the ACA didn’t do as much as others to help people eligible for subsidies purchase insurance in the Obamacare marketplace.
Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks.
Editor’s note: The Kansas Health Foundation, one of several regional health foundations that provide funding to the Kansas News Service, is also the primary funder of the Kansas Health Institute.
Click below to listen to Tiger Talk with “Voice of the Tigers” Gerard Wellbrock and Fort Hays State head football coach Chris Brown as they review Saturday night’s win at Central Oklahoma and take a look ahead at this Saturday’s game at home against Northeastern State.
Tiger Talk airs on Monday evening at 6 p.m. on Tiger Radio Mix-103.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A patient of a psychiatrist stabbed to death in the alley behind his holistic practice in Kansas has been charged with first-degree murder.
Twenty-one-year-old Umar Dutt made his first court appearance Monday in the Sept. 13 death of Achutha Reddy at the Holistic Psychiatry Services clinic in Wichita. He is being held on a $1 million bond.
His attorney Kurt Kerns says the case is complex and sad.
An attorney for Dutt’s family released a statement offering their condolences to the doctor’s family for their loss. Raj and Azra Dutt say their family has also suffered and will continue to suffer “the terrible toll and consequences of mental illness.”
First responders on the scene of Sunday’s incident in Wichita-photo courtesy KWCH
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a drowning.
Just after 3pm. Sunday, first responders were dispatched to a drowning at an apartment in the 2400 Block of South Woodlawn, according to officer Charlie Davidson.
An investigation revealed a 24-year-old man was giving a bath to a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old in a tub in a second-floor bathroom. The children were left alone in the tub while the man stepped into an adjacent shower. One of the children was able to turn the water back on and the tub overflowed.
The one-year-old was found face down in the water and transported to an area hospital in critical condition, according to Davidson.
There was also a 22-year-old woman, a 20-year-old man and two other small children in the home at the time of the incident.
