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Month: March 2018

Kan. felon led police chase with unrestrained children in van

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FINNEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a convicted felon on new charges after a Wednesday chase.

Deleon-photo Finney Co.

Just after 1 a.m., police observed a 1998 Dodge Caravan veering left of the center line of traffic as it traveled north in the 3300 Bock of Campus Drive in Garden City, according to a media release.

The officer attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle. The driver failed to stop and continued north on Campus Drive as a vehicle pursuit was initiated at Highway 50.

The suspect’s vehicle continued south on the bypass, turned east on Spruce Street and drove into East Garden Village, 4101 E Hwy 50 and came to a stop near lot #571.

The suspect identified as Augrelio Deleon, 32, Garden City, was taken into custody without incident. Further investigation revealed that Deleon had his two children ages 1 and 2 in the vehicle unrestrained.

Deleon faces the possible charges of  Driving left of center,  Fail to yield at a stop sign, Fleeing and eluding, No proof of insurance, Driving while license suspended, Child endangerment,  Child restraint violation.

Deleon has seven previous convictions including violation of a protection order, aggravated battery, battery, battery against a corrections officer, interference with law enforcement and criminal damage to property.

The Latest: Defense attorneys say Kan. bomb plot wasn’t serious

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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the trial of three militia members accused of plotting to bomb a southwest Kansas mosque and apartment complex (all times local):

4 p.m.

An attorney for one of three Kansas militia members accused of plotting to blow up an apartment complex where Somali immigrants lived says that other members of the militia didn’t tell authorities about it because “none of them ever took the talk seriously.”

Ifrah Farah wonders why Muslims in the southwest Kansas would be targeted by terrorists, as federal prosecutors allege.
CREDIT FRANK MORRIS -Kansas News Service

Attorney Jim Pratt, who represents alleged plot leader Patrick Stein, said none of the plot would have happened without an informant paid by the FBI.

Richard Federico, another defense attorney, says the informant was on mission to infiltrate militia groups and the FBI used him to target the men.

Stein, Gavin Wright and Curtis Allen have pleaded not guilty to several charges, including conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction.

Defense attorneys presented their opening arguments Thursday afternoon. The prosecution made its statement earlier in the day.

___

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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Three militia members plotted to bomb a Kansas mosque and apartment complex housing Somali immigrants to kill as many Muslims as possible, a federal prosecutor said Thursday.

In her opening statement at their trial, Risa Berkower told jurors that the three men described the Somalis as “cockroaches” and planned to carry out an attack in the meatpacking town of Garden City, Kansas, about 220 miles (350 kilometers) west of Wichita, until a fourth man revealed their plot to the FBI and authorities arrested them.

Patrick Stein, Gavin Wright and Curtis Allen have pleaded not guilty to several charges, including conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction.

A militia member tipped off federal authorities after becoming alarmed by the escalating talk of violence, prosecutors have said. The man later agreed to wear a wire as a paid informant. The government’s case features months of profanity-laced recordings in which militia members discussed plans.

According to prosecutors, Stein was recorded discussing the type of fuel and fertilizer bomb that Timothy McVeigh used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people. Stein was arrested when he delivered 300 pounds (135 kilograms) of fertilizer to undercover FBI agents to make explosives.

Attorneys for the three men are expected to make their opening statements later Thursday.

————

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A jury has been selected for the trial of three militia members accused of plotting to bomb a mosque and apartment complex housing Somali immigrants in Kansas.

Opening statements are expected to begin later Thursday in the trial of Patrick Stein, Gavin Wright and Curtis Allen. All three have pleaded not guilty to several charges, including conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction.

Prosecutors say a militia member tipped off federal authorities after becoming alarmed by escalating talk of violence.

Defense attorneys say the case is “uniquely political” because much of the anticipated evidence is in reaction to the 2016 presidential election. They argue the case will require jurors to weigh evidence regarding whether the alleged conduct constitutes criminal activity or constitutionally protected speech and assembly.

Oneita Ruth Tuttle

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Oneita Ruth Tuttle was born October 29, 1923, on a farm north of Quinter, Kansas. Her parents were Ralph M. and Ada Ruth (Sprenkel) Tuttle. Oneita passed away Sunday, March 18, 2018, in the Gove County Medical Center in Quinter at the age of 94. She was a lifetime resident of Quinter.

She was baptized into the Church of the Brethren in 1937. She loved her church and worked in many different areas of it. She was on the church board, took care of the church’s plants for 30 years, helped with the annual comfort tying day, and enjoyed the many women’s fellowship activities. One of her proudest accomplishments was her help with the “Our Heritage” Church of the Brethren history book published in 1986. It was in conjunction with the Church of the Brethren’s 100th Centennial, she was one of eight writers.

She attended Quinter Grade School and graduated from Quinter High School in 1942. For a short while, she attended a secretarial school in Topeka. After arriving back in Quinter, she went to work for the First National Bank on Main.

On July 25, 1946, she married Lorne G. Press in the parsonage of the Quinter Church of the Brethren. She was a homemaker. Lorne and Oneita loved attending air shows, country music concerts, traveling to Port Aransas, Texas, and camping in general. When their family was young, it was off to Cedar Bluff Lake with family and friends for boating and fun. She loved each of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, proudly telling friends ‘how many she had now’!

Oneita was a Charter Member of the American Legion Auxiliary, the Gyne Fealti Club, and Stitch and Chatter Club; she attended them for 65 years. She also enjoyed being a member of the GCMC Auxiliary. She was very proud of being a Republican Committee Woman and served on the election board for 30+ years. In 1970, Oneita served as a board member for the low rent housing project. In her ‘golden years’ she attended the Birthday Bunch on Friday nights.

Oneita was known as the “Quinter Historian” and many times was called to see ‘whom was related to whom’. She loved family history, too: Tuttle, Sprenkel, Press, and Fischer!

Hobbies included: ceramics, oil painting with friends, candle making, crocheting, sewing, raising a big garden and canning, growing peonies, irises, and all kinds of trees. As she aged, her world revolved around sitting in her recliner, embroidering, and looking out her front window watching birds and traffic on Road Z. Her many tea towels are displayed in all her family and friend’s homes.

She is survived by her three children: Doug (Marcia) Press, Quinter, Marsha (Gary) Lang, Westminster, CO, and Kendra (Roy) Delzeit, Hays; nine grandchildren, Callie (Jeff) Brawner, Megan (Spencer) Herrman, Garret (Lauren) Press, Jordan (Michelle) Lang, Jarrod (Brenda) Lang, Robbie (Angela) Delzeit, Sheila Delzeit, Nikki (Cole) Cherryholmes, and Braydon Delzeit; 17 great-grandchildren, Bailey, Brooke & BrieAnn Brawner, Jaide, Scarlett Ruth & Adaline Herrman, Ryleigh & Delaney Hargitt, Brigham & Nelly Press, Landon & Sydney Lang, Brooklyn & Camden Lang, Braxton & Everly Delzeit, and Walker Cherryholmes; a sister-in-law Roma Tuttle; cousins; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Lorne, and brothers, Elvin, Charles, Glen, and Delbert Tuttle.

She was a devoted Christian and prayed daily for her family. She was a pillar of strength and lived a long courageous life, always showing her children and grandchildren how to keep going! If you ever met her on the street you’d remember hearing her ‘low’ voice say, “Well Kid!”; or, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”; or, “I wouldn’t change a thing in my life. I’ve been happy with life and my family!”…We’ll miss you Mom!

Memorial contributions are suggested to Quinter Church of the Brethren and Quinter Volunteer Ambulance Service. Donations to the memorials may be sent to Schmitt Funeral Home, 901 South Main, Quinter, KS 67752.

Click HERE for service details.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Punching holes in the Kan. GOP Legislature

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Like moths, miners and marksmen, our Republican legislature has been busy making holes this session. Voters should be paying attention. One hole cost about $200,000 to buy a tool that legislators could use to bury the idea that spending more money was necessary for public K-12 education. Instead it appears that their contract led to findings that homegrown critical analyses, past studies and the Kansas Supreme Court have all in one way and another discovered the same thing Dr. Taylor found — Kansas doesn’t spend enough to get the outcome its politicians rhetorically demand because of the requirements they perennially reject. In digging the analytic hole, legislators have been buried under a mountain of reality.

Dr. Mark Peterson

The second hole antagonistically and bizarrely also relates to education. While deliberations on the questions of school finance are now focused on the consultant’s report, the legislature has also debated questions surrounding schools, gun violence and the hoary conservative shibboleths surrounding the 2nd Amendment. In typical Red State America fashion the strongest legislative preference appears to continue to endorse the Old West solution to quelling violence by assuring a plentiful supply of gunslingers.

The Republicans in the statehouse now “own” both of these issues. The Republican majority in the legislature voted to hire Dr. Taylor from Texas A&M to do the school finance analysis in order to buttress their pushback against the education lobby, Democrats and the state Supreme Court for more money to public schools. Now, they have the news from the consultant’s report that Kansas schools overall spend their money with a remarkably high 96% efficiency, currently have an 86% graduation rate, are on the path to 89% graduation in the next couple of years, and will need to spend two billion more to meet Sam Brownback’s endorsed goal of 95% by 2022, Senate President Susan Wagle has declared that the required spending level is a fiscal and political impossibility. She adds, ominously, that other state supported programs and services will have to be slashed to achieve more for K-12. This is the dog whistle to all other interests invested in state support to get down here and help prevent us (the current, election year legislature) from hurting ourselves again.

On the gun side, we have Senator Ty Masterson asserting that events like the Florida high school shooting, while tragic, were provoking widespread irrationality and overreaction among those seeking tighter gun control measures. In managing committee discussion on several bills to restrict gun accessibility, Masterson’s efforts resulted in two bills being sent on for floor debate. One prevents adjudicated domestic abusers from possessing firearms, and the other recognizes permits for concealed carry gun possession issued by other states. Amendments regarding ownership waiting periods, banning of bump stocks, raising the age of gun ownership and three dozen others were beaten back. Unofficially, it appears that gun control in Kansas should include something like, “A well-regulated faculty being necessary to the security of our teaching institutions, the rights of teachers to bear arms, shall be encouraged.” If you have no qualms concerning teacher martyrdom to suppress school gun violence be sure to vote for the right Republican this August and again in November.

For the rest of us, we’ll watch the development of these holes which could figuratively bury the future of the state of Kansas.

Dr. Mark Peterson teaches political science at the college level in Topeka.

Oneita Ruth Press

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Oneita Ruth Tuttle was born October 29, 1923, on a farm north of Quinter, Kansas. Her parents were Ralph M. and Ada Ruth (Sprenkel) Tuttle. Oneita passed away Sunday, March 18, 2018, in the Gove County Medical Center in Quinter at the age of 94. She was a lifetime resident of Quinter.

She was baptized into the Church of the Brethren in 1937. She loved her church and worked in many different areas of it. She was on the church board, took care of the church’s plants for 30 years, helped with the annual comfort tying day, and enjoyed the many women’s fellowship activities. One of her proudest accomplishments was her help with the “Our Heritage” Church of the Brethren history book published in 1986. It was in conjunction with the Church of the Brethren’s 100th Centennial, she was one of eight writers.

She attended Quinter Grade School and graduated from Quinter High School in 1942. For a short while, she attended a secretarial school in Topeka. After arriving back in Quinter, she went to work for the First National Bank on Main.

On July 25, 1946, she married Lorne G. Press in the parsonage of the Quinter Church of the Brethren. She was a homemaker. Lorne and Oneita loved attending air shows, country music concerts, traveling to Port Aransas, Texas, and camping in general. When their family was young, it was off to Cedar Bluff Lake with family and friends for boating and fun. She loved each of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, proudly telling friends ‘how many she had now’!

Oneita was a Charter Member of the American Legion Auxiliary, the Gyne Fealti Club, and Stitch and Chatter Club; she attended them for 65 years. She also enjoyed being a member of the GCMC Auxiliary. She was very proud of being a Republican Committee Woman and served on the election board for 30+ years. In 1970, Oneita served as a board member for the low rent housing project. In her ‘golden years’ she attended the Birthday Bunch on Friday nights.

Oneita was known as the “Quinter Historian” and many times was called to see ‘whom was related to whom’. She loved family history, too: Tuttle, Sprenkel, Press, and Fischer!
Hobbies included: ceramics, oil painting with friends, candle making, crocheting, sewing, raising a big garden and canning, growing peonies, irises, and all kinds of trees. As she aged, her world revolved around sitting in her recliner, embroidering, and looking out her front window watching birds and traffic on Road Z. Her many tea towels are displayed in all her family and friend’s homes.

She is survived by her three children: Doug (Marcia) Press, Quinter, Marsha (Gary) Lang, Westminster, CO, and Kendra (Roy) Delzeit, Hays; nine grandchildren, Callie (Jeff) Brawner, Megan (Spencer) Herrman, Garret (Lauren) Press, Jordan (Michelle) Lang, Jarrod (Brenda) Lang, Robbie (Angela) Delzeit, Sheila Delzeit, Nikki (Cole) Cherryholmes, and Braydon Delzeit; 17 great-grandchildren, Bailey, Brooke & BrieAnn Brawner, Jaide, Scarlett Ruth & Adaline Herrman, Ryleigh & Delaney Hargitt, Brigham & Nelly Press, Landon & Sydney Lang, Brooklyn & Camden Lang, Braxton & Everly Delzeit, and Walker Cherryholmes; a sister-in-law Roma Tuttle; cousins; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Lorne, and brothers, Elvin, Charles, Glen, and Delbert Tuttle.

She was a devoted Christian and prayed daily for her family. She was a pillar of strength and lived a long courageous life, always showing her children and grandchildren how to keep going! If you ever met her on the street you’d remember hearing her ‘low’ voice say, “Well Kid!”; or, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”; or, “I wouldn’t change a thing in my life. I’ve been happy with life and my family!”…We’ll miss you Mom!

Funeral service will be 10:30 a.m., Friday, March 23, 2018, at Church of the Brethren, Quinter. Burial will be in the Baker Township Cemetery following the service.
Visitation will be Thursday evening, from 5 to 7:00 p.m. at Schmitt Funeral Home, Quinter.

Memorial contributions are suggested to Quinter Church of the Brethren and Quinter Volunteer Ambulance Service. Donations to the memorials may be sent to Schmitt Funeral Home, 901 South Main, Quinter, KS 67752.

Kansas school district’s rap video promotes testing

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Principals and leadership teams at a Topeka school district have released a rap music video in an attempt to get students excited about upcoming state assessments.

The Topeka Unified School District 501 recently posted the video to the district’s Facebook and YouTube accounts.

The video mimics the theme from the 1990s TV show “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and shows district officials rapping how students can succeed on annual tests.

District Senior Communications Specialist Jon DeMeo says he wrote some of the rap and recorded the voice-over for the video, which was shot in about three days. He thinks the video is “a fun way to get people interested and show a little personality.”

The window for this year’s tests is March 13 through April 24.

Fire hydrants at FHSU, HHS to be tested Thu.

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HFD

The city of Hays Fire Department will be inspecting and flow testing fire hydrants on Thu., March 22, 2018 in the area of the Fort Hays State University campus between 6th St. and Golf Course Rd. and the Hays High School campus at 13th and Canterbury Dr.

This is part of a coordinated effort by the City of Hays to inspect all fire hydrants in the city and flush all water mains annually.

Hays Wrestling Club qualifies 19 for Topeka tournament

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Hays Wrestling Club had 19 wrestlers qualify for Kansas State Folkstyle Championships in Topeka this weekend. These 19 wrestlers placed in the top 4 at District 4 championships March 10th to qualify for the state tournament.

2018 State Qualifiers

Gaven Deneault-8 and Under 46
Kade Simon-8 and Under 49
Kenneth Walker-8 and Under 95
Gunner Weigel-10 and Under 52
Cade Lind-10 and Under 55
Grady Lind-10 and Under 55
Dalton Meyers-10 and Under 85
Jaxson Chartier-10 and Under 130
Kaden Harding-12 and Under 72
Aaron Weigel-12 and Under 92
Jacob Taliaferro-12 and Under 105
Evan Lind-12 and Under 120
Brandon Yauch-12 and Under 140
Cyrus Vajnar-14 and Under 90
Brayden Hines-14 and Under 110
Roy Moroni-14 and Under 150
Gavin Meyers-14 and Under 165
Gavin Nutting-14 and Under 205
Colter Conger-14 and Under 205

Now That’s Rural: Carly Whorton, Cecil K’s Hometown Market

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Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.

By RON WILSON
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

Step inside the door. As you enter this store, you’re surrounded by quality products, and the tasty aroma of baking cinnamon rolls and frying chicken wafts over you. That’s the vision of the owners of a new locally-owned grocery store in northeast Kansas. They’re seeking to create an experience with smells and tastes that might remind you of Grandma’s house.

Carly Whorton is manager and co-owner of Cecil K’s Hometown Market which opened on Feb. 28, 2018 in Holton. Carly and her cousin Chad Bontrager grew up at Holton. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural economics at K-State. After graduation, she went to work for a software company in Texas, but she knew that she wanted her own business.

Carly took a year off to travel overseas. Then she got a call from her cousin Chad. The local grocery store in Holton had closed some months ago. Chad was interested in opening a new store there, and wanted Carly to partner with him.

The timing was perfect. “He offered me full creative freedom to design the new store,” Carly said, so she took the position. “I feel like everything I’ve done has helped prepare me for this,” she said.

As a teenager, Carly had worked at the previous grocery store in this building. When that store closed, all the equipment and furnishings had been removed, so the new owners were starting from scratch. Carly threw herself into the work. Her design included new flooring, shelving, coolers and freezers, plus new display cases for the deli, produce, meat and seafood, and more.

The previous owner had hired a painter to paint Jackson County farm scenes on the walls. Not only did Carly and Chad save those scenes, they designed the store in such a way that the murals stand out more than ever. For some customers, it was the first time that they noticed them.

What should the store be named? “Cecil Kern is Chad’s and my great-grandfather,” Carly said. “He and his wife Lottie ran a grocery store down in Iola before moving back here.” Carly and Chad decided to name the new store Cecil K’s in his honor. “Grandma teared up when we first shared this with her,” Carly said.

“Cecil and Lottie farmed and had a big vegetable garden,” Carly said. “People told me that they remember going to his place to get produce.” Now those people are coming to get produce and other products from a new store named in his honor. Cecil’s farm was located near the rural community of Denison, population 187 people. Now, that’s rural.

The store is clean and bright. New, rustic-looking checkout stations were built.

Full service is a major theme of the store. The cashier unloads the carts. Workers bag the groceries and carry them to the customer’s car. The meat counter customizes and hand cuts meat for the customer. The bakery department takes custom cake orders and will decorate cakes while you wait.

“The response from the community has been awesome,” Carly said. “There were 20 people waiting outside at 7 a.m. on the first day we opened.” Total sales on the first day doubled what their grocery supplier had predicted. “We’ve had so many thank yous. The community couldn’t have provided us with a warmer welcome.”

Behind the scenes, the new owners invested in top technology. “We gauge customer demand in real time using the analytics in our computer system,” Carly said. The sophisticated refrigeration monitoring system is called Einstein. In the future, the store owners hope to implement online shopping, curbside pickup, and grocery delivery. The center of the store features a wide aisle which could accommodate a farmers market, local products, or special events.

“We want to create a luxurious, friendly experience that people can look forward to,” Carly said. For more information, find Cecil K’s Hometown Market on Facebook.

We commend Carly Whorton, Chad Bontrager and all those involved with Cecil K’s Hometown Market for making a difference with their commitment to the rural grocery business. They are creating an experience like a wonderful trip to Grandma’s.

Volunteer firefighter accused of setting Kansas grass fires

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JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a series of grass fires that occurred from February 28- March 10 in Jackson County and have made an arrest.

Grant-photo Jackson Co.

On Wednesday evening, sheriff’s investigators arrested former Jackson County volunteer firefighter Jacob Kenneth Grant, 27, of Delia, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

Grant is suspected of setting these fires and then responded to many of the fires with the Delia Fire Department.

Grant was being held in the Jackson County Jail on 13 counts of arson.

Tiger baseball falls to William Jewell

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LIBERTY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State baseball team was unable to come up with many timely hits Wednesday afternoon against William Jewell, stranding eight runners on base in an 11-1 loss. The Tigers are now 9-17 on the year, while the Cardinals move back to .500 on the year at 8-8.

The Tigers collected seven hits in the loss, with runners reaching base in six different innings. Addison Kaasch got the afternoon started on a positive note, doubling down the left field line with one out in the top of the first. Wyatt Schulz pitched around the hit for the Cardinals, retiring the next two batters to strand Kaasch in scoring position.

William Jewell put up a three-spot in the home half of the first inning thanks to four singles and a walk. Zach Rothert (0-1) settled down after the first, retiring the side in order in the second and fourth innings while allowing a single run in the third.

Fort Hays State got one run back in the top of the fourth when Ryan Grasser was hit by a pitch with two outs. Jordan Wilkerson made Schulz pay for the mistake, sending a triple to deep center to score the Tiger second baseman.

The Cardinals put up two more runs in the fifth inning, chasing Rothert after four innings, six earned runs and three strikeouts. Easton Palmer came out of the pen to toss three scoreless frames, allowing just two hits while walking none and striking out one Cardinal batter.

After the Tigers left runners on base in each of their final three at bats, the home team pushed across five runs in the eighth inning to secure the non-conference victory.

Grasser and Wilkerson both picked up two hits for FHSU, with Kaasch, Alex Weiss and Dayton Pomeroy all adding one base knock.

The Tigers will return to action this weekend (March 23-25) when they take on Southwest Baptist in a three-game conference series in Bolivar, Mo. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. all three days.

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