PAWNEE COUNTY — A former western Kansas sheriff’s detective is charged with three felonies after an investigation into the theft of department funds.
Pawnee Co. Sheriff’s Office-google image
Jeffrey Allen King, age 43, is charged with three felony counts: Making a False Information, Misuse of Public Funds, and Felony Theft of more than $20,000, according to a media release from Ellis County attorney Thomas Drees, who is acting as the special prosecutor.
The charges stem from an investigation completed by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) at the request of Pawnee County Sheriff Scott King, brother of Jeffrey Allen King upon learning of the alleged misappropriation of Sheriff’s Office funds.
Jeffrey King was placed on administrative leave from his employment on December 5, 2017, he resigned his employment on February 22, 2018.
Jeffrey King has is scheduled to make a first court appearance in Pawnee County on March 15.
Longtime Goodland, KS, resident Dolores Louise Jones Peter, 88, passed away on Monday, February 26, 2018 at the Citizen’s Medical Center in Colby, KS.
Dolores was born on June 30, 1929 in Bruning, NE to Leonard and Martha (Schutte) Dankenbring. She was one of four children. The family moved to Goodland where Dolores attended school and graduated from Sherman County High School in 1946.
On June 30, 1947, Dolores married Melvin Jones at the courthouse in Goodland. To this union, five children; Kathy, Karen, Coleen, Connie and Billy were born. The family made their home in Goodland where Dolores spent her life as a wife, mother and worked various motel positions in Goodland. Dolores and Melvin later divorced and she then married Howard Peter.
Dolores enjoyed being with family and friends, cooking, baking, crafting, and spending time with her grandchildren.
Preceding her in death were her parents, her husband’s Melvin and Howard, two daughters, Kathy Miller and Connie Whitebread, one sister Lucille Leitner, one grandson James Miller and one great great granddaughter.
She is survived by three children; Karen (Dewayne) Marler of Tulsa, OK, Coleen (Tom) Rohr of Goodland, KS, and Billy (Jeanette) Jones of Goodland, KS; two sisters Alene Mesloh of Richardson, TX and Wilma Casey of Waco, TX. She is also survived by 10 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren and 8 great great grandchildren, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and friends.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, March 3, 2018 at 11:30 AM MT at the Calvary Gospel Church in Goodland with Reverend Ron Scheimo officiating. Burial will follow in the Goodland Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Saturday, March 3, 2018 from 10:30 to 11:30 AM MT at the church.
In Lieu of Flowers, memorials are designated to the Dolores Peter Memorial Fund and may be left at the services or mailed to Koons-Russell Funeral Home, 211 N. Main Ave., Goodland, KS 67735.
Online condolences may be left at www.koonsrussellfuneralhome.com.
Funeral services are entrusted to Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Goodland.
Kansas lawmakers return to the Statehouse on Wednesday still facing the largest challenge of this year’s session: balancing the budget and responding to a court order to spend more on schools.
In recent years, though, lawmakers plucked the low-hanging fruit when it comes to finding cash. That makes any revenue harvest ahead that much more difficult.
To help weather budget crunches in recent years, lawmakers have diverted hundreds of millions of dollars from the state’s highway fund. The current and coming year budgets already rely on about $580 million in diverted highway money to help balance the books.
Republican Rep. Steven Johnson, chair of the House Taxation Committee, said they’ve also turned to tax hikes in recent years along with reliance on highway money. Lawmakers have raised the sales tax and last year overturned the state’s 2012 tax cuts by overriding a veto from then-Gov. Sam Brownback.
Johnson said lawmakers might be tired of debates about raising taxes.
“I don’t see a tax plan that I am excited about that comes together out of that,” Johnson said.
Still, Johnson said his committee will discuss property taxes next week. The goal is to gauge how much of an increase lawmakers and the public would be willing to accept.
“And if you say ‘none,’ weigh in on how we address the courts,” Johnson said. “That’s the discussion that we need to have in earnest in the next week.”
Whatever lawmakers come up with, they’ll have to consider Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer’s position. He hasn’t given them a mandate, but outlined what he wants to see in the plan.
“Increased investments in K-12 education must come through a phased-in approach that doesn’t increase the tax burden on Kansas families,” Colyer said during a speech to lawmakers this month.
That adds further difficulty to passing a tax increase. Johnson said it would be especially difficult to gather enough votes to override Colyer’s veto.
Rep. Steven Johnson chairs the Kansas House Taxation Committee, which is struggling to find new revenue for state government. CREDIT STEPHEN KORANDA / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Legislators could also consider budget cuts to other services to boost spending on schools. Across-the-board cuts of 18 percent could be needed to come up with additional funding for Kansas schools.
Some lawmakers argued the state should have looked at spending cuts last year instead of raising taxes. That debate could be repeated this year if tax increases are on the table.
There’s another area of tax policy lawmakers have discussed in recent years: tax exemptions that give breaks to certain entities. The exemptions from sales tax range from haircuts and other services to Girl Scout cookies.
The challenge is that recipients of tax exemptions often fight hard to keep them.
“The resistance is very large,” Johnson said. “In fact, we have a very long list of requests for additional tax exemptions.”
House lawmakers passed a bill to repeal $60 million in sales tax exemptions last year, but it died in the Senate.
Tax collections consistently beating estimates will help the financial situation, but Johnson said there are other areas lawmakers also hope to boost spending. He said they’d like to invest in state mental health services and repay a missed payment into the state pension plan.
RENO COUNTY — A Kansas man died in an accident on Tuesday in Reno County.
A Honda Passport owned by Carl Yoder, 58, Burrton, became stuck in a ditch in the 9000 Block of South Worthington Road, according to the Reno County Sheriff’s Department.
Yoder’s neighbor 64-year-old Steven McLaughlin drove a Ford F150 to help pull the Honda out of the ditch.
After getting the Honda pulled out of the ditch both vehicles were facing southeast in the northbound lane of travel to unhook the tow rope.
As they were standing outside their vehicles, a northbound Dodge pickup driven by Brian Hoopes 40, Burrton, did not see the vehicles. The Dodge struck both vehicles and both men were struck by a vehicle.
First responders performed CPR on Yoder but he died at the scene, according to Deputy Kevin Sipe.
McLaughlin and Hoopes both had non-life-threatening injuries. The accident remains under investigation.
Yes, it was warm in Hays Tuesday, and yes, the temperature did reach a new record high for the day.
According to official statistics kept by the K-State Agricultural Research Center south of town, the mercury soared to 79 degrees yesterday, just barely breaking the former record for Feb. 27 of 78 degrees reached in 1932 and again in 2016.
The Hays Police Department responded to 2 animal calls and conducted 7 traffic stops Fri., Feb. 23, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–1300 block Walnut St, Hays; 9:19 AM
MV Accident-Hit and Run–100 block W 11th St, Hays; 12 AM
Animal At Large–24th and Main St, Hays; 12:02 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 12:31 PM
Welfare Check–2900 block Canal Blvd, Hays; 2 PM
44 – Traffic Stop–1500 block E 26th St, Hays; 3:59 PM
Suspicious Activity–3200 block Fairway Dr, Hays; 10/15/17 9 PM; 2/23/18 3:33 PM
Suspicious Activity–400 block E 20th St, Hays; 4:43 PM
Suspicious Activity–300 block W 9th St, Hays; 4:42 PM
Criminal Damage to Property–1200 block Vine St, Hays; 11:38 PM; 11:41 PM
The Hays Police Department responded to 4 animal calls and conducted 15 traffic stops Sat., Feb. 24, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.
Aggravated Battery–1300 block Haney Dr, Hays; 8:30 PM; 12:45 AM
Found/Lost Property–500 block W 7th St, Hays; 12:48 AM
Criminal Trespass–300 block W 8th St, Hays; 1:31 AM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–300 block E 24th St, Hays; 2/15 8 AM
Suicidal Subject–100 block E 17th St, Hays; 10:18 AM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–2700 block E 17th St, Hays; 10:22 AM; 10:26 AM
Criminal Damage to Property–500 block W 8th St, Hays; 2/23 11 PM; 2/24 12:30 PM
Dead Animal Call–1600 block E 27th St, Hays; 3:31 PM
Welfare Check–100 block W 4th St, Hays; 3:45 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–2900 block Vine St, Hays; 4 PM
Abandoned Vehicle–1700 block Elm St, Hays; 4:11 PM
Animal At Large–19th St and MacArthur Rd, Hays; 5:01 PM
Lost Animals ONLY–500 block W 32nd St, Hays; 5:10 PM
Found/Lost Property–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 5:33 PM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–100 block W 15th St, Hays; 8/17/17 8 AM
Criminal Transport–1300 block Kansas Highway 264, Larned; 7:20 PM
Juvenile Complaint–1700 block Vine St, Hays; 11:13 PM
The Hays Police Department responded to 1 animal call and conducted 24 traffic stops Sun., Feb. 25, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.
Disturbance – Noise–500 block Fort St, Hays; 12:01 AM
Disturbance – Fight–600 block Fort St, Hays; 12:43 AM; 12:44 AM
Driving Under the Influence–600 block Ash St, Hays; 1:20 AM
Drug Offenses/DUI–600 block Ash St, Hays; 1:28 AM
Intoxicated Subject–400 block W 13th St, Hays; 1:29 AM
Child in Need of Care–300 block S State St, Norton; 1:37 AM
Abandoned Vehicle–2100 block Elm St, Hays; 7:31 AM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–1400 block Oak St, Hays; 2/22 8 AM
MV Accident-Private Property–1900 block Vine St, Hays; 10:18 AM
Criminal Damage to Property–600 block Ash St, Hays; 2/24 9 PM; 2/25 7 AM
Domestic Disturbance–400 block Autumn Ln, Hays; 4:04 PM
Animal At Large–12th and Oak St, Hays; 5:27 PM
Shoplifting–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 2/13 8 PM; 8:06 PM
Civil Dispute–400 block E 8th St, Hays; 6:53 PM
Driving Under the Influence–1300 block Fort St, Hays; 12 AM
The Hays Police Department responded to 3 animal calls and conducted 9 traffic stops Mon., Feb. 26, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.
Criminal Trespass–4100 block Vine St, Hays; 12:03 AM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–1100 block Centennial Blvd, Hays; 5/22/17 8 AM
Unattended Death–1700 block Volga Dr, Hays; 4 AM; 6:15 AM
Dead Animal Call–1800 block E 27th St, Hays; 9:17 AM
Abandoned Vehicle–2800 block Sherman Ave, Hays; 12:16 PM
Violation of Restraining Order/PFA–700 block E 6th St, Hays; 7:03 AM; 12:32 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–1200 block Vine St, Hays; 12:35 PM
Welfare Check–300 block E 14th St, Hays; 1:13 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–1200 block Vine St, Hays; 12:35 PM
Assist – Other (not MV)–1000 block Fort St, Hays; 3:51 PM
Animal At Large–3500 block Hillcrest Dr, Hays; 3:57 PM
Theft (general)–1600 block E 27th St Terr, Hays; 2/25 12:24 AM; 12:25 AM
Welfare Check–1400 block Fort St, Hays; 4:53 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–3700 block Vine St, Hays; 5:01 PM
Traffic/Driving Complaint–2200 block Vine St, Hays; 5:04 PM
Theft (general)–1600 block E 27th St. Terr, Hays; 2/13 8 PM; 2/14 11:30 AM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–3700 block Vine, Hays; 5:22 PM
Document Service–Hays; 6:04 PM
Burglary/residence–1100 block Downing Ave, Hays; 6:31 PM
Civil Dispute–200 block E 5th St, Hays; 6:35 PM
Sex Offense–700 block W 12th St, Hays; 6:21 PM
MV Accident-Private Property-Hit and Run–1300 block E 41st St, Hays; 7:36 PM
MV Accident-Private Property-Hit and Run–1400 block US 183 Alternate, Hays; 7:40 PM
Mental Health Call–3500 block Fairway Dr, Hays; 8:56 PM
Found/Lost Property–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 9:56 PM
BARTON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a crime scene and have made an arrest.
Schmidt-photo Barton Co.
Just after 8:30 Tuesday, Barton County Sheriff’s Office and the Ellinwood Police Department conducted a joint operation and executed a search warrant at a home in the 500 Block of South Humbolt Street in the city of Ellinwood, according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir.
Upon entry into the single residence officers located a substantial quantity of methamphetamine, firearms and drug paraphernalia.
Deputies arrested 40-year-old Scottie Schmidt, of Ellinwood and booked him on charges of distribution of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, felon in possession of a firearm and no drug tax stamp.
Schmidt is a registered drug offender and is being held in lieu of a $100,000 bond. Sheriff’s deputies were on the scene several hours Tuesday night processing evidence.
Schmidt has previous convictions for Aggravated Indecent Solicitation of a child and Aggravated Indecent Liberties/Child less than 14;Fondling, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
KANSAS CITY (AP) – Authorities say a man has been shot and killed in Kansas City after a crash.
Photos Kansas City Police
The Kansas City Star reports that the crash happened Tuesday afternoon when a person driving a green truck ran a stop sign and crashed into a white sport utility vehicle.
The truck’s driver was shot after exiting the vehicle and died at a hospital. The impact knocked the SUV into a nearby house, but the driver of that SUV was unharmed and wasn’t involved in the shooting.
Police spokesman Lionel Colón says the shooter fled the scene.
Joe Hertel has been an English teacher and basketball coach at Thomas More Prep-Marian for 33 years.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
Thomas More Prep-Marian teacher Joe Hertel wants to mold his students to be responsible young men and women who will fight for what is right.
As an English teacher and avid lover of the American classics, he looks to heroes such as Atticus Finch of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel to show students examples of integrity.
Hertel, a teacher for 33 years at TMP, has been named the Hays Post Teacher of the Month for February. Hertel teaches English and coaches boy’s basketball at TMP.
In his many years of teaching, Hertel, 60, said he has come to love novels like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and American novelists such as John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway. It is harder each year to entice students to read because of all the digital distractions, he said, and joked that, for his students, anything out of their lifetime does not exist.
On and off the court, Hertel said he hopes to build character in his students, and those classical American literary heroes are good role models.
“All of Steinbeck’s works are about the people on the bottom of the totem pole socioeconomically. In a way, I treat Steinbeck’s novels almost like a religion lesson,” he said, “because I think that is what we are called to do as Christians — as middle class or above Christians — to look out for those who don’t have anything. And that is what every Steinbeck book is about is people helping people. I think that is consistent with our TMP mission.”
Hertel’s students read “Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway, and he related why he admires Hemingway’s characters.
“Ernest Hemingway, I really like him because all of his works, all of his novels, are about the testing and retesting of a man’s character— because I like sports so much, and I want my players to understand that competitive sports are like life. That’s Hemingway.”
Although his students aren’t assigned to read Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” or “A Farewell to Arms,” he noted those novels are also about character.
“Those are about people who are tough mentally, emotionally,” he said. “On the symbolic thing, they are tough physically too, but that is not the point. The point is, how tough are you in your mind and in your heart?”
He said the literature relates back to what he loves about coaching.
“What I love about coaching is taking some immature, adolescent boys and through competition, discipline, teamwork and commitment, molding them into good, decent, Catholic, Christian men by the time they graduate from high school,” he said.
Some are better success stories than others; it is no guarantee. However, he said he has given it his all and encourages his players and students to do the same.
“I don’t care if we end up with more points on the scoreboard than the other team,” he said. “What I care about is that we took our inner being and character and laid it out there. The old cliche — give ‘er all up for the group.”
Coaching was what really drew Hertel into teaching. He played three sports in college and knew he didn’t want to sever his connection with athletics when he was done with college. He came from a family in which six of the nine children were teachers. It just seemed natural to follow suit.
Hertel received dual degrees in English and physical education from St. Mary of the Plains College of Dodge City and eventually a master’s degree in counseling from Fort Hays State University.
Although he has a love of literature, Hertel said he feels his primary responsibility as an English teacher is to prepare his students to be able to write in college or for whatever profession they choose.
“As much as I like American classics, my top priority as a teacher of the language is that kids exit my class as competent writers,” he said.
He did not attend parochial school as a youth, but a contact at his Catholic college helped him land an interview with Bishop Miege High School in the Kansas City area. He taught at Bishop Miege for five years before coming to TMP. His family was looking to come back to western Kansas when the job at TMP became available. Hertel grew up on a farm in Burdett, Kansas.
Hertel said his Catholic faith has been a large part of both his family and professional life. Both of his children graduated from TMP, and he tries to pass on the Catholic faith to his students.
“(Catholicism) has been huge on both sides of the family,” he said. “It is traditional and engrained. My wife and our kids and extended family were meant to be Catholic, and we are very proud of that.”
He said he feels very fortunate to have been able to teach at TMP.
“I got to work with some really good kids in basketball, and we got to win quite a few games,” he said. “And lastly, I got to meet thousands of young people — not any two of them alike. Some with struggles and some with the-sky’s-the-limit abilities, and I got to have a little bit of a hand in their development.”
The duties of a Kansas state representative include meeting with visitors at the state capitol in Topeka.
Rep. Eber Phelps (D-Hays, 111th Dist.) recently met with several Hays constituents and posed for pictures with them.
On February 5, I hosted four legislative pages from Thomas More Prep, where Gov. Colyer graduated from. Thank you Anna Speno, Gracie Schmidt, Ethan Rohr and Trae Maguffin for being such a great help!
City Manager Toby Dougherty and Mayor James Meier were in Topeka for a meeting with Governor Colyer’s staff to discuss the R9 Ranch project.
Hays tourism leaders Melissa Dixon and Janet Kuhn (left and center) came to the capitol for the Travel Industry Association of Kansas lobby day.
Spent time visiting with Jacob Schmeidler of Hays who was at the capitol for 4-H Day Activities. 4-H is one of the many great programs under the umbrella of the Kansas State University County County Extension program.
FHSU President Tisa Mason testifying before Higher Education Budget Committee.
Wink Hartman, who last week dropped from the Kansas governor’s race and backed Kris Kobach, said he’s offered his arena to the National Rifle Association for its upcoming national convention.
The offer looks to be more gesture than prospective deal. The Hartman Arena in Wichita suburb Park City holds 6,500, about a third of the venue where the NRA convention currently plans to meet in Dallas.
Wink Hartman, left, who pulled out of the Republican governor’s race and is now backing Kris Kobach, is offering his Wichita-area arena to the NRA for its annual convention. The place is probably too small. NADYA FAULX / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
But the overture comes after Kobach, the conservative Kansas secretary of state, invited the nation’s most powerful gun rights group to the state. That came as the NRA became a focal point for protests in the wake of a school shooting early this month that left 17 dead in Parkland, Fla., and appeared to awaken gun control forces.
The NRA is currently scheduled to meet in Dallas on May 4. But Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway said the gun lobby group would be “met with opposition” if it carried through on plans to gather at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in his city.
“I am saying to the NRA, ‘reconsider yourselves coming to Dallas,’” Caraway said during a news conference a week ago. “There will be marches and demonstrations should they come to Dallas and we in Dallas will be the ones to have to bare the costs, the responsibility and to protect the citizens.”
The NRA has not announced any plans to relocate the annual convention, but that hasn’t stopped politicians across the country from trying to woo the NRA to their states. Kobach invited the NRA to bring its convention to Kansas in a tweet over the weekend.
Kansans love our right to keep and bear arms. I’ve reached out to the @NRA and urged them to bring the #NRA Annual Meeting and Convention to Kansas. Kansans are dedicated to protecting the 2nd Amendment! #2Ahttps://t.co/MyWJWj6PSy
“It’s about the Second Amendment and the rights of the individuals — not only of Kansas but of the United States — to arm themselves and protect themselves,” Hartman said.
Hartman, who said he’s a lifetime member of the NRA, said the group’s state director was grateful but didn’t respond with a final word on the arena offer.
Hartman acknowledged that the offer was largely symbolic, but he wanted to back the NRA.
“I want them to know that there’s a home and they’re welcome here,” said Hartman. “Kansas is a very business-friendly state and I think that projects that.”
A page from the 1979-80 FHSU Block and Bridle scrapbook.
FHSU University Relations
Thirty-six years of scrapbooks from the Block and Bridle Club at Fort Hays State University are now available to the public online.
The scrapbooks are the latest addition to Forsyth Library’s Archives Online, a part of the library’s Scholars Repository at: https://scholars.fhsu.edu/blockbridle/.
“The Block and Bridle Club has been a presence on this FHSU campus since 1972, and was the largest club on campus for many years over the past decades,” said Dr. Brittany Howell, a former academic advisor and associate professor of agriculture.
“FHSU’s Block and Bridal alumni numbers are in the thousands and it is so wonderful to have memories captured in these scrapbooks now easily available and accessible. Thank you FHSU Library and those B and B Historians who captured these moments in time,” she said.
Elizabeth Chance, digital curation librarian at Forsyth, said the online archives are a great way to access to the collection. For the collections that are too fragile to be touched, it is harder to access the information, she said.
“By digitizing these collections and making them available through both the FHSU Scholars Repository and Forsyth Digital Collections, we can bring these collections to a much wider audience than just people here on campus,” said Chance.
Chance hopes to increase the number of users not only online, but possibly bring a bigger audience to the non-digitized items that are in the library.
