Fort Hays State University’s Sternberg Museum of Natural History will host a National Fossil Day – with free admission to the museum – from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14.
Mike Everhart, adjunct curator of paleontology, will sign copies of the second edition of his book, “Oceans of Kansas: A Natural History of the Western Interior Sea.” The book will be available for purchase at the museum’s gift shop.
Activities will also include the exploration of the Paleozoic Oceans of Kansas.
For more information, contact the museum at 785-628-4286.
RiegelThe American Physical Therapy Association Board of Directors announced this week that Aimee Riegel, PT, DPT of Progressive Physical Therapy has been selected by the Kansas chapter as a 2017 recipient of the Emerging Leader Award.
Riegel has been recognized in the October issue of PT in Motion Magazine.
The Emerging Leader Award was established to annually honor individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary service to the progression and APTA early in their careers. Here’s an excerpt of what Kansas component leadership had to say about Aimee’s abilities and accomplishments:
“With her public speaking and clinical skills, business and reimbursement expertise, as well as her passion and a willingness to serve, I am confident that Aimee will be the President of the KPTA in the next decade.”
HOXIE — Western Plains Arts Association has teamed up with High Plains Public Radio to present The RandyBoys, Friday, Oct. 20, at Hoxie High School auditorium. The two hour show begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission is by WPAA season ticket or a suggested donation at the door of $15 adults and $5 students. Young children ages 6 and under accompanied with an adult are free.
This show is made possible by northwest Kansas area foundations, businesses and individuals, and High Plains Public Radio, serving western Kansas, eastern Colorado, and the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas.
From the Panhandle High Plains and East Texas Tall Pines, the RandyBoys brings to its audiences original folk and Americana music with a sense of place. Two award-winning songwriters join forces creating expertly crafted songs with heart and mind, delivered with soul, grit and honesty.
Randy Palmer of Amarillo, Texas and Randy Brown of Mineola, Texas met a couple years ago. Their first co-written work was titled High Plains. Palmer’s down home, family focused songwriting blends perfectly with Brown’s philosophical and poetic approach.
Palmer has performed folk and country for 50 years, focusing on songwriting, guitar and solo and band projects. He received a degree in radio, television and film from Baylor University and is a member of the Texas Folk Music Alliance and the Folk Alliance. He has won numerous songwriting awards and officers workshops for professional song writers. He has produced three albums.
Brown is an award-winning singer, songwriter, storyteller and a self-proclaimed “performing philosopher” bent on deciphering the intersection of spirit, faith and science with a sense of wonder. His whimsical lyrics delve into off-beat tops as quantum mechanics, talking to extraterrestrials and testosterone poisoning. Brown, who accompanies himself on guitar and mandolin, describes his music as “Charles Darwin meets Guy Clark and Van Morrison at an MIT barbecue in honor of Albert Einstein’s birthday.” Chew on that image for awhile.
The Friday night Hoxie show is just one of 18 shows booked on the High Plains Public Radio Music Ambassador Tour. If you cannot make it to the Oct. 20 program, several other area concerts are set for a community center, business or private “livingroom concert” near you.
The Oct. 20 event is the only one, however, that is co-sponsored by WPAA, with major support from the Dane Hansen Foundation, Logan, Kansas. For complete information and exact times and locations of all regional RandyBoys shows visit randyboysmusic.com.
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women’s golf team completed the Midwest Classic (Oct. 9-10) with a sixth-place finish among MIAA schools and 12th place finish overall (Oct. 9-10). The event was at the Mules National Golf Club, a par-71, 5,800-yard course. The Tigers matched their season best of 325 on the first day before giving up a few strokes on their way to a 340 on the final day, finishing the week with a total of 665.
Hannah Perkins led Fort Hays State for the week, tying for 32nd individually. Perkins fired rounds of 79 and 81 to complete the tournament 18-over par (160).
Hannah Karasiuk shot rounds of 79 and 87 to finish in a tie for 47th. Taylor DeBoer (90-83) and Katie Brungardt (82-91) each tied for 72nd with a total score of 173. Madison Roether shot rounds of 85 and 89, figuring into the team scoring each day.
Arkansas Tech won the tournament after firing rounds of 306 and 307 to finish at 45-over par (613) for the week. Augustana finished second with a score of 615 and Central Missouri (616) finished third. Samantha Crawford of Nebraska-Kearney claimed the individual title with a three-over par performance (145) for the tournament.
Today Sunny, with a high near 68. Breezy, with a light south southeast wind increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.
Tonight Clear, with a low around 46. South southeast wind 9 to 11 mph.
Thursday Sunny, with a high near 80. South wind 8 to 11 mph.
Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 56. South wind 7 to 9 mph.
FridaySunny, with a high near 72.
Friday NightA 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 51.
SaturdayA 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 69.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s golf team finished seventh among MIAA teams and 17th overall at the Holiday Inn Express Classic (Oct. 9-10), hosted at St. Joseph Country Club in St. Joseph, Missouri. Junior Mac McNish led the Tigers tying for 30th individually with rounds of 70, 76 and 78 to finish 11-over par for the tournament (224). The Tigers tied for eighth after the first round, matching their season-best score of 297. The Tigers then shot a 311 in the second round and 317 in the third round for a tournament total of 925.
Senior Skyler Tebo completed the tournament in a tie for 36th with rounds of 77, 73 and 76 to finish two shots behind McNish at 226 for the tournament. Seve Sites (72-86-84) and Colton Bobek (78-81-83) each tied for 85th, while Lane Pauls shot rounds of 84, 81 and 83.
McNish was incredibly consistent in the first round, recording two birdies, one bogey and 15 pars en route to his 1-under 70. It was the first under-par round for a Tiger since the 2015-16 season when Lane Pauls shot a 1-under 71 at the MIAA Championships (4/20/16).
Harding took the team title with a 26-over par (294-286-298) finish. The Bison finished the tournament with an 878. Missouri Western tied Harding, but lost the tiebreaker on the second playoff hole, posting a tournament score of 878. Central Missouri finished third just one stroke back with an 879. John Bonaobra of Central Missouri claimed the individual title with a two-under par performance and a total of 211 for the week.
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a man wanted in connection with a weekend shooting death in Mississippi.
After acting on information the suspect may be hiding in a residence in the 2700 Block of SE Jefferson Avenue in Topeka, officers and K9 located the subject in an attic area of a residence shortly after 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, according to Lt. Colleen Stuart.
Police transported Travis R Conners, 27, to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on a Fugitive from Justice warrant.
Police in Meridian, Mississippi, say witnesses identify Conners as the man who shot Donnikia Clark in the face after an argument. Clark later died at a hospital.
Meridian Police Chief Benny Dubose says Conners could be charged with manslaughter or murder depending on the investigation. Dubose says Conners has indicated he will waive extradition and could be back in Meridian by the weekend.
Police say Conners is also suspected in the September robbery of a store in Meridian.
The Kansas Merci Box car was a gift from France to the United States following World War II.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
The historic Kansas Merci Boxcar, which sat in front of the former Hays American Legion building, 1305 Canterbury, was moved late Tuesday morning to its new home in the adjacent Veterans Memorial Park, owned by the city of Hays.
The new owner of the building is working on the exterior and the attached railroad car and awning had to be moved.
Larry Brin, Hess Services, guides the load from the ground with a rope as crane operator Jeremy Farber moves the 1-ton Kansas Merci Boxcar into Veterans Memorial Park Tuesday.
A two-man crew from Hess Services, Hays, utilized a tall, yellow hydraulic crane with special lift ropes and chains to hoist the 21,000 pound railroad car up into the air and slowly swing it a few hundred yards west, then gently lower it onto a short railroad track in the northeast side of the park.
The process, watched by Hays city officials and interested onlookers, took about two and a half hours, after some pre-planning.
“We figure the load, the radius, the rigging first,” explained Larry Brin, crane supervisor. He and crane operator Jeremy Farber attached the ropes and chains around and under the railroad car. Farber then climbed up into the crane cab to carefully watch hand signals from Brin on the ground to start moving the one-ton load. The crane is capable of moving 275 tons.
“Makes things like this pretty easy,” Brin said with a smile. “This was good.”
Ed Holzmeister and the Hays “High Plains Voiture” 1543 are the caretakers of the Kansas Merci Boxcar. Holzmeister takes a picture of the car before it is moved.
One of the interested bystanders was 87-year-old Ed Holzmeister, grand director of the Kansas Merci Boxcar, former commander of the Hays American Legion Post 173, former district commander, and a Navy veteran of the Korean War.
“We’re glad we’re finally getting it moved over to the Veterans Park, which I think will be an asset to Kansas and Hays,” Holzmeister said while taking numerous photos of the process. “We waited quite a while to do this, but it’s finally coming to a close today.”
The Hays boxcar is one of 49 that toured each state, the District of Columbia and Hawaii in 1949.
They were all filled with gifts of cultural significance from the people of France in thanks to Americans who sent needed supplies to France after World War II. The boxcars were able to hold 40 men or 8 horses which is the origin of the name Society of 40 Men and 8 Horses.
Kansas car from French Merci Train
According to information provided by Vance Chartier, 40 and 8 Chef de Train, the Kansas boxcar toured 120 cities, ending in Hays on Nov. 11, 1949. After it was paraded through town during the Armistice Day parade, it was placed at Fort Hays Kansas State College (now Fort Hays State University) for display and awarded to the local 40 and 8 chapter to maintain and preserve for the state. In 1975, it was moved to the American Legion where it was rebuilt and turned into a museum.
Michael Windholz, Hays park technician, welds the boxcar wheels to the railroad tracks.
Now literally welded onto the tracks in its new home by Michael Windholz, Hays park technician, a canopy will be built over the boxcar museum to protect it from the weather. The railroad tracks, ties, rocks and other material for the site were donated by Union Pacific railroad, according to Hays Parks Superintendent Chris Smith.
Fencing will be placed around the area with a locked gate which will be opened for tour groups.
People on those tours often donate items for display inside the boxcar.
“We get a lot of things from tourists who have stuff at home they didn’t know what to do with,” Holzmeister said. “You can donate to us. We’d like to have old World War I and World War II equipment, helmets, canteens, anything from a 20th century war that we can display inside the boxcar,” said Chartier. The two men and other volunteers regularly update the exhibit with different items and maintain the boxcar. “I’m proud to be associated with this,” Chartier added as Holzmeister quickly agreed.
Settling in at Veterans Memorial Park, 13th and Canterbury
Total cost of the relocation project is estimated at $35,000. So far, $14,000 has been raised by the non-profit local chapter of “40 and 8,” according to Chartier, who was also on hand to watch today’s move.
Donation boxes are located at The Press restaurant in the Hadley Center, Vanderbilt’s, Heartland Lumber, JD’s Chicken and Dairy Queen. Big Creek Crossing is hosting a special storefront display about the boxcar’s history, and donations can also be made there.
The city of Hays has offered to match a portion of donations made to the project. A new roof structure and permanent fence will be installed at a later date when additional funding is available.
“This belongs to our veterans,” Holzmeister said. “It’s so easy to forget this history. We just need to remember it and keep it alive for another generation.”
RENO COUNTY —A Kansas man and woman jailed in Reno County for alleged drug distribution have been formally charged.
On October 3, law enforcement served a search warrant on a home on West 6th Street in South Hutchinson and reportedly found drugs and drug paraphernalia, including a scale. They arrested Morgan Walkup, 45, and Amy Irvin for possession of methamphetamine and other drugs with the intent to distribute.
They also charged the couple with two counts of aggravated endangerment of a child with two children in the home at the time.
The case against the two will now move to a waiver-status docket.
Walkup has a previous conviction for Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child in Trego County, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
TOPEKA, KAN. – A Junction City man who took part in a woman’s kidnapping that led to her murder was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.
Christopher Pugh, 33, Junction, City, pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping. In his plea, he admitted participating in the kidnapping of Amanda Clemons, a 24-year-old woman whose body was found in February 2014 in Geary County, Kan.
In his plea, Pugh admitted that on Feb. 7, 2014, he was one of the defendants who met the victim, who was a prostitute, at a hotel in Junction City and kidnapped her. The defendants beat the victim in retribution for comments she had made on social media. During the beating, the defendants demanded the victim pay $300. They took the victim to another hotel room in an unsuccessful attempt to get the money, after which they transported her to a residence on Fort Riley where two of the defendants lived.
While at the residence, the defendants allowed the victim to call her young son and her mother. The victim’s mother realized the victim was in danger and called Junction City Police. When police called the victim’s number to check on her, the defendants listened to the call on speakerphone. At that time, Pugh left the house alone and did not take part in the murder.
Fearing that police were coming to arrest them, defendants Drexel Woody, Larry L. Anderson and Marryssa Middleton took the victim to a bridge in a remote part of Geary County. Once there, Anderson and Middleton resumed the beating and attacked the victim with a knife. The victim broke free and jumped off the bridge, falling 15 feet and breaking her ankle. Anderson and Middleton found the victim in the snow beneath the bridge and resumed the assault during which they cut her throat and killed her.
Co-defendants include:
Larry L. Anderson of Manhattan, Kan., who was sentenced to 28 years.
Marryssa M. Middleton of Fort Riley, Kan., who was sentenced to 28 years.
Drexel A. Woody, 27, of Fort Riley, who was sentenced to 16 years.
Shantrell D. Woody of Fort Riley, Kan., who is set for sentencing Nov. 20.
Beall commended the Junction City Police Department, the Grandview Plaza Police Department, the Geary County Sheriff’s Office, the Riley County Police Department, the Fort Riley Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Mattivi, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag and Geary County Attorney Steven Opat for their work on the case.
Approximate location of Tuesday’s carjacking-google image
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a car-jacking and have made an arrest.
Just after 9:30 Tuesday, police received a report from a victim who stated their vehicle had been taken by two known male subjects armed with a weapon in the area of Rochester Cemetery,1200 Block NW Menninger in Topeka, according to Lt. Colleen Stuart.
The victim reported the suspects left east from that location in the stolen vehicle and another vehicle they arrived in.
The Kansas Highway Patrol identified a vehicle of similar description to the stolen vehicle minutes after the reported incident in the area of NE Chester and NE Sardou. The driver refused to stop for the Highway
Patrol but eventually stopped when the driver struck a median in the area of NE Chester and NE Seward.
The female driver and sole occupant was arrested for two felony warrants.
The victim of the reported aggravated robbery refused to cooperate with the investigation and refused a report once the vehicle was recovered.
Police did not release the name of the suspect or possible charges.
RUSSELL – The new exhibition at the Deines Cultural Center opens Oct. 14, and continues through November 11th, The Art of Cosplay: Costume Artists of Kansas.
Kids of all ages are invited to see costumes made by Kansas artists inspired by characters from movies, television, and comic books.
The exhibition opens with a reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, October 14th in the upstairs gallery in the DCC at 820 North Main in Russell.
This is a free event and everyone is welcome. Call 785-483-3742 for information.
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