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Month: December 2017

News From the Oil Patch, Dec. 4

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By JOHN P. TRETBAR

The Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association has its Board Meeting and General Membership meeting December 6 from 2pm to 4pm at the Petroleum Club in Wichita. Call Kelly Rains of KIOGA, at 316-263-7297 or visit them online at www.kioga.org.

US oil production climbed by nearly 300,000 barrels a day in September to the highest level since April of last year. Texas production recovered from Hurricane Harvey, jumping to 3.57 million barrels per day in September, up from 2.38 million the month before. The government report, which tends to underrepresent the independent producers in Kansas, shows the Sunflower State produced about 95,700 barrels per day in September, down from 97 thousand barrels a day the month before.

OPEC and other large crude exporters agreed to extend oil output cuts until the end of 2018. They will reportedly review the deal at the next OPEC meeting in June. Nigeria and Libya, two OPEC members exempt from the deal, have agreed not to increase their output above 2017 levels.

Independent Oil and Gas Service reported 13 active drilling rigs in eastern Kansas last week, up three, and 22 west of Wichita, down two. Drilling is underway at sites in Barton and Russell counties, and they’re moving in completion tools at sites in Barton, Ellis, Russell, and Stafford counties. Baker Hughes reported 929 active rigs nationwide, an increase of two oil rigs and four gas rigs. Canada reported 222 active rigs, up seven for the week.

Kansas operators filed 33 permits for drilling at new locations last week, 19 east of Wichita and 14 in western Kansas, including one in Russell County. So far this year, operators have filed 1,324 drilling permits.

Independent Oil & Gas Service reported 14 new well completions over the last week, 1,210 so far this year, including five in eastern Kansas and 9 west of Wichita. Operators completed one well in Barton County and two in Ellis County.

A federal judge on Monday ordered Energy Transfer Partners to coordinate with native tribes to create an oil-spill response plan for the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline by April 1. The ruling from U.S. District Judge James Boasberg came nearly six months after he ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers’ review of the project was inadequate. The judge also asked ETP to get an independent auditor to review easement conditions and submit bi-monthly reports on safety conditions at the Lake Oahe pipeline crossing.

A Corrective Action Order issued by federal regulators to TransCanada this week says mechanical damage during original construction may have caused the recent Keystone Pipeline oil spill in South Dakota. The US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said in the order that the affected segment of 30-inch pipe was removed for testing and replaced. TransCanada was ordered to restart the pipeline at a 20% pressure reduction and to conduct additional testing to identify and address threats to the integrity of the pipeline system. PHMSA says the investigation is ongoing. The pipeline leaked more than 210,000 gallons of oil Nov. 16, forcing a shutdown.

TransCanada is engaging with Nebraska landowners along the alternate route for the final leg of the Keystone project approved by regulators November 20. The company filed a procedural motion hoping to address some questions raised by the order, the last major regulatory hurdle for the controversial pipeline. The ruling shifts the pipeline further east, away from sensitive ecological areas, which requires new landowner agreements. The Canadian Press quotes a senior vice president saying TransCanada has begun contacting the new landowners and would “…strive to reach agreement on mutually beneficial terms.”

There’s more political trouble on the horizon for that huge proposed oil-by-rail port facility along the Columbia River. The incoming Port Commissioner in Vancouver has already promised to cancel the lease, and now a Washington state energy panel votes to recommend the governor reject the project. The panel will forward its recommendation to Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee by the end of the year, and he will then have 60 days to make a final decision.

Oklahoma City-based Continental Resources reports another huge international sale of North Dakota crude: 430,000 barrels for January delivery to unspecified international markets. The announcement follows one in October in which Continental will sell just over 1 million barrels of Bakken crude for export to China.

The State of Idaho is once again asking the federal government to take over regulation of saltwater disposal wells for the oil and gas industry. At least one oil company head tells the AP the lack of class-II injection well permits is a big hindrance to future development in Idaho. EPA said in a notice it will take public comments through Jan. 11 on the plan to transfer a portion of the state’s Underground Injection Control program.

US oil purchases by China increased more than 77 percent over a month earlier to 208,000 barrels per day. The US becomes China’s ninth largest crude oil supplier. A year ago the US had not exported crude oil to China.

The cousin of Venezuela’s former oil czar has been arrested, as a $1.6 billion money-laundering investigation continues into Venezuela’s state-run oil industry. The state prosecutor announced the arrest of Diego Salazar Friday on charges of money laundering and association to commit a crime. The former oil minister and ex-president of the state oil company were arrested Thursday after being removed from their posts earlier in the week. Both are accused of embezzling state funds, conspiracy and money laundering. Some analysts claim the probe is an attempt by President Nicolas Maduro to consolidate power within his socialist party ahead of next year’s presidential elections.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro looked to the world of digital currency to circumvent U.S.-led financial sanctions, announcing on Sunday the launch of the “petro,” during a five-hour Christmas broadcast. Maduro said the crypto-coin would be backed by oil, gas, gold and diamond reserves.

🎥 Cold front, winds bring much cooler temps to Hays after unseasonable warmth

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Wind gusts up to 48 miles an hour roared through Hays Monday.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The month of December began with temperatures decidedly un-winterlike in Hays.

Sunday’s official high was 69 degrees as recorded at the KSU Agricultural Research Center south of town. That was considerably warmer than it was one year ago on Dec. 3 when the high was a more normal 52 degrees. The daytime highs in Hays since Friday, Dec. 1, have been in the low 60s, still above average for this time of year.

On Monday, the workweek started with a cooler high temperature and lots of wind coming behind a cold front.

The wind blew steady at 30+ mph out of the northwest with gusts as high as 48 mph recorded at the Hays Regional Airport. Just before 12 p.m., the temperature had reached 56 degrees at the airport and then began slowly falling throughout the day.

Russell and Barton counties were included in a Red Flag Warning Monday afternoon for critical fire weather conditions, complicated by a combination of the strong winds, low humidity and relatively warm temperatures.

The weather forecast from the National Weather Service in Dodge City calls for Hays temperatures to be in the mid-40s the rest of the week, dipping as low as 38 degrees for a high on Thursday.

Edna E. (Schulte) Dreiling

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Victoria, Kansas – Edna E. (Schulte) Dreiling, age 94, died Sunday, December 3, 2017, at The Good Samaritan Society of Hays.

She was born November 19, 1923, on the family farm east of Victoria, Kansas, to Bernard H. and Clara (Linenberger) Schulte. She married Fridolin “Fred” B. Dreiling on June 2, 1947, in Victoria, Kansas.   He preceded her in death on February 17, 2013.

She was employed as a cook at St. John’s Rest Home and St. Francis Seminary for eight years and then cooked for the Capuchin Friars in Victoria for 23 years.  She worked in her early years at the Victoria Co-op grocery store and was a 1942 graduate of Victoria High School.  She was a member of the Basilica of St. Fidelis, VFW Ladies Auxiliary Post # 1751, Daughters of Isabella all of Victoria.  She was an Affiliated Member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America.  She enjoyed cooking, flower gardening, crossword puzzles, embroidery and spending time with her family.

Survivors include three sons, Rene Dreiling and wife, Marilyn “Mimi”, Syracuse, UT; Joel Dreiling and wife, Melinda, Hays, KS; and John Dreiling, Tulsa, OK; two daughters, Rose Rifford, Hays, KS; Mary Jones and husband, Carroll, Lexington, KY; one sister, Caroline Pfeifer, Hays KS; two sisters-in-law, Cora Schulte, Victoria, KS; Rosie Schulte, Hays; six grandchildren, Stephanie Boohar (Jim), Mark Dreiling, George Rifford (Michelle), Jennifer Altman (Brock), Jeremy Dreiling (Amy), and Jay Dreiling; and four great-grandchildren, Paige and Hailey Rifford, Katie Boohar, Grant Altman, and one soon to be great grand-daughter due in December.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; six brothers, Father Herman Schulte, John Schulte and wife, Molly, Robert Schulte and wife Verna, Ed Schulte and wife, Martha, Denis Schulte, Benny Schulte; and a sister, Georgina Schulte.

Services will be at 10:00 A.M. Friday, December 8, 2017, at the Basilica of St. Fidelis. Burial in St. Fidelis Cemetery, Victoria, Kansas.

Daughters of Isabella rosary and a V.F.W. Auxiliary memorial service at 5:30 P.M. Thursday, and a vigil service will be at 7:00 P.M. Thursday, both at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kansas 67601.

Visitation will be from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. Thursday, at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays and from 9:00 to 10:00 A.M. Friday, at The Basilica of St. Fidelis

Memorials are suggested to Good Samaritan Society of Hays or Cathedral of the Plains Charitable Fund.

Condolences can be left by guestbook at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or can be sent via e-mail to [email protected].

STEM camp at Lincoln Elementary merges tech with music

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By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The PEERS Foundation was at Lincoln Elementary School on Monday working with 33 fifth graders in a CREATE Music STEM Camp during which students explored science, technology, engineering and math.

The Peers Foundation is a nonprofit that travels the United States exposing children to STEM education and encouraging children to consider STEM careers.

“We want them to see that these areas of STEM are not just abstract, in a book, sitting in a classroom,” Mark McDonald, STEM camp lead educator, said. “Not only are they fun and interesting, they are relevant in every aspect of their life. It doesn’t matter what they are interested in or what their career goal is, it can be related back to science, technology, engineering and math.”

McDonald referred to the oil and ag industry in Ellis County.

“We didn’t come up with 30-foot heads on combines without someone involved in engineering and creating it,” he said. “It is everywhere, and we want them to see that it is everywhere and it can be a good time. They are the future. They are the ones that are going to come up with the next thing.”

The children were split into two groups Monday morning. One group learned about coding, while the other learned about electrical engineering. The coding group used a program called Scratch to program a computer drum set and keyboard.

“It gets them using code, seeing how code works — if then functions and the whole process of variables,” McDonald said.

The engineering group used a set called littleBits to create simple synthesizers.

The students were also taken through design and prototypes. The program exposes the students to several types of prototypes, including digital, paper and functional prototypes made with 3-D printers.

Then McDonald tasked the students to work together to create their own apps to make music.

The students also work with beginning CAD design in a program called Verto Studio. The younger students learn how to make snowmen. However, they learn vertices can be more important when working in more detail in CAD to create buildings, video games or landscape design. PEERS works with students through high school and does much more advanced work with Verto Studio, depending on the students’ skill levels.

“The stuff they are doing are like tools in their pouch because the next best thing could be in their mind right now. I really want them to be creative and be hands-on and to ask questions and to explore what we have here for them and use it,” McDonald said.

The CREATE camp brings the arts and technology together.

“STEM is evolving into STEAM where the arts are involved,” McDonald said. “We as a group feel that it is extremely important. The creativity aspect of science technology, engineering and math is huge.”

Kennett named MIAA Athlete of the Week

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State sophomore Kacey Kennett has been named the MIAA Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week, announced Monday by the league office. It is the second time a Tiger has earned the award this season, and the first such honor in Kennett’s career.

Kennett was a key cog in two Tiger wins over the weekend, helping FHSU maintain its perfect 7-0 record by averaging 19 points and four rebounds per game. The guard was on fire from behind the arc, knocking down better than 41 percent (7-of-17) of her long-range attempts. In addition, she missed just two of 13 attempts from the charity stripe.

The Olathe, Kan. native set a new career high with 18 points against Missouri Southern, but that mark was short lived. Kennett followed up that performance with a 20-point outing against No. 19 Pittsburg State, knocking down five 3-pointers against the Gorillas. She added a team-high four steals in the victory over PSU.

Shepherd accepts invitation to participate in Reese’s Senior Bowl

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MOBILE, Ala. – Fort Hays State senior defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd accepted the invitation to compete in the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama on Saturday, January 27, 2018. This is the second collegiate all-star event that Shepherd has been invited to compete in. He will also participate in the NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl at the Rose Bowl a week earlier on January 20.

Senior Bowl Website

The Reese’s Senior Bowl has long been a prestigious all-star game for top professional prospects from the collegiate ranks and holds a critical place on the timeline of the NFL Draft. Over 100 participants from last year’s game are on NFL teams’ payrolls this season. This game is a showcase for prospects aspiring to play at the next level. Shepherd will be the first-ever Fort Hays State player to compete in the event.

The game will air on the NFL Network at 1:30 pm CT on January 27. The game is held in Mobile, Alabama at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The Senior Bowl is a collegiate football all-star game that has been held every year since 1950.

Shepherd concluded his senior year with the Tigers on November 25 when FHSU fell in the second round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs to Ferris State, 31-21. Shepherd earned MIAA Defensive Player of the Year honors, helping the Tigers to an 11-1 overall record, an MIAA Championship, and undefeated regular season. Shepherd finished the season with 38 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks. He is a three-time All-MIAA selection, earning first team honors this year, second team in 2016, and third team in 2015.

Supreme Court allows full enforcement of Trump travel ban

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to fully enforce a ban on travel to the United States by residents of six mostly Muslim countries.

The justices say in an order Monday that the policy can take full effect even as legal challenges against it make their way through the courts.

The ban applies to travelers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. Lower courts had said people from those nations with a claim of a “bona fide” relationship with someone in the United States could not be kept out of the country. Grandparents, cousins and other relatives were among those courts said could not be excluded.

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor would have left the lower court orders in place.

DAVIS: We need real tax reform for real people

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Paul Davis

It has been 30 years since Congress seriously considered tax reform, so the discussion is long overdue. President Trump and Republicans in Washington deserve credit for starting the discussion and offering ideas. Unfortunately, the tax plan making its way through Congress too closely resembles the failed Brownback tax experiment that Kansas just repealed.

Real tax reform for real people should accomplish three things: close loopholes that allow the politically connected to game the system, reduce the tax burden on middle class and lower income families, and not increase the nation’s budget deficit.

Nonpartisan scorekeepers project that the president’s plan will raise taxes on every American family earning less than $75,000 in order to pay for permanent corporate tax cuts.

It will wreck the health care market, stripping health insurance from millions, raising insurance premiums and triggering a $25 billion cut to Medicare.

It pushes higher education out of reach for thousands of Kansans who are working to build a brighter future for themselves.

It explodes America’s $20 trillion national debt, something Republicans and Democrats agree is the gravest long-term threat to our national security.

It eliminates state and local tax deductions, which will send Kansas’ fragile budget — still recovering from the wreckage of Brownback mismanagement — right back into crisis.

In other words, this tax plan is a bad deal for Kansas.

I say that instead of raising taxes on hardworking Kansas families, let’s cut them. Our tax code is riddled with loopholes. Most of these loopholes benefit big multinational corporations and the wealthiest Americans. They don’t help middle class Americans, they only help widen the gap between the very rich and the rest of us. The time for us to close these loopholes is now!

Big oil companies benefit from billions of dollars of tax loopholes. Other big multinational corporations aren’t paying their fair share of taxes too because they hide their profits outside the United States. If these loopholes and others are closed, we can recoup $900 billion in the next 10 years.

My proposal is to take that $900 billion and put it all into tax cuts for middle and lower income Americans.

And let me be clear, I don’t want just part of this revenue to go fund tax cuts for middle and lower income earners — I want all $900 billion to go to the middle class and lower income Americans. No cuts for big companies that don’t need them. No cuts for the wealthiest Americans who don’t need them.

Why cut taxes for the middle class? Because these are the Americans who have been crushed by the shifting tax burden in this country and they deserve a break. Too many working Kansas families have seen their wages outpaced by inflation, they’ve been crippled by rising health insurance and prescription drug costs, and they are now paying the second highest tax on food of any state in the country. They are real people and they should be beneficiaries of real tax reform.

Americans are keenly sensitive to the fact that they’re paying more so the rich can pay less. Why aren’t Washington politicians focused on fixing that problem?

Kansans saw and felt tangible harm after the Brownback tax plan was rushed through the legislative process in a manner similar to what we’re now seeing in Congress. Two sales tax hikes hit the pocketbooks of Kansas families. Cuts to local governments led to dramatic property tax increases. Kansas intentionally stopped paying its bills on time. Our prized, job-creating state transportation plan was all but defunded. Public education was slashed so much that schools actually had close early in 2015.

We learned the hard way that we couldn’t move our state forward with a tax code that was upside down and backwards. The same holds true for our nation.

Paul Davis is the former Kansas House Minority Leader and a Democratic candidate for the state’s Second Congressional District.

DSNWK’s Blume Endowment receives contribution from local Schmidt Foundation

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By STEVE KEIL
DSNWK

A $125,000 commitment from the Robert and Patricia Schmidt Foundation, Hays, helps Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas surpass 35-percent of the $1 million fundraising goal for the Jim and Rose Blume Endowment.

The establishment of the Jim and Rose Blume Endowment was announced in October during DSNWK’s annual awards banquet commemorating 50 years of services.

“We greatly appreciate the Robert and Patricia Schmidt Foundation for their generous contribution,” said Jerry Michaud, DSNWK President and CEO. “It means a great deal to all of us and to our mission. Bob and Pat were longtime supporters, and I believe they both would be very excited to see DSNWK take this step towards establishing an endowment that benefits families in the same communities they held dear to their hearts too.”

“Bob and Pat Schmidt were leaders and visionaries in the community. This grant, through their foundation, continues that leadership and vision for our future by helping us pave the way forward for this special fund to support our programs today and into the future.”

Jim Blume speaks in Hays October 2017

The fund is named in honor of DSNWK’s former President and CEO Jim Blume and his wife Rose.

Blume, who has always been considered a visionary, dedicated his life to ensuring people with disabilities were given equal opportunities, dignity and respect. Over his many years of service to DSNWK, Blume changed the way people saw one another. No longer were people being cast off because of their disability; they were being recognized for what they could contribute.

Blume retired from DSNWK in 2005. He is a Deacon at St. Pius X Church in Aurora, Colo., where he lives with his wife.

To give to the Jim and Rose Blume Endowment, visit www.dsnwk.org or contact Steve Keil, Director of Development, at 785-625-5678 or at [email protected].

DSNWK is a Hays-based 501c3 non-profit serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in 18 northwest Kansas counties since 1967.

Mother of Kansas boy found in concrete structure booked for murder

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Evan Brewer- courtesy photo
Miller

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects in the death of a 3-year-old Kansas boy whose remains were found in a concrete structure in a Wichita home on September 2.

At that time, police arrested 40-year-old Stephen M. Bodine and the boy’s mother 36-year-old Miranda Miller, residents of the property on charges associated with a child custody case, according to police.

On Monday, police also booked Bodine and Miller for felony murder and child abuse in the death of 3-year-old Evan Brewer, according to officer Charley Davidson.

Bodine -photo KDOC has previous convictions for Aggravated Battery

The Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center positively identified the 3-year-old boy discovered on Sept. 2 as Evan C. Brewer.

The District Attorney’s Office will make a formal charging decision in the case later this week, according to Davidson.

County commission will consider radio purchase

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The Ellis County Commission will consider the purchase of new emergency radios at Monday commission meeting.

According to Ellis County Director of Fire and Emergency Management Darin Myers, the radio equipment and installation for the sheriff, emergency medical services and emergency management departments will cost approximately $388,000.

The commission will also considering entering into a lease purchase agreement for $132,000 for equipment and installation of radio equipment for the Ellis County fire department.

Motorola is offering a program that will purchase old radios and Myers said the county will save $135,000 by trading in radio they have in storage. The commission will also consider trading in old radios.

In other business the commission will consider an altered county counselor agreement with Bill Jeter and the 2018 natural gas purchase.

Monday’s meeting starts at 5 p.m. at the County Administrative Center.

Kansas Wildlife And Parks magazine: The perfect gift

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Struggling to think of a unique and meaningful gift you can give this holiday season that’s within budget? Consider this your gift-buying “aha moment.” Wow family, friends and the outdoor enthusiasts in your life with a gift subscription to Kansas Wildlife And Parks Magazine.

Kansas Wildlife And Parks Magazine ­– Kansas’ premiere outdoor magazine for nearly 75 years – offers readers stunning wildlife photography, inspiring stories of the outdoors, hearty game recipes, helpful tips and tricks, the latest happenings in Kansas outdoor recreation, and more.

For just $12 for one year (six issues), $20 for two years (12 issues), or $29 for three years (18 issues), you can give a gift this holiday season that will last long into the New Year.

Are your friends and family already subscribers? Consider purchasing them a subscription to KANSAS! magazine – a quarterly publication of the Tourism Division of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. Inside KANSAS! magazine, readers will find lists of the best places to eat and drink, dates of upcoming festivals and events not to be missed, and even learn about the people and places that make Kansas so special.

To subscribe to Kansas Wildlife And Parks Magazine, call (620) 672-5911 or visit ksoutdoors.com/Services/Publications/Magazine.

To subscribe to KANSAS! magazine, call (800) 678-6424 or visit www.travelks.com/ks-mag/subscribe/.

UPDATE: Police identify victims after 3 separate shootings in Wichita

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Law enforcement authorities on the scene of Saturday morning shooting-photo courtesy KWCH

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating three more fatal shootings in Wichita over the weekend and have identified the victims.

Just after 2 a.m. Saturday police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1100 Block of North Estelle in Wichita, according to Lt. Todd Ojile. Officers found a 25-year-old man in the street with a gunshot wound.  The victim identified as Semaj Chambers was transported to a local hospital where he died.

Investigators learned that Chambers had come to the residence to visit friends. He got into a physical altercation with another individual. Following the confrontation, Chambers and others left the residence. When they returned and were standing outside the residence, according to Ojile, someone shot and killed Chamber.  A few hours later, police arrested a 17-year-old boy and a 33-year-old man for the shooting death.  Authorities expect to present a case to the district attorney on Tuesday.

Just before 4:30a.m. Sunday, police responded to report of a shooting in the 4000 Block of East Stearman Court in Wichita, according to Lt. Todd Ojile.  Officers found a man in a driveway with multiple gunshot wounds. The victim indented as 32-year-old  Daniel Lopez-Silva was transported to a local hospital where he died.

Investigators say Lopez-Silva had been at the residence visiting friends throughout the early morning hours. As he stepped out of the house, a vehicle pulled up, shots were and shots were fired from the vehicle, according to Ojile.   Police have not made any arrests in the case.

Just after 8p.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1600 Block of South Green in Wichita, according to Lt. Todd Ojile.  Officers found a man with a gunshot wound to his leg. At about the same time, another shooting call came from an address in the 2600 Block of East Wilma.  Officers found a 26-year-old Rolando Holt with multiple gunshot wounds. He died at the scene.

Investigators learned Holt was visiting friends at the residence, according to Ojile. Sometime during the evening, unknown suspects came to the residence and shot Holt. They fled on foot.  Police have no other information on the suspects. Anyone with information is asked to call police.

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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities are investigating after two people were killed and a third person was wounded during separate shootings in Wichita.

The first shooting happened early Sunday. Officer Paul Cruz says a 33-year-old man was wounded during a disturbance at a home. He died later at a hospital.

Police also are investigating a Sunday night shooting that left one person dead and another critically injured.

The names of the victims weren’t immediately released.

In addition, police say a man died in an early Saturday morning shooting in northeast Wichita.

Police say officers responded around 2 a.m. Saturday to a report of a shooting. Arriving officers found a man in his 20s with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died.

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