WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ new governor has joined in increased calls to stop using state highway funding for other purposes.
photo KDOT
The state has spent more than $3.3 billion meant for highways on other areas of spending over the past 20 years. As a result, the state is currently delaying nearly two dozen projects to repair or expand highways.
Gov. Jeff Colyer told lawmakers last week that the state “must end the highway funding sweeps and build an effective plan that promotes economic development and strengthens our transportation network.”
Colyer didn’t offer a concrete proposal or timeline for ending the transfer of money from highways to other areas. But his spokeswoman said Friday that the governor is calling for a transportation task force to identify the best option.
Victoria Interested Parents will be providing a German meal from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16 at the Victoria High School cafeteria.
The fundraiser will include homemade creamed dumplings and noodles and beans. Meals may be taken to go. All proceeds support VHS drug and alcohol free activities.
The Ellis County Commission will begin preparing to lay out the 2019 budget at Monday’s meeting. County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes will present the commission with information on the county’s five-year financial forecast, and commissioners will discuss conditions that could impact the budget.
The commission will also issue a proclamation declaring February Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month and recognize individuals for their years of service to Ellis County.
The Public Building Commission will meet at 5 p.m. with the regular commission meeting to follow at the County Administrative Building at 718 Main.
Weston Groth, Dustin Hynes Construction, smooths a section of new sidewalk on the west side of Ekey Park.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
When the up and down temperatures this winter are up, the guys at Dustin Hynes Construction have been building more sidewalks in three Hays parks.
Work in Frontier Park, Old Highway 40, is completed.
In East Frontier Park, that includes an area connecting the shelter to what was called the old swinging bridge. “While they were in there, we also had them go ahead connect to the playground unit as well so folks would have a sidewalk to it for access,” said Jeff Boyle, director of parks for the city of Hays.
“Across the bridge in North Frontier Park, they actually took out a section of asphalt sidewalks that were buckled really bad and went back in and poured that in with concrete.
Ekey Park, 19th and Holmes, now has a sidewalk around its entire perimeter.
“Both those areas turned out really nice.”
The workers then moved on to Ekey Park, 19th and Holmes. Sidewalks were already in place on the north and east sides of the park and are now connected on the south and west sides. “We wanted to get those completed. A lot of folks use those sidewalks while they’re kids are playing on the equipment,” Bole said. “It’s a good opportunity for parents to get in their own exercise.”
Working on a recent cold sunny day, Jamie Hynes and Weston Groth slowly smoothed the newly laid concrete to eliminate holes.
“They’re making it flat and sealing it up,” explained owner Dustin Hynes. “If you leave holes, water can get down in it, freeze and then expand, popping up the top a little.”
Traffic cones block foot traffic from the new sidewalk as it dries.
Even when the temperature falls below freezing, work is not necessarily halted.
“If it gets that cold, we cover the sidewalk with blankets made for concrete only that keeps it from freezing,” Hynes said. “If the ground is not froze, we can work.”
Hynes Construction is now working on the third and final phase of the project at Hickok Park, 26th and Donald, which has no sidewalks.
“We’re trying to get sidewalks put in where there are needs. This work was requested by the Public Works Department. It’s a high use area and there’s actually a trail worn in the grass,” Boyle said.
“We’ve been looking at making our community transportation-friendly and that includes sidewalks. There are several areas in town where we have no sidewalks but there is literally a dirt path worn in where you can tell hundreds of people have been walking through the grass. So we’re trying to make those areas more user-friendly.”
Sidewalk installation can be done even in freezing temperatures.
Total cost of the three parks’ sidewalks was $55,900.
Next year, Boyle wants to work on Rolling Hills Park, 41st and Autumn Lane. “We’d like to connect at 41st and Hall, where there are already crosswalks and a sidewalk on 41st, on the southeast corner of the intersection. We’d connect the sidewalk and bring it down through Rolling Hills Park. Right now you can’t safely get from 41st over to Rolling Hills or to the houses on east.”
Boyle says some stormwater issues in that area will have to first be considered. “This will be a pretty significant project so it might just be this one on the next go-around.”
SEDGWICK COUNTY— Fire officials have ruled a fatal Kansas house fire as accidental.
Crews on the scene of the fatal fire-photo courtesy KWCH
Just after 6p.m. Friday, crews responded to a home in the 3100 Block of North Woodland in Wichita, according to Lt. Jose Ocadiz.
The residence was a detached garage converted into a single room apartment. First responders found the victim identified as 72-year-old Charles E. Wilson, near the front door, according to Ocadiz.
The origin of the fire was in a recliner chair and caused due to the victim smoking while on oxygen.
Authorities released no additional details.
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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Emergency officials say one person has died in a house fire in north Wichita.
The fire was reported around 6:15 p.m. Friday. Firefighters say they saw no smoke or flames coming from the home when they arrived, but encountered thick smoke upon entering the house.
Fire Chief Tammy Snow says the victim was found on the floor and removed from the house. The man was not breathing and did not have a pulse when rescued and was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 7 p.m.
Authorities had not released the victim’s name by midday Saturday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Portrait Gallery is unveiling portraits of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.
Images courtesy National Portrait Gallery
Barack Obama’s portrait was painted by Kehinde Wiley — an artist best known for his vibrant, large-scale paintings of African-Americans. For Michelle Obama’s portrait, the gallery commissioned Baltimore-based artist Amy Sherald, first-prize winner of the Portrait Gallery’s 2016 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition.
The paintings were unveiled Monday at the gallery, which is part of the Smithsonian group of museums. The gallery has a complete collection of presidential portraits.
I would like to thank Alan Deines, director of the new Robbins Banking Institute and W.R. Robbins founder of the Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship at Fort Hays State University, for their presentation to the Financial Institutions and Pensions committee this last Thursday. In 2017 Fort Hays State University began offering the only extensive banking curriculum in Kansas. FHSU is one of the few universities offering banking classes. The focus of the curriculum is on commercial banking with additional coursework in agricultural lending. Kansas banking industry assets were estimated at $70 billion and they employ 15,000 people. It is estimated the age of one-half of the bank employees is 55 years or older. The industry continues to grow requiring additional employees regardless of age. With this information, this course will provide many opportunities for those interested in a banking career.
The hearing on the amusement ride bill went well on Tuesday. The original Kansas Amusement Ride Act was passed in April 2017 as SB 70. The bill was intended to provide quality assurance that amusement rides were safe and regularly inspected. The bill regulates inspections, insurance and fees. Our bill SB 307, would provide various new regulations that would benefit small county and town fairs in Kansas. One proposed change would update the definition of a home-owned amusement ride to, “be owned and operated by a nonprofit, community-based organization that is operated less than 20 days in a year and operated at only one location per year. The bill will decrease regulations for small amusement rides while continuing to ensure the quality and safety of rides for Kansans. This bill will be worked in committee this week and should come to the floor either this week or next week for a vote.
After several hours of debate SB 285 passed the Senate chamber and will now be worked on by the House. This bill sets up a committee to study and make recommendations for a new ten-year transportation plan. Much of the debate centered around the people who will serve on this task force.
Town hall meetings are being scheduled for the end of February. We have scheduled dates but locations for these meetings have not been determined as of today. I appreciate Farm Bureau for organizing the town hall meetings. The dates are:
February 23, 2018 Ellis, Phillipsburg, Norton, Hill City, WaKeeney
February 24, 2018 Colby, Hoxie, Quinter, Oakley, Sharon Springs
February 26, 2018 Goodland, St. Francis, Atwood, Oberlin
Being a page at the Capitol is a wonderful experience. If you have a middle school or high school student interested in being a page please contact my office assistant, Donna, at 785 296-7399.
Hello from Topeka! It was a busy week with lots of folks from the 110th District coming to the capital city. County treasurers, firefighters, real estate agents, bankers and tourism and others saw state government up close and personal.
One of the highlights was Governor Colyer addressing a joint session of the House and Senate. He began by outlining his new administration: a new policy team, a new communications team, and six major changes to the cabinet: Commerce Secretary, DCF Secretary, Commerce Secretary, Chief Budget Officer, Chief of Information Technology, and Lieutenant Governor. Additionally, the Governor created the position of Chief Operating Officer, in effort to foster more of a business approach, and then focused on three main points: reform, jobs, and education.
Reform—Governor Colyer revealed his intention to sign four executive orders, of which would create a safer and more transparent workplace. First, no charge for open records requests of less than 100 pages. Second, institute policies to ensure that official business is conducted on state emails only. Lastly, the implementation of performance metrics for cabinet agencies as well as a one-stop-shop website to post open meetings, locations and materials. The Governor also touched on the executive order he signed on Monday, which requires all executive branch employees, interns, and contractors to undergo mandatory annual training seminars.
Jobs—He made note that the state unemployment rate is 3.4%, the lowest in seventeen years, and that there are 48,000 unfilled jobs across the state. Instead of having people looking for jobs, jobs are looking for people. Governor Colyer unveiled his “(Re) Employment Plan”, which will provide skills assessment, resume, interview and networking assistance to the labor market, at no cost.
Education—The Governor invoked the names of the nine previous Kansas governors, and stated that under each administration, each of them had the specter of education lawsuits overshadowing the process. He also articulated that schools must stay open, a definitive school finance formula is necessary, the need to improve accountability and to strive for better outcomes for students.
Also last week, the Federal and State Affairs Committee heard SB 262. The bill authorizes the Capitol Preservation Committee to approve plans to place a permanent statue of Dwight D. Eisenhower on the Capitol grounds. The statue will be placed in the NW quadrant of the Capitol grounds. The statue is a replica of the bronze one created by Jim Brothers that is in the U.S. Capitol rotunda. The bill also authorizes the Department of Administration to receive moneys from grants, gifts, and contributions to finance the construction of the statue and the pedestal it will sit upon. The funds have already been raised for the statue. On Thursday, I was honored to chair the committee of the whole where the House debated and voted upon the measure. SB262 was approved by the House with a vote of 123-0. The bill now awaits action by the Governor and will go into effect upon publication in the Kansas Register.
When you come to Topeka during the session, please stop by my office: it is in Room: 352-S. My phone number is 785-296-7463 and email is: [email protected], my cell number is (785) 302-8416. You can also check out kenforkansas.com.
This week marked the fifth week of session. The Senate held floor debate on Tuesday and Wednesday and passed out eleven pieces of legislation. Our Committees will continue to meet through next week then work the bills passed out of committees on the Senate Floor before turnaround when the bills voted on in the Senate are sent to the House. The House bills voted on and passed on the House floor are in turn sent to the Senate for more review and hearings. To date, we have passed out fifteen Senate bills with seventeen Senate Confirmations votes for agencies and boards positions.
GOVERNOR COLYER’S FIRST ADDRESS TO KANSAS LEGISLATURE
On Wednesday Governor Jeff Colyer gave his first address to the joint Kansas legislature. His speech took place exactly one week after he was inaugurated into office. He praised legislators for their service to Kansas and pointed out issues they have been tackling such as sexual harassment and government transparency. Governor Colyer talked about the major issues facing the legislature this year and divided them into three categories: reform, jobs, and education. He also discussed the four executive orders he signed Thursday to increase transparency within the executive branch. Like Governor Brownback did at the State of the State in January, Governor Colyer expressed the need for an end to the constant education lawsuits in Kansas.
FLOOR ACTION
KANSAS MONEY TRANSMITTER ACT: Senate Bill 284 modifies the Kansas Money Transmitter Act.
STATE BANKING CODE: Senate Bill 283 would amend several sections of the State Banking Code. One of those changes being that on and after July 1, 2018, the bill would amend the requirement that a person proposing to acquire control, or a bank or trust company undertaking a merger transaction, submit an application 60 days prior to the proposed change of control or merger transaction.
30-DAY PRIOR NOTICE REQUIREMENT PROVIDED TO A MEMBER BEFORE EXPULSION FROM A CREDIT UNION: Senate Bill 292 adjusts law relating to the expulsion of credit union members. The bill would authorize the president, general manager, or any other credit union employee designated by the board of directors to expel a credit union member from the credit union under certain circumstances.
PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD: Senate Resolution 1762 is a resolution recognizing that pornography is a public health hazard that leads to a broad spectrum of individual and public health impacts and societal harms.
US-50 HIGHWAY FORD COUNTY: Senate Bill 256 designates a portion of US-50 in Ford County, from the east city limits of Dodge City to 118 Road (near the city of Wright), as the SGT Gregg Steimel and PFC Richard Conrardy Memorial Highway.
CHANGES TO THE STATE BANKING CODE: Senate Bill 335 would amend and create law to incorporate savings and loan associations and savings banks into the State Banking Code. The bill would repeal the existing Savings and Loan Code.
REPEALING THE PROHIBITION ON SATURDAY PROCESS SERVICE: Senate Bill 288 repeals the statute making it a misdemeanor, subject to a fine of $100, imprisonment in the county jail up to 30 days, or both, thus allowing court papers to be served on Saturdays.
UPDATING SUBSTANCES INCLUDED IN UNIFORM CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT: SB 282 adds several drugs and modifies drug classes to the schedules of controlled substances.
JOINT LEGISLATIVE TRANSPORTATION TASK FORCE: Substitute Senate Bill 285 would establish the Joint Legislative Transportation Task Force (Task Force) to study Kansas’ transportation system.
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES CONCERNING APPLICANTS: Senate Bill 180 creates a process for disclosure of a law enforcement officer applicant’s files if the candidate has been employed by another state or local law enforcement agency or governmental agency.
NONDISCRIMINATION OF ORGAN TRANSPLANTS: House Bill 2343 creates new law regarding nondiscrimination in access to organ transplants for individuals with disabilities.
COMMITTEE ACTION
KANSAS AMUSEMENT RIDE ACT
On Tuesday, a trailer bill was presented for the Kansas Amusement Ride Act. The original Kansas Amusement Ride Act was passed in April 2017 as SB 70. The bill was intended to provide quality assurance that amusement rides were safe and regularly inspected. The bill regulates inspections, insurance, and fees. The amendment was introduced Tuesday, to adjust the regulations that are impacting small community based amusement rides. Due to the new rules, many small towns have had to cancel fairs because of increased regulations. One of the main concerns is the regulation on inspections. The amended bill, SB 307, would provide various new regulations that would benefit small county and town fairs in Kansas. Many of the fairs are donation and volunteer based or ran by nonprofit organizations. One proposed change would update the definition of a home-owned amusement ride to, “be owned and operated by a nonprofit, community-based organization that is operated less than 20 days in a year and operated at only one location per year.” The amendment will decrease regulations for small amusement rides while continuing to ensure the quality and safety of rides for Kansans.
Kansas ROZ
Rural Opportunity Zones are seventy-seven counties in Kansas that have been authorized to offer one or both of the following financial incentives to new full-time residents with Kansas income tax waivers for up to five years and student loan repayments up to $15,000. To be eligible for Kansas Income Tax Waivers, individuals must have established residency in a ROZ county on or after the date the county became part of the program, lived outside Kansas for five or more years immediately prior to establishing residency in a ROZ county and earned less than $10,000 in Kansas Source Income in each of the five years immediately prior to establishing residency in a ROZ county. Senate District #36 has seventy-four approved and twenty-eight approved sponsored participates to date. Republic, Rooks and Smith County lead the district in this very popular rural program in Kansas. The total number of participants since the beginning of the program in Kansas at the end of 2016 was 494.
FROM THE STATE LIBRARY
Find reliable and age appropriate information online with Britannica – Public Library https://kslib.info/eor from the State Library of Kansas. Three levels of learning (Children, Young Adult, and Reference Center) offer continually updated entries, multimedia, primary –source material, maps, and links to expert websites. Double–click any word in the article for the definition to pop up with audio pronunciation. Also available at https://kslib.info/eor, Britannica – Academic includes more scholarly content. Another link https://kslib.info/kids takes you to Britannica – School for learning about any subject for all grades and reading abilities.
If the page above asks for a Kansas Library eCard number, you may get one at any library in Kansas. Most people will be automatically recognized as inside Kansas and will not need this step. Questions: [email protected] or 785-296-3296.
VISITORS FROM SENATE DISTRICT #36
The last few weeks have been very busy with visitors from home daily here in the Capital City. On Tuesday, the Kansas Bankers, Kansas Fire Fighters and the State Independent Telephone and Rural Independent Telecommunications Coalition held their annual legislative day and reception. Rural economic leaders presented success stories of rural development to the Senate and House Commerce Committees and held receptions for all legislators in the evening. Members from the Travel Industry Association along with Kansas American Legion and VFW and County Treasurers met with their legislators also during the week. The Kansas Press Association and Kansas Farm Bureau members held their annual meeting and had lunch with legislators in the Capitol.
LEGISLATIVE WEBSITE
Please visit www.kslegislature.org to follow any legislation or to review Senate and House journals and calendars. You will be able to search for bills and legislators in all districts plus research papers and historical articles on this very helpful website.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita State says two men’s basketball players were involved in a nine-vehicle pileup and that the women’s team also crashed after freezing drizzle.
No players or coaches were injured in the Saturday night crashes in Wichita.
The Kansas Highway Patrol blamed the nine-vehicle pileup on slick conditions. University officials say 19-year-old Austin Reaves and 22-year-old Brett Barney continued on to dinner afterward. The crash happened after the Shockers beat Connecticut in Koch Arena. One person in another vehicle was taken to a hospital.
University officials say the bus carrying the Wichita State women’s basketball team also was involved in an accident on the way to Koch Arena from Eisenhower National Airport.
A Hays man pleaded not guilty Friday to aggravated robbery and was bound over for trial in the Nov. 3 robbery at Tiger Mart Convenience Store in Hays.
Jordan Stevens, 27, appeared in Ellis County District Court on Friday.
During the hearing, the store clerk and an investigator with the Hays Police Department identified Stevens as the man they said brandished a firearm during the alleged robbery.
Store clerk Benjamin Moses said a man with a hood up pulled a gun from his waistband and demanded all the money in the cash register and in the safe.
Moses said the hood did not cover the person’s face and he was able to identify Stevens as the suspect.
When the suspect left the business, Moses called law enforcement. Investigator Joshua Burkholder was called to help with the investigation.
Burkholder testified Friday that he looked at video surveillance from the incident and identified Stevens as the man who entered the business, demanded the money and then fled the scene in a white Nissan passenger car.
Officers were able to locate a car matching the car in the surveillance footage in the alley behind the apartment complex in the 2700 block of Colonial Drive.
Burkholder also testified he was at the scene of where the car was located when he saw Stevens wearing clothes matching the clothes the robbery suspect was wearing.
According to Burkholder’s testimony, police arrested Stevens in connection with the robbery. After initially telling Burkholder he did not have anything to say, Stevens allegedly told Burkholder that he committed the crime and that “she was just the driver.”
Kelsie Replogle, 20, was identified to the person Stevens was talking about. She pleaded no contest Feb. 2 to aggravated robbery. A sentencing date has not been set yet.
According to Burkholder, a search warrant of Stevens’ residence led to the discovery of more than $1,000 in cash and a handgun.
Trego County Judge Richard Flax oversaw Stevens’ case and found probable cause for Stevens to be bound over for trial on the charge of aggravated robbery.
Stevens requested a jury trial and was remanded to the Ellis County jail pending trial.
