KANSAS CITY (AP) – Fire officials say a man was found dead in a fire at a midtown Kansas City home.
The fire was reported early Sunday.
Battalion Chief Nino Bruno says the body of a man in his 30s was found in an upstairs apartment of the home.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
By DAWSON ROONEY
HHS Guidon
This year, DECA decided to host a charity dinner at the Country Club to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House charities.
They put it together and invited a bunch of donors to raise money, junior Isabelle Braun said.
“This is our first year and we are hosting the dinner because our goal is very high this year, $50,000,” Braun said. “We need to bring in a lot of money, and we thought this would be a good way to do it.”
They have raised over $56,000 dollars, junior Kallie Leiker said,
“Some of the money is from the past projects we have done like Miracle Minute and coupon books, but a lot of the money is from the dinner we just had,” Leiker said. “We raised $9,700 at the actual dinner and lots of other donors sent in money and then from an anonymous donor we received over $25,000.
“I think it is amazing, there aren’t even words to explain how happy I am that we raised all this money. This is an amazing project, it goes towards such a great cause, and just knowing that we get to impact families is the best feeling.”
The purpose of the project was as a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House in Wichita. They are presently renovating 20 rooms at Wesley Hospital for families to stay when a child is in the hospital, instructor Alexis Robinson said.
The Chamber Singers were invited to perform at the charity dinner as well.
“The Chamber singers performed 11 songs for the dinner,” Robinson said. “They were: ‘Here We Come a Caroling,’ ‘Up On The Housetop,’ ‘Flight Song,’ ‘Beulah Lan’,’ ‘Light in the Hallway,’ ‘Earth Song,’ ‘Good King Kong,’ ‘Carol of the Bells,’ ‘My Lord Has Come,’ ‘De King Is Born’ and ‘Peace, Peace.’”
NEW YORK (AP) — Health leaders say they are alarmed about reports that officials at the nation’s top public health agency are being told not to use certain words in official budget documents, including “fetus,” ”transgender” and “science-based.”
The health community was reacting to a story in The Washington Post , which said the prohibition arose at a meeting of senior budget officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An anonymous source told the newspaper the seven words and phrases are not to be used in documents being prepared for the next presidential budget proposal.
A CDC official confirmed Saturday there was a recent meeting in which officials were given feedback to reconsider language in budget documents. But another federal official called it a mischaracterization to say certain words have been banned.
FHSU University Relations
Six students and two sponsors from the Fort Hays State University College of Education recently attended the Kansas National Education Association Student Program Fall Leadership Conference in Topeka.
The conference theme was “Institutional Racism and Social Justice.” Students toured the Brown vs. Board of Education museum and the Kansas State Capitol.
The FHSU KNEA-SP chapter was awarded Best Banner for its submission to the conference’s Banner Contest. The banner will be displayed at KNEA Headquarters in Topeka and at the KNEA Spring 2018 State Representatives Assembly.
Samantha Villarreal, Loveland, Colo., was nominated as a delegate to the 2018 KNEA Representative Assembly. Villarreal is majoring in general studies with an emphasis in education.
Students were accompanied by Dr. Janet Stramel, associate professor of teacher education, and Dean Stramel, instructor of chemistry.
Students are listed alphabetically with hometowns and majors.
Perla Camacho-Rosales, Liberal junior, is majoring in mathematics education.
Katie Hopkins, Scott City senior, is majoring in elementary education.
Jessica Linenberger, Garden City senior, is majoring in early childhood unified education.
Michael Lucero, Hays senior, is majoring in early childhood unified education.
Breanna Meier, Lincoln junior, is majoring in biology education.
DETROIT (AP) – A Missouri kayaker who’s trying to paddle around all five Great Lakes has stopped her journey because of the rigors of wintry weather.
Traci Lynn Martin says she paddled 3,582 miles (5,764 kilometers) since March and completed lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan. In a Facebook video posted Saturday , the nurse says she’s been covered with ice as temperatures consistently stay below freezing.
Martin says “it’s not safe” and “it’s going to get worse.” Her Facebook post said she was in Ontario, Canada.
Martin, who is from the Kansas City, Missouri, area, began her trip in Michigan on March 9. She says she wants to try again in 2019.
She thanked many people for supporting her on what she called an “adventure of a lifetime.”
JACKSON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accident that sent a man and his dog for treatment.
Just before 6p.m. Saturday, sheriff’s deputies received a report of a pedestrian that was struck by a vehicle at approximately just east of Holton on K16 Highway, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.
Sean Coop, 22, of Holton was riding a skateboard westbound in the center of the westbound lane of the highway with his Dalmatian dog.
A 2007 Chevy Impala driven by Dana Scheele, 58, of Holton was headed westbound on K-16 Hwy, came over the hill and struck the man and the dog.
Coop was transported by Jackson County EMS with non-life-threatening injuries to a Topeka hospital.
The dog was treated and transported to a local veterinarian. The Holton Police Department also assisted with the incident. The sheriff department did not released details on possible citations for the driver.
By KAYLI POTTER
HHS Guidon
The Guidon has been up and running for 92 years, and for the first time has received a badge. This year, they have applied for two other badges so far.
Online Editor Isabelle Braun is ecstatic at the achievement.
“We got the Site Excellence Badge,” Braun said. “I got on the SNO (Student Newspaper Online) website and looked at what requirement there were. There ended up being around 20 of them. To get the badge we had to meet these requirements and then submit our site for the people from SNO to judge. This is the first badge we’ve gotten ever, and I’m very proud of us.”
Editor and Chief of student publications Lacey Gregory says that by getting the badge, the online could potentially gain an edge for competition.
“By earning badges through the website that we use when our website gets judged and critiqued later in the year for national and state recognition, they will see that we have earned these badges, and that will give us an upper hand in the judging process,” Gregory said.
The journalism staff is working towards multiple other badges. As of now Braun plans on applying for the Coverage Badge, Story Page Excellence, Excellence in Writing Badge, Multimedia Badge, and then an Audience Engagement Badge.
The staff is working toward the Audience Engagement Badge.
“In order for us to get the Audience Engagement Badge we have to get 1,000 followers on two social media sites combined,” Braun said. “We really need people to follow us for that because we have around 400 followers right now. So, if people did want to follow it would help a lot. They can go follow us on Facebook and Twitter @HHSGuidon.”
Braun has high hopes for the online.
“I want the badges because the online is really important to me and, like Lacey said, they are going to give us an upper hand when it comes to judging,” Braun said. “I feel like people will notice us more if we’re better, so the more badges we have, the more likely people are going to be to come and reference our site. I want other schools to come to us and look at our site because we have good content and strive to be the best. I want us to be the best.”
NOTICE:
Jim VonFeldt of Hamit Land and Auction has announced the Gregory A. Brown auction of 560 acres has been postponed until a later date.
However, the home in Luray will be selling Tue., Dec. 19 at 10 a.m. at the Luray Community Center as planned, as will the farm machinery auction on Sat., March 24, 2018.
Look for brochures soon.
UHF
MINNETONKA, Minn. – Each year, the United Health Foundation publishes a comprehensive heath ranking of all fifty states. This is the 28th edition of America’s Health Rankings, making it the longest-running report of its kind.
This year, Kansas’ overall ranking is 25, which is up two spots from 2016.
Kansas – 25
Strengths:
Challenges:
Highlights:
Ranking:
For additional reference of where the states stand compared to others in the Midwest, Missouri ranks 40, Nebraska ranks 13 and Iowa ranks 15.
For the America’s Health Rankings annual full annual report, including information on the nation’s overall health, visit: https://americashealthrankings.org/.
KDWPT
PRATT – Kansas Wildlife And Parks Magazine – Kansas’ premiere outdoor magazine produced by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism – will soon adorn its pages with winning entries from the 2017 Wild About Kansas Photo Contest. The winning images will be featured in the magazine’s much-anticipated annual January/February photo issue, alongside works from some of the best outdoor photographers in the business.
Wild About Kansas photo entries were judged based on creativity, composition, subject matter, lighting, and overall sharpness. Categories included wildlife, outdoor recreation, landscapes, other species, and hunting and fishing. The 2017 winners are as follows:
ADULT
Wildlife
1st: DARRELL SKRDLANT, NORTON
2nd: SEAN TOMLINSON, NEWTON
3rd: MANICKAM DHANDAPANI, MANHATTAN
Outdoor Recreation
1st: CAITLYN PEARCE, TOPEKA
2nd: MARILYN FRIESEN, INMAN
3rd: THOMAS ARNHOLD, OLATHE
Landscapes
1st: JEFF BULLEIGH, CLYDE
2nd: JEFF BULLEIGH, CLYDE
3rd: ROGER ARNOLD, BALDWIN
Other Species
1st: JESSE MORGAN, RUSSELL
2nd: SHELLY BODENSTEINER, GIRARD
3rd: JD BAUMAN, HILLSBORO
Hunting and Fishing
1st: MOLLY BROWNING, TOPEKA
2nd: TESSA HERRING, PARSONS
3rd: MOLLY BROWNING, TOPEKA
YOUTH
Wildlife
1st: SOLOMON SHULTZ, BURLINGAME
2nd: KALEB MASHKE, AUGUSTA
3rd: JOSIE DENNEY, LANSING
Outdoor Recreation
1st: KIEREN SHULTZ, BURLINGAME
2nd: NATHAN KNAPP, SENECA
3rd: NATHAN KNAPP, SENECA
Landscapes
1st: ISAAC SHULTZ, BURLINGAME
2nd: JAMES BARTLETT, LECOMPTON
3rd: McKENDAN O’NEAL, OSKALOOSA
Other Species
1st: ISAAC SHULTZ, BURLINGAME
2nd: McKENDAN O’NEAL, OSKALOOSA
3rd: ALEXIS WILSON, HIGHLAND
Hunting and Fishing
1st: JOHN WALKER, FRANKLIN
2nd: N/A
3rd: N/A
To subscribe to Kansas Wildlife And Parks Magazine, call (620) 672-5911 or visit ksoutdoors.com/Services/Publications/Magazine. Images of the winning entries and details on the 2018 contest will be made available on ksoutdoors.com after the New Year.
By JIM MCLEAN
At first glance, the Alabama Senate race doesn’t appear to offer many clues about what the 2018 election has in store.
There isn’t likely to be another campaign in which a marginal candidate attempts to hold serve for a sharply divided party while fighting unprecedented allegations of sexual misconduct under a national spotlight.
“To be sure, Roy Moore was a flawed and controversial candidate,” said Patrick Miller, a University of Kansas political scientist. “He put a race into play that never should have been in play.”
Even so, Miller said, other things factored into Democrat Doug Jones’ improbable win — factors that also could come into play in some upcoming congressional races in Kansas.
They include Democrats — particularly black voters — turning out in numbers not typically seen in non-presidential elections, Miller said.
“For much of the year it looked like black voters were less engaged than they had been normally,” Miller said, attributing it to a possible “post-Obama effect.”
“But in Virginia and now Alabama, we’ve seen them close the engagement gap,” he said.
In addition, Miller said growing discontent with President Donald Trump helped Jones make inroads with college-educated white voters in the suburbs around Alabama’s major cities. Jones scored his biggest gains among college-educated white women but also bested Hillary Clinton’s totals among educated white men.
If the trends seen in Alabama and a handful of recent special elections continue into next year, it could spell trouble for some Republican members of Congress, Miller said. Particularly those who represent districts that Clinton either won in the 2016 presidential race or lost by fewer than 10 points.
“The number one Republican that imperils in Kansas is Kevin Yoder since he holds a high-education, suburban Clinton district,” Miller said.
Yoder is seeking a fifth term in the 3rd District, which includes all or parts of three metro Kansas City counties: Johnson, Wyandotte and Miami.
Sensing an opportunity in a district that Clinton narrowly won, six Democrats, including Tom Niermann, are competing for the chance to challenge Yoder.
In a statement Wednesday, Niermann, a high school history teacher from Prairie Village, said recent election results could be seen as “a canary in the coal mine for ultraconservatives like Yoder.”
“We’re making the case that a career educator from the middle class can appeal to both parties here in Kansas,” Niermann said, echoing one of Jones’ themes.
Despite facing what appear to be growing headwinds, Yoder in a recent interview expressed confidence that 3rd District voters would continue to support him.
“I’ve been a voice of reason, trying to reach across the aisle (and) work with Democrats and Republicans to solve problems,” he said.
He highlighted one such effort Wednesday, issuing a news release about his efforts to preserve a tax deduction for teachers in the final version of the Republican tax cut bill.
The House bill that Yoder voted for in November eliminated the deduction, which helps teachers who spend their own money on school supplies. The Senate version not only maintained the deduction, it raised it from $250 to $500.
Yoder is now urging members of a conference committee to adopt the Senate provision.
“I’ve listened to many teachers and advocates who recognize the educator expense deduction as one small way to show teachers our appreciation for their hard work,” he said. “This important deduction should remain in our tax code.”
In addition to Niermann, candidates for the Democratic nomination in the 3rd District include Leawood attorney Andrea Ramsey, Reggie Marselus, Chris Haulmark and 2016 nominee Jay Sidie, who lost to Yoder by 11 points.
Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks.
By HANNAH DONALDSON
HHS Guidon
The graduated class of 1967 initiated a scholarship fund last May that will last until 2027. It donated a total of $9,745.23 to be turned into scholarships for graduating seniors.
Class member Sharon Jacobs-Cox said the class got the idea to do this 10 years ago at their 40-year reunion when they saw how successful the people in their class had become.
Out of the approximately 160 classmates, 60 showed up to their 50-year reunion this year.
“Our class is full of successful individuals,” Jacobs-Cox said. “They are all in various career fields.”
90 percent of their class got degrees at universities, technical schools, or went into the military. As a result, the class is abundant with CEOs, business executives, authors, college professors, college administrators, doctors, FBI agents, individuals in the military, teachers and editors.
Jacobs-Cox said they wanted to do something to give back to the community that gave them so much.
Along with the money donation, classmates also donated things such as blankets, a children’s book written by one of the classmates, and other items to be auctioned off.
The money donation will be split up into two $500 scholarships for two seniors of each class. Last year during awards night, the first two of these scholarships were handed out.
This will carry on until 2027 unless the classes approaching their 50-year reunions piggy-back onto this scholarship and donate money as well.
“This all started because of the great foundation our class made at Hays High,” Jacobs-Cox said. “I’m so glad that I got to go to Hays High and build the foundation that brought me to my career that I love so much.”
Today
Partly sunny, with a high near 43. North wind 6 to 14 mph.
Tonight
Partly cloudy, with a low around 24. Light and variable wind becoming west around 6 mph after midnight.
Monday
Sunny, with a high near 57. Southwest wind 6 to 10 mph.
Monday Night
Clear, with a low around 28. South southwest wind around 7 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
Tuesday
Sunny, with a high near 55. Northwest wind 7 to 9 mph becoming northeast in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 26.
Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 57.
Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.
Thursday
A slight chance of rain and snow before 3pm, then a slight chance of snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 37. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
