SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on burglary charges.
Just after 3a.m. Thursday, the desk clerk at the Country Inn and Suites, 2760 South 9th in Salina received a call from someone claiming to have passed by on the interstate and saw a person with a flashlight out by the hotel’s shed, according to Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.
The desk clerk told police he had to take out the trash anyway, so he left the desk for a minute to investigate.
While walking back to the desk, the clerk said he saw a white passenger car speed off and he knew instantly that the phone report was a distraction. While the clerk was outside a suspect stole $360 from the cash register.
Capt. Forrester said that an officer in the area saw a white Honda Accord near the Casey’s on the corner of Ninth and Magnolia. The officer determined that the driver did not have a valid license and made a traffic stop.
The officer found evidence of the burglary during the stop. Police recovered around $320, saying that Tanner Ireland purchased snacks and gas before authorities arrived.
A hotel supervisor informed police that Ireland was fired from the hotel a few weeks prior to the incident. Police booked him for one count of aggravated burglary and theft.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating over a dozen suspects on sex trafficking charges.
On Thursday several Wichita police units worked together to focus on those individuals attempting to purchase sexual relations in the Broadway corridor in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.
Vice Detectives, the Wichita Broadway Corridor Team, Patrol South Community Policing Officers, Patrol North and South officers participated in the investigation. They arrested 13 men attempting to buy sexual relations, according to Davidson.
Police arrested 15 in similar operation in early September.
Davidson said the message is simple, “police will continue to conduct these assignments until no one is arrested. Do not come to the Broadway corridor to engage in this type of behavior or you may end up talking with a police officer.”
FAYETTE, Iowa – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team continued their hot start to conference play with a 4-1 victory over Upper Iowa on Friday (Oct. 6). The win moved the Tigers record to 5-4-2 overall, above .500 overall for the first time this season, and improved their MIAA record to 3-0. The Peacocks dip to 4-5 on the season and 0-4 in conference play.
The match was moved up due to weather it was a dreary game. The Tigers didn’t let the conditions stop them as Luis Mendez found the back of the net for his first goal of the season on a give-and-go from Abdoulaye Cisse in the 18th minute. The assist gave Cisse four for the year.
After a yellow card on the Peacock’s Cameron Bosacki, Derick Gonzalez was awarded a penalty kick for the second time this year. He hit the shot in the back left corner to give him his team-leading sixth goal of the season. Gonzalez passed Mauricio Castorino and Tanner Brock to hold the team record in consecutive matches with a point. He is currently at eight straight games.
The Tigers weren’t going to let up as Caden Frank took a corner kick from Benji Granillo and made a header shot from five yards out to give the Tigers a commanding 3-0 lead in the 34th minute, crediting the assist to Granillo. It was Frank’s second goal in as many games. FHSU headed to halftime with a 3-1 lead after a penalty kick from Emilio Meraz-Rodriguez, his second goal of the season.
The second half consisted of many scoring opportunities for both teams as the ball was slipping off of the players’ feet many times in the rain. Both teams were even in shots in the second half until Cisse found the back of the net on a crosser from Gonzalez, 15 yards out. Cisse scored his fifth goal of the season and tied Mauricio Castorino for the program record for consecutive matches with a goal (five).
The Tigers outshot the Peacocks 15 to 11 and doubled their shots on goal 10-5. Michael Yantz earned the win for the Tigers and improved his record to 4-3-2 overall on the season.
The Tigers are back in action Sunday as they travel to St. Charles, Mo., to face the Lindenwood Lions. Kickoff is set for noon.
Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services remembered victims of domestic violence Thursday night with its annual Purple Light Night.
The event happened at a time when the demand for domestic violence services has dramatically increased in the Hays community.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Options has encouraged the community to place purple lights in outside light fixtures in honor of those who are suffering from domestic violence, those who escaped and those who have died at the hands of their abusers.
Options covers an 18-county area, but Jennifer Hecker, Options executive director, said the majority of Options’ calls for service come from Ellis County, in a part because of the population density.
“We started doing the Purple Light Night event because we wanted to bring attention to the silent scourge of our community, and that is domestic violence,” Hecker said. “Eighty-five percent of domestic violence incidents happen behind closed doors. No one knows that it is going on in our community.
“The idea behind Purple Light Night is to bring hope to those people who are still living in abusive situations, to remember the people who have lost their lives to domestic violence, and to support those who are survivors and have come out on the other side healthy and whole and happy.”
There is a domestic violence incident every 23 minutes in Kansas, there is an arrest every 45 minutes, but there is also a murder due to domestic violence every 12 days.
A banner stands as a silent witness to domestic violence. This banner honors Lindsay, 25, of Ellis County who was beaten and suffocated to death in her home by her boyfriend.
Surrounding tables with face painting, games for children and tables for people to chat over chili and cinnamon roles were silent witnesses.
Banners displayed the names of people who had lost their lives to domestic violence in Northwest Kansas.
The Options safehouse provided shelter to 80 men, women and children in the last year. That is 44 percent higher than the previous year. Options provided 3,896 domestic violence services in the last year, which was up 151 percent, and its crisis hotline received 389 calls, which was up 267 percent.
Children in homes in which domestic violence is occurring are also greatly affected, Hecker said. Nine out of 10 children in these homes are direct witnesses to the domestic violence. These children can suffer with regression, anxiety, attachment issues, depression and self blame.
Witnessing domestic violence can make children more likely to experience domestic violence as teens and adults and can impair their ability to partner and parent.
Options newest program, called Building Strong Families, seeks to combat the cycle of domestic violence and build resiliency in children who experience domestic violence.
So far this year, Options has provided 413 services to children affected by domestic violence, which is up 160 percent over the last two years.
Hecker encouraged members of the community to ask and act when they suspect someone is being affected by domestic violence.
“Another thing you can do is when someone discloses to you, believe them,” she said. “Resist the urge to minimize the abuse from the abuser even when it is someone who you know. Hold the perpetrator accountable and never ever blame the victim by asking them what they did to cause the abuse.
Ask instead why the abuser is abusing. That is the question we should be asking. Not why hasn’t she left, but why he doing that in the first place.”
Hays Police Chief Don Scheibler said as a community, we can stop the cycle of violence.
Ellis County Ed Harbin said Options employees were angels to many people in the community.
Mayor Shaun Musil was on hand and thanked all the Options employees and volunteers for what they do to combat domestic violence in the community. Fort Hays State University Police Chief Ed Howell also addressed the crowd.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas-based operator of addiction treatment centers will pay $25,000 to settle a complaint that it treated its clients with HIV or AIDs differently than other patients.
U.S. Attorney Tom Beall announced Friday the policies of Valley Hope Association in Norton violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The company was accused of requiring people with HIV or AIDS to stay in separate rooms during residential treatment unless they revealed their status to potential roommates. The clients also were not allowed to participate in some work activities.
Valley Hope Association operates 16 addiction treatment centers in seven states.
The company will be required to adopt a non-discrimination policy and to provide mandatory annual training to its employees and contractors.
After their first MIAA loss last week, the Tigers earned a come-from-behind victory over Northwest Missouri State to capture its third conference win of the season in a 2-1 win. Fort Hays State now improves to 6-3-2 and 3-1 in MIAA play with the victory.
After a scoreless first half for both teams, the Bearcats struck first, netting a goal under two minutes into the second half. Bri Wawiorka earned her second goal of the season off an assist from Madie Kreuger to start the scoring in the match for Northwest Missouri State. Just eight minutes later, the Tigers netted their own goal to tie up the match as Darby Hirsch captured her second goal of the 2017 season.
The decisive moment of the match came as the Bearcats failed to clear on a corner kick to give an own goal to the Tigers, increasing their lead to 2-1. This would be the game-winning moment for Fort Hays State as they took the victory to earn their third MIAA victory in the early conference season. The Bearcats led the offensive charge in the game as they outshot the Tigers 25-11. Eden Stoddard led the way for the Tigers with four shots.
Megan Kneefel picks up another victory in net for the Tigers as she collected 11 saves in her 90 minutes played. Kneefel now improves to 2-2-1 for the season as the anchor in net for the Tigers.
The Tigers will stay in Missouri for another MIAA match-up as they face a tough challenge in No. 20 Missouri Western State. Fort Hays State will travel to St. Joseph, Mo., for the tilt which is slated to kick at 12 p.m. Sunday.
The National Weather Service in Dodge City has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 11 p.m. Friday for Ellis, Trego, Ness, Pawnee, and Rush counties, along with most of western Kansas.
Ellis, Rush, and Pawnee counties are also in a Flood Watch in effect from 7 p.m. through late tonight.
* Expected heavy rainfall starting late this afternoon and
continuing into the evening will combine with already wet and
nearly saturated soils to create a higher threat for flooding.
* Small streams may overflow and cause roadways to become
impassable. Any flooding would likely occur toward sunset or
later, and motorists should be especially alert if traveling
through the flood watch area.
RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas teen for possible sexting charges.
According to the police, they filed a report for aggravated unlawful transmission of a visual depiction of a child.
On Thursday a 13-year-old boy in Manhattan allegedly sent pictures of himself to a 10-year-old girl, according the Riley County Police incident report.
Authorities did not release details on the relationship between the children or their names.
Due to the nature of the crime reported, police released no additional early Friday.
UPDATE AT 3:50 P.M.: All repairs have been made to the damaged substation. The system operating as normal. Thank you for your patience.
The Russell / Sunflower substation experienced a failure early Wednesday morning.
With severe weather forecast for Friday, Oct. 6, repairs are a priority to be completed before the forecast storm’s arrival.
Those repairs are scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday afternoon. During the repairs power may be out for up to one hour. Due to the nature of the repairs needed, it is too dangerous to make repairs with the substation energized.
Please make necessary arrangements and we thank you for your patience while we make the necessary repairs safely.
Looking back to the site of the former FHSU Davis Hall
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Friday morning’s dedication of the new Fort Hays State University Center for Applied Technology started with a nod to the old.
Master of Ceremonies Jon Armstrong, FHSU Foundation director of development, asked the audience to “shade your eyes and look to the east across the street” at the former Davis Hall. The building is being razed after the programs and classes held there for many years moved into the new CAT building just in time for the start of the fall semester.
“I want you all to remember that the past sets us up and allows us to embrace the future,” said Armstrong. “One of the most important times in Tiger history is today.”
Kim Stewart, FHSU Dept. of Applied Technology chair
“Welcome to the journey,” said Kim Stewart, chairman of the Department of Applied Technology as he began his remarks. “For me, this has been a personal journey.”
Stewart recalled his conversation years ago with Dr. Fred Ruda, then chairman of the Technology Studies Department in Davis Hall.
“I walked in, sat down and asked Fred if he thought Applied Technology would ever have a new building. He looked at me and said, ‘it’s up to us.’
“He went on to tell me that if we update our program of study, if we add new curriculum, if we create new partnerships, and if we recruit more students, we will have a Technology Center. Little did I know that day just what and who was included in ‘it’s up to us.'”
“Since that first conversation that I had with Fred Ruda, our faculty have added a STEM curriculum, they’ve updated course work, they’ve added programs of study, we’ve added a second-year welding program and we’ve increased the student population,” Stewart said. “In 2012, we had 105 students. Today we have 181 students. I think that’s pretty awesome and I think you’re going to be impressed with what’s inside this building, our home.”
The department is nearing an outside accreditation process, according to Stewart.
“We had a site visit from the Association of Technology Management and Applied Engineering. That site visit went awesome. We have a thumbs-up from the site visit. Our faculty are headed to the national conference where we’ll get to sit in front of the national board. We are pretty positive about the outlook for having outside accreditation for our industrial programs.”
Stewart listed and thanked the many groups, businesses, and individuals “who are among our partnerships and supporters.”
“Jeff and Marla Copper have asked to be the lead sponsor on naming the atrium,” Stewart announced. After a long pause, he resumed, with a slight catch in his voice. “We’re going to name the atrium ‘The Fred Ruda Gateway to Technology Education.'” Ruda was chairman of the Industrial Technology department at Fort Hays State University for 33 years.
Karrie Simpson Voth, FHSU Dept. of Art & Design chair, stands in the entrance to the sculpture program.
In the absence of sculpture professor Toby Flores who was out on an iron pour with students, Karrie Simpson Voth, chair of the Department of Art and Design, talked about the impact of the new 12,000 sq. ft. sculpture facility.
“Of all the art and design media, sculpture is the broadest in terms of scale, materials and processes,” Voth explained. “The program has a long history and is a rich learning environment where students find their own voice and are now able to do so without limitations of space and resources thanks to this amazing partnership.”
FHSU student Jose Vital, Garden City
Jose Vital, a student from Garden City, told the crowd “Davis Hall was my home. Now this is my brand new home, our home.”
“The Kansas Board Regents have focused out higher education system on achieving results that benefit our students, business and industry, and the future of our state,” said interim FHSU President Dr. Andy Tompkins. “This Center for Applied Technology has been designed to meet that vision.”
The atrium gateway will be named after Dr. Fred Ruda, chair of the Technologies Studies Dept., who was killed in a 2012 traffic accident.
The Center for Applied Technology is a 58,000-square-foot, two-story facility housing the Department of Applied Technology and the Department of Art and Design’s Sculpture program.
Construction of the $16.5 million building began in the spring of 2016 and the project was complete in August 2017.
The exterior incorporates the traditional limestone of other campus buildings along with classic industrial elements. Inside there are labs for CAD, instruction and graphics, STEM, woodworking, metalworking, plastics, power and energy, robotics and construction management; studios for sculpture and metal foundry; seminar rooms; and departmental and faculty offices. A large atrium area and a cafe nook offer an inviting space for students to gather.
As part of FHSU homecoming activities, Applied Technology students and others will offer guided tours of the CAT building Saturday afternoon from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
