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Month: September 2017

Search and rescue teams demobilized, return to Kansas

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photo courtesy Kansas Division of Emergency Management

HOUSTON —Search and rescue teams that deployed to Texas on Wednesday, Aug. 30, were demobilized Sunday and are returning to Kansas.  The teams were deployed to assist local authorities with search and rescue operations in support of Hurricane Harvey.

The deployments were coordinated by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, which is the administrative agency for the Kansas Search and Rescue Response System and is responsible for directing the regional teams and the Kansas Division of Emergency Management through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a multistate agreement that facilitates emergency assistance between states during major disasters.

Personnel who deployed include:

  • Northeast Region Kansas Task Force 2 — Manhattan Fire Department (four); Mission Township Fire Department (five)
  • Kansas City Metro Region Kansas Task Force 3 – Shawnee Fire Department (five)
  • Southeast Region Kansas Task Force 4 — Chanute Fire Department (two)
  • South Central Region Kansas Task Force 5 — Sedgwick County Fire Department (four); Derby Fire Department (four); Winfield Fire Department (three)
  • North Central Region Kansas Task Force 8 — Salina Fire Department (five); Saline County Sheriff’s Office (two)
  • Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism – 14
  • Office of the State Fire Marshal – one
  • Hutchinson Fire Department – one
  • South Hutchinson Police – one
  • Neodesha Fire Department – one
  • Parsons Fire Department – one
  • Pittsburg Fire Department – one

In addition, the 184th Air Wing in Wichita has activated 10 Airmen to provide visual information via satellites for leaders on the ground to get a bigger picture of the situation.

Partly sunny, mild Tuesday

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Today Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 75. North wind 7 to 14 mph.

Tonight Clear, with a low around 43. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light after midnight.

Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 79. North northwest wind 3 to 5 mph.

Wednesday NightMostly clear, with a low around 51. Northeast wind around 6 mph becoming south after midnight.

ThursdaySunny, with a high near 86. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday NightMostly clear, with a low around 60.

FridayMostly sunny, with a high near 87.

Kansas man hospitalized after motorcycle overturns

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SHAWNEE COUNTY — A Kansas man was injured in an accident just after 7p.m. Monday in Shawnee County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by Loretta D. Weeks, 51, Tecumseh was eastbound on U.S. 24 at Goodyear Road. The motorcycle left the roadway to the right and overturned.

Weeks was transported to the hospital in Topeka. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.

Kansas man jailed for weekend home-invasion

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Ramirez -photo Jackson Co.

JACKSON COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect weekend home-invasion.

Just after 11p.m. Saturday deputies received a 911 call of a home invasion in the 12000 block of 174th Road north west of the City of Mayetta in Jackson County, according to a media release.

Law enforcement officers from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police arrived on the scene and arrested Daniel M. Ramirez, 32, Mayetta, inside the residence who allegedly kicked in the home’s front door.

Ramirez is being held on a $15,000 bond in the Jackson County Jail on aggravated burglary and drug charges. The occupants of the residence were at home at the time of the incident, but were unharmed.

Strong 2nd half lifts HHS Soccer

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By JEREMY McGUIRE
Hays Post

Hays High 8, Wichita Home School 5

WICHITA, Kan.-Hays High outscored Wichita Home School 5-1 in the second half of their 8-5 opening round victory of the 2017 Titan Classic in Wichita. The Indians worked their way out of some first half trouble which saw them with a couple of three two goal deficits at 2-0, 3-1 and 4-2.  The Indians had three first half goals from Ethan Nunnery and trailed 4-3 at the break.

Both teams battled through mid to upper 90 degree heat which took out one of the game officials early in the second half. Hays High tied the game in the 48th minute on a penalty kick by Zach Wagner.  WHS answered with a goal in the 58th minute to take their final lead of the game, 5-4. Hays High would answer with the next four goals. Nunnery scored two more along with one each from Trae McCrae and Conner Teget. The Indians had a healthy dose of assists on the day as well. Wagner had four, Jacob Maska two, and Brian Cisneros and Peyton Thorell had one each.

With Nunnery’s five goals he is now the all time goal scoring leader in HHS history with 52 career goals. Eclipsing the mark of 47 set by his current head coach, Silas Hibbs. Wagner continues to add to his total as the all-time career assist leader for the Indians.

The Indians improve to 2-1 on the season and advance to Tuesday’s semifinals at 6pm where they will face Wichita Southeast who beat Hutchinson 3-1.

SILAS HIBBS INTERVIEW

Protesters in Kansas City seek more pay for low-wage workers

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Monday rally in Kansas City-photo courtesy Standup KC

KANSAS CITY— (AP) — Hundreds of protesters called for higher pay and better treatment during Labor Day rallies.

The Kansas City Star reports that more than 300 protesters turned out in Kansas City Monday for a “Fight for $15” rally. Many of the protesters were scheduled to work but were striking for the holiday, waving American flags and carrying placards.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that several people protested outside a downtown McDonald’s prior to St. Louis’ annual Labor Day parade.

St. Louis enacted a $10 minimum wage in May. Kansas City voters approved a measure last month raising the city’s minimum wage to $10 an hour. Both efforts were voided effective Aug. 28 by a new state law prohibiting local minimum wages above the state’s $7.70.

Three hospitalized after Kansas boat crash

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Sunday boat crash in Jefferson County -photo courtesy KDWP&T Game Wardens

JEFFERSON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an injury accident in Jefferson County.

Early Sunday, Kansas Game Wardens responded to an injury boat accident at Perry Reservoir where two boats collided resulting in three injured people being transported to a local hospital for treatment, according to a social media report.

Evidence indicates that alcohol may be a contributing factor. The KDWP&T did not release names or additional details.

Homers and defense lead Royals past Tigers

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DETROIT (AP) — The Kansas City Royals hit three homers and got two spectacular defensive plays in a 7-6 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Monday afternoon.

Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez and Alcides Escobar homered for the Royals, but the biggest plays of the game came on defense. Alex Gordon reached well over the left-field fence to rob Mikie Mahtook of a three-run homer, while Lorenzo Cain’s sliding catch took two RBIs away from Jose Iglesias.

Since trading Justin Verlander and Justin Upton on Thursday, the Tigers are 0-5 and have been outscored 36-11.

The Tigers trailed 7-3 going into the ninth, but Nicholas Castellanos hit a three-run homer off Brandon Maurer with one out. Maurer struck out Efren Navarro before James McCann and Jeimer Candelario singled to put the potential winning run on base.

Scott Alexander replaced Maurer and retired Mahtook for his third save in five chances.

Mezera and Brown earn MIAA football Athlete of the Week honors

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State football student-athletes Jacob Mezera and Brandon Brown earned two of the three MIAA Football Athlete of the Week honors for their efforts in the first week of the season. Mezera earned Offensive Athlete of the Week, while Brown earned Special Teams Athlete of the Week. Both were instrumental in Fort Hays State’s 48-7 win over Missouri Southern in the season opener last Thursday.

Mezera was efficient in helping Fort Hays State build a 41-7 lead over Missouri Southern by halftime and played just three quarters in the 41-point win. He was 21-of-29 passing for 245 yards and two touchdowns, while he also rushed for one touchdown. His two-yard touchdown run gave the Tigers the lead 7-0 early in the first quarter, then had touchdown passes of 28 and 10 yards in the second quarter. His longest pass of the night went for 40 yards to Layne Bieberle.

Brown was perfect on his kicking attempts in the win over Missouri Southern. He converted both of his field goal attempts from 39 and 36 yards, and went 6-of-6 on extra-point attempts to finish with 12 points for the game. He averaged 56.0 yards per kickoff with three touchbacks.

This is the second time both Mezera and Brown have been named MIAA Football Athletes of the Week in the same week. Both earned the honor last year with their efforts in a 54-41 win at Pittsburg State, a game that saw Mezera set a new school record for total offense (508 yards) and Brown recorded 18 points with a 4-of-4 effort on field goals and 6-of-6 effort on extra-point attempts.

FHSU Sports Information

Thousands of pelicans arrive in Kansas

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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Thousands of pelicans have been spotted in a wildlife area in central Kansas.

About 9,000 pelicans were spotted Tuesday at the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area near Great Bend.

The birds are white with wingspans as large as 9-feet wide. Though they waddle clumsily on land, they’re graceful in the water and the air.

Robert Penner is the avian programs manager at the Nature Conservancy of Kansas. He says the pelicans begin returning to the state from their northern breeding grounds in July and August. Their numbers will increase as fall approaches.

Max Thompson is a retired Southwestern College biology professor and ornithologist. He says the birds tend to nest further north and that there’s no documentation of pelican nesting in the state.

Tigers receive votes in first regular season edition of AFCA National Rankings

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WACO, Texas – Fort Hays State Football is receiving votes in the first regular season edition of the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Poll, released on Monday (Sept. 4). The poll voters gave FHSU 14 points following its 41-point win in the season opener over Missouri Southern.

The Tigers will have a chance to strengthen their case for top 25 consideration this week when they host No. 13 ranked Central Missouri on Thursday night (Sept. 7) at 7 pm. It will be the first home game of the season for the Tigers. FHSU fell to the Mules last year in Warrensburg 34-17 when UCM owned a No. 16 ranking.

Fort Hays State continues to look for its first-ever top 25 spot in the AFCA Poll, which began in 2000. The Tigers received votes in seven editions of the poll last year. The last time FHSU held a spot in the top 25 of the official NCAA Division II Poll was September 16, 1996, when it was No. 6 in the nation. The Tigers fell out of the poll the following week. The poll at that time was organized by the NCAA Football Committee.

Northwest Missouri State continues its hold on the No. 1 ranking in the nation after a win over then No. 4 ranked Emporia State in the first week. Emporia State fell to No. 15 with the loss. Central Missouri jumped from No. 21 to No. 13 this week after a comeback win over Pittsburg State in the first week. Washburn joins FHSU as MIAA schools receiving votes this week.

Below is the AFCA Top 25 for September 4, 2017.

Rank School (1st votes) Record Pts. Prev.
1. Northwest Missouri St. (34) 1-0 850 1
2. Ferris St. (Mich.) 0-0 799 3
3. Texas A&M-Commerce 1-0 776 5
4. Shepherd (W.Va.) 1-0 726 7
5. California (Pa.) 1-0 675 8
6. Indiana (Pa.) 1-0 649 9
7. Colorado St.-Pueblo 1-0 644 12
8. Azusa Pacific (Calif.) 1-0 541 13
9. Sioux Falls (S.D.) 1-0 502 17
10. LIU-Post (N.Y.) 1-0 486 14
11. North Alabama 0-1 468 6
12. Minnesota St. 1-0 412 20
13. Central Missouri 1-0 401 21
14. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) 0-1 338 2
15. Emporia St. (Kan.) 0-1 310 4
16. Midwestern St. (Texas) 1-0 298 24
17. Colorado Mesa 1-0 293 23
18. Indianapolis (Ind.) 1-0 246 NR
19. Winston-Salem St. (N.C.) 1-0 201 NR
20. Albany St. (Ga.) 1-0 197 NR
21. Minnesota-Duluth 0-1 139 10
22. Tuskegee (Ala.) 1-0 138 NR
23. Henderson St. (Ark.) 1-0 126 NR
24. West Chester (Pa.) 1-0 101 NR
25. West Georgia 1-0 79 NR
Others Receiving Votes: Valdosta St. (Ga.), 76; Florida Tech, 68; Arkansas Tech, 66; Colorado School of Mines, 60; Harding (Ark.), 53; Central Washington, 43; North Greenville (S.C.), 43; Ashland (Ohio), 32; Delta St. (Miss.), 28; Southern Arkansas, 22; Humboldt St. (Calif.), 20; Carson-Newman (Tenn.), 19; North Carolina-Pembroke, 16; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 14; Slippery Rock (Pa.), 14; Bemidji St. (Minn.), 13; Bowie St. (Md.), 13; Minnesota St.-Moorhead, 11; Assumption (Mass.), 8; Gannon (Pa.), 8; Eastern New Mexico, 7; Southwest Baptist (Mo.), 5; Virginia St., 5; Findlay (Ohio), 2; Notre Dame (Ohio), 2; Winona St. (Minn.), 2; Angelo St. (Texas), 1; East Central (Okla.), 1; Mars Hill (N.C.), 1; Ohio Dominican, 1; Washburn (Kan.), 1.

UPDATE: Hundreds of pigs die in rural Kansas barn fire

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Smoldering remains from pig barn fire in eastern Geary County. -Photo courtesy of Geary County Rural Fire Department

GEARY COUNTY —The cause of a pig barn fire that resulted in the death of several hundred feeder pigs Saturday night is undetermined, but it was likely an electrical malfunction, according to Geary County Rural Fire Chief Garry Berges. The fire occurred on property owned by Phillip Goodyear at 10467 Humboldt Creek Road.

Authorities including Assistant Geary County Rural Fire Chief Curt Janke and a representative from the State Fire Marshal’s Office conducted an investigation into the cause and origin of the fire on Sunday afternoon. The number of feeder pigs that died has been reduced from approximately 700 down to 518.

The $200,000 barn was destroyed, and 518 pigs valued at $30,000 died in the blaze.

Berges said the pigs were owned by F & R Swine. “They’ve got an agreement with Mr. Goodyear to help take care of them as part of their operation.”

Berges said Goodyear will work with the Kansas Department of Health & Environment to dispose of the remains of the pigs. Berges also confirmed Goodyear had some insurance on the building.

 

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GEARY COUNTY — The Kansas Fire Marshal’s office is help to determine the cause of a fire Saturday in rural Geary County.

Just after 10p.m., eight Geary County rural fire units along with two support vehicles responded to the fire in a hog barn at 10467 Humboldt Creek Road on property owned by Phillip Goodyear.

“Later we learned that there were approximately 700 feeder pigs that were inside that ended up perishing due to the fire,” According to Garry Berges, Geary County Rural Fire Chief.

Water support from Fort Riley Fire, Riley County Fire and Grandview Plaza Fire was requested and received.

There were 20 Geary County firefighters and 12 firefighters from the mutual aid partners working at the scene. Berges noted that the fire was brought under control at approximately 30 minutes after midnight, with most of the firefighters released a bit after midnight, but three personnel and two trucks remained overnight until about 9:30 a.m. Sunday monitoring site.

Ailing airline ending flights to 2 Kansas communities

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SCOTTBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — An airline providing government-subsidized service to three Nebraska and two Kansas cities plans to end the flights later this month.

PenAir notified the U.S. Transportation Department last week that service to Kearney, North Platte and Scottsbluff in Nebraska and to Dodge City and Liberal in Kansas will cease after Sunday. The information was first reported by an airline industry news site, ch-aviation.com .

The Anchorage, Alaska-based carrier announced last month that it was filing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan and planning to close its Denver hub.

The company says it had intended to continue service until replacement carriers were chosen and in place, but it says a massive exodus of its pilots forced it to end the two states’ service far sooner.

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