Brungardt Hower Ward Elliott & Pfeifer, L.C. announced Baron Green and Allie Frisbie will be completing an internship with the firm
during the spring 2018 semester.
Green and Frisbie will be working in the Hays office in the tax and audit departments. They are pursuing accounting degrees from Fort Hays State University. Green is originally from Oberlin. Frisbie is originally from McDonald.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Political and industrial trade group leaders in Kansas are urging President Donald Trump not to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement, fearing that doing so would hurt major Kansas export industries like agriculture and aviation.
The Trump administration has been in talks with Canada and Mexico to renegotiate NAFTA, a deal Trump once called “the worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere” during the 2016 campaign.
Republican Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer supports the negotiations, but is among those who wrote to Trump earlier this month in support of maintaining NAFTA, KCURreported this week.
“We want to make sure that Kansas industries continue to thrive and grow,” Colyer said. “We’re a very competitive state.”
Canada and Mexico are key destinations for farm products grown in Kansas, said Josh Roe, deputy secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture. He said that agriculture and aviation in 2016 accounted for more than half the dollar value of Kansas’ exports.
Some lawmakers also are concerned about tariffs on steel and aluminum recently announced by Trump. State Rep. Jim Ward, the top Democrat in the Kansas House, worries about retaliatory tariffs.
“Agriculture would be devastated by tariffs or a trade war,” Ward said.
During a recent visit to Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Republican U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran pointed to an airplane fuselage as an item that could be impacted by aluminum tariffs.
“The fuselage that we’re celebrating here at Spirit is 100 percent aluminum,” Moran said. “(A tariff) has a consequence in the price.”
KDHE
TOPEKA – Did you know that last year nearly 60 percent of the human exposures reported to the Kansas Poison Control Center involved medications or pharmaceuticals? Most over-the-counter and prescription medicines can be helpful when taken as directed. However, when not taken properly, medicines can be harmful, and in some cases deadly. Medication errors can occur at any age, which is why it’s important for everyone to be aware of proper medicine safety.
“Any medication, prescription or over-the-counter, can be poisonous when used in the wrong way, by the wrong person, or in the wrong amount,” said Cherie Sage from Safe Kids Kansas. “Be sure to read labels carefully and follow directions. If you have questions, contact your doctor, pharmacist, or call the Poison Help line for information.”
National Poison Prevention Week is March 18 – 24, 2018.
By taking a few precautions, you can help keep you and your loved ones safe from poison emergencies.
Children – As we know, young children are curious and act fast. Therefore, it’s vital to use and store medicine around children properly:
Adolescents – Youth begin to self-medicate around 11 years old (5th and 6th grade), which is why it’s important that parents, teachers, and guardians discuss the safe use and storage of medicines with tweens:
Adults – Between taking care of their children and parents, many adults forget about the importance of their own medicine safety. However, a few simple steps can help prevent poisonings and overdoses:
Older Adults – About one-third of adults 57 years and older use at least 5 different prescription medicines, and most older adults taking prescription medicines are also using over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, or both. Due to the increase in medicines, older adults are twice as likely as others to come to emergency departments for adverse drug events and nearly seven times more likely to be hospitalized after an emergency. As more and more patients receive care from more than one provider and even more than one pharmacy to meet their pharmaceutical needs, the patient remains the common denominator. Here’s how older adults can protect themselves from accidental poisonings and overdoses:
For more medicine safety tips, visit safekids.org
Download tips on how to read a drug facts label at https://www.knowyourotcs.org/how-to-read/
About the Kansas Poison Control Center
The Poison Control Center at The University of Kansas Health System is a 24-hour health care information resource serving the entire state of Kansas. The Mission of the Kansas Poison Control Center is to provide immediate comprehensive patient treatment information on toxic exposures, while trying to reduce future poisonings through educational outreach. Be prepared for a poisoning emergency and program the Poison Help line into your mobile telephone today – 1 (800) 222-1222.
SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — The Royals signed right-handed reliever Justin Grimm to a $1.25 million, one-year deal Sunday that includes up to $300,000 incentives after he was released by the Chicago Cubs last week.
The 29-year-old Grimm was 1-2 with a 5.53 ERA in 50 appearances last season.
The club also announced that pitchers Miguel Almonte, Sam Gaviglio and Trevor Oaks, catcher Cam Gallagher and infielder Ramon Torres have been optioned to Triple-A Omaha.
The roster moves leave the Royals with 46 players in major league camp.
ESU
EMPORIA– Bridget Heimann of Hays, Kansas, was among more than 750 Emporia State students recognized for academic honors in the fall 2017 semester.
Heimann was named to the university honor roll.
To qualify for the university honor roll, students earned a minimum 3.80 semester grade point average in at least 12 graded hours.
About Emporia State University
Emporia State University offers over 200 academic programs in the School of Business, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of Library and Information Management and The Teachers College. ESU is the only public university in Kansas to have earned national recognition as a College of Distinction, an honor for universities that demonstrate innovative application of high-impact education. In addition, in the Best Colleges 2018 guidebook by U.S. News and World Report, ESU is ranked No. 2 in lowest student debt of all Midwest regional universities. U.S. News also cited ESU’s School of Business as a best value for both in-state and out-of-state students and ranked the online graduate education program in the Top 100 programs in the nation.
For more information, visit www.emporia.edu.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A change-of-plea hearing has been set for a former official of a company that abandoned tons of potentially explosive artillery propellant in Louisiana.
Lionel Koons was inventory control manager for Explo Systems when it went bankrupt in 2013, leaving 7,800 tons (7,100 metric tons) of M6 propellant on land leased from the Louisiana National Guard.
He has pleaded not guilty to 31 counts.
Online court records show that Friday, Judge Elizabeth Foote scheduled a change-of-plea hearing for Koons next Friday in Shreveport.
One company co-owner pleaded guilty in December to reduced charges.
Trial is scheduled in June for the other owner and four co-defendants.
Prosecutors say they will show the second owner also ordered employees of a Kansas company to store explosives in unsafe conditions from 2000 into 2002.
FHSU University Relations
Dr. Patricia Levy, professor of social work at Fort Hays State University, has published a paper in Reflections: Narrative of Professional Helping, a double-blind, peer-reviewed journal of the Cleveland, Ohio, State University School of Social Work.
The article, “Freedom and Diversity: Feeling Safe from Fear of Discrimination,” said Levy, is her “personal reflections of an American Jewish social work faculty member, memories of growing up in the United States, reactions of some minority students to the changing policies of the present administration, and the role of the social work professional to intervene with clients related to experienced discrimination and fears of the changing environment around them.”
Levy’s article discusses social work practices, “especially in response to clients affected by post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Her article concludes “with the recognition that where everyone can become a possible target, whether it be from discriminatory acts, inequitable policies, or emotional and physical terror, an appropriate intervention becomes even more critical.”
USACE
SYLVAN GROVE – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Wilson Lake has created an updated draft Shoreline Management Plan and is seeking public comments on the draft.
The Shoreline Management Plan for Wilson Lake establishes policy and furnishes guidelines for the protection and preservation of the desirable environmental characteristics of the shoreline while maintaining a balance between public and private shoreline use.
Those interested in the future shoreline activity use around Wilson Lake are encouraged to provide comments on the draft Shoreline Management Plan.
Comments will be accepted through Apr. 10, 2018 and can be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilson Project Office, 1860 Outlet Blvd., Sylvan Grove, KS 67481.
The draft Shoreline Management Plan can be viewed online at https://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Locations/District-Lakes/Wilson-Lake.
For more information about the Shoreline Management Plan contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Wilson Lake at 785-658-2551.
KDWPT
PRATT – An icon of the Kansas prairie, the greater prairie chicken, will soon be the subject of an aerial survey conducted by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) every three years. From sunrise until approximately two-and-a-half hours after sunrise, KDWPT biologists will work with a contracted aerial service company to operate three helicopters throughout the state’s greater prairie chicken range, including the eastern Smoky Hills, Flint Hills, Glaciated Plains, Northern High Plains, Osage Cuestas and Chautauqua Hills regions (northcentral and eastern half of the state). Surveys will take place during the greater prairie chicken lekking period when the birds are displaying on leks, or booming grounds, around March 15 to May 15.
Data collected from the aerial surveys will be used in conjunction with data from KDWPT’s annual ground surveys to further document population trends and better determine the species’ response to current management efforts.
For more information on the greater prairie chicken, including a map of the species’ range in Kansas, visit ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Upland-
By BRIAN GRIMMETT
A decade ago, Kansans felt an earthquake once every few years. Now ground tremors come regularly. One of the hardest hit areas is Harper County in the south central part of the state.
It’s no coincidence, scientists and state regulators agree, that Harper and Sumner counties are also where massive amounts of wastewater has been pumped below ground by outfits drilling for oil and natural gas.
Right in the middle of the heart of Kansas’ earthquake problem is the city of Anthony, Kansas. The mayor, Greg Cleveland, also happens to be an insurance agent.
“I would have never thought, in my life, that I’d be selling earthquake insurance,” he said. “Man, I tell you when those first few hit, I mean, our office just went nuts.”
Between March and August of 2015, more than 2.3 billion gallons of wastewater were pumped back into the ground in Harper and Sumner counties. That’s enough to fill about 3,608 olympic size swimming pools.
Still, the debate about what’s causing the earthquakes, and how to prevent more, rages on.
Scientists know that wastewater injection wells can cause earthquakes, but only if the conditions are right. They say many solutions proposed by environmentalists are too broad.
And even though geophysicists are beginning to better understand what spots might be vulnerable to earthquakes, predictions are never fully certain.
Regulations the Kansas Corporation Commission uses to evaluate new well applications don’t take into account the likelihood of it causing an earthquake either. Regulators are focused mainly on preventing one of the state’s more than 4,500 injection wells from contaminating fresh water.
So there’s no rule that demands action be taken to avoid earthquakes until they are already happening.
Cleveland said his company’s never paid out on earthquake insurance claims because coverage only applies to catastrophic damage — things such as the collapse of an entire wall.
Cracks in walls and foundations just aren’t that big of a deal. It’s also difficult to prove an earthquake caused them and that it’s not just the regular settling of an old house.
A proposal in the Kansas Legislature to require wastewater injection well operators to carry liability insurance likely wouldn’t lead to payouts either.
“It was super alarming, and very scary at first,” said Jan Lanie, an Anthony city commissioner. “Then we kind of got used to it.”
Even with the earthquakes, she said, it was hard to not like the economic development the oil and gas boom was creating in her town.
It’s a trade-off many in the region welcome.
“If it hadn’t of been for the oil that we had and some of the money that the farmers were able to get, it could have been pretty tough for this county,” Gwen Warner, executive director of the Anthony Chamber of Commerce said.
At first, Warner worried about the earthquakes, too. But, like others in Anthony, she eventually got used to them. She’s also felt significantly fewer quakes since the Kansas Corporation Commission put a cap on the amount of wastewater that could be injected into the area. She said she thinks they’re doing a good job of addressing the known problems.
The Kansas Geological Survey has found that since the restrictions went into place in Harper County, the number of detected earthquakes has dropped by more than half.
From September 2015 to February 2016 the affected area saw 2,263 earthquakes. During that same period spanning 2016-2017, the number of earthquakes dropped to 668.
“What that order showed was that with targeted regulation, that we can have an impact,” said Rick Miller, Senior Scientist with the Kansas Geological Survey.
But not everyone is happy with how the KCC is handling the issue.
Cindy Hoedel, who lives in a small town in Chase county in the Flint Hills, became concerned with the issue after she felt an earthquake shake her home.
She lives more than 100 miles from the epicenter of most of the earthquakes. But when a company wanted to put a wastewater injection well just North of her home, she and a group of friends filed a protest with the KCC.
They didn’t really know what they were doing, however, and ended up losing.
The group needed to show that the well was an immediate threat to the public. Without a history of seismic activity nearby, the commissioners decided it wasn’t.
The defeat didn’t discourage Hoedel. In many ways, it emboldened her group.
“We know that they’re causing earthquakes,” Hoedel said. “So, I would like to see these wells shut down. … I’m not convinced the damage is being mitigated or prevented.”
Hoedel’s group has begun protesting as many wells as their limited resources allow. They’ve also been lobbying the legislature to make changes to how the KCC regulates injections wells. That includes a bill that would expand the injection limits in Harper County statewide.
But Miller says that isn’t necessary. The ground isn’t shaking in western Kansas, where huge amounts of wastewater injection is also happening.
“It all has to do with the geology,” he said.
The Kansas Geological Survey continues to monitor earthquakes around the state and are beginning to gain a better understanding of where people should and shouldn’t put new wastewater injection wells.
Miller said that he’d recommend against giving a permit to anybody who wants to put a disposal well where they have already seen a lot of seismic activity.
Brian Grimmett is a reporter focusing on the environment and energy for the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @briangrimmett.
RCT
RUSSELL – Russell Community Theater has announced its 2018 slate of plays.
“Cheating Cheaters”, written by John Patrick and directed by Bob Roe, opens the season April 17-21, 2018 at the RCT Playhouse located at 5th and Kansas in Russell.
Theresa and Angelica have been impersonating nuns and begging for donations in order to send their orphaned niece to art school. A cat burglar plans to steal their ill-gotten gains, and a suspicious policeman arrives to investigate the sisters. What might be the beginning of big trouble turns out to be the beginning of big opportunities.
When the young art student turns up unannounced, the sisters decide to clean up their act. But before the adventure is over, the aunts realize their niece is not quite as innocent as she seems – and they’ll all reap the rewards of her secret talents!
“The Nerd”, written by Larry Shue and directed by Mitch Eaton, will entertain audiences as the annual Dinner Theater production at the Russell Elks Lodge this summer.
Willum has often told his friends about the debt he owes to Rick, a fellow GI whom he never met but who saved his life after he was seriously wounded in Vietnam.
Willum is delighted when Rick shows up unexpectedly at his apartment but his delight soon fades as it becomes apparent that Rick is a bumbling oaf with no social sense, little intelligence and less tact.
As Rick stays on and on, his continued presence leads to one uproarious incident after another.
The season wraps up at the RCT Playhouse in October with “A Bad Year for Tomatoes”, written by John Patrick and directed by Mitchell Hunsley.
Myra Marlowe, fed up with the pressures of her acting career, leases a house in a tiny New England town. Her long time agent is finally letting her relax a bit, but her nosy neighbors are a different matter.
In an attempt to gain some privacy, she invents a crazy sister who is “locked in an upstairs room”. Complications arise when the local handyman develops feelings for “Sister Sadie” and the church ladies decide it is their duty to save Sadie’s soul.
A desperate announcement from Myra brings on the sheriff and an accusation of murder!
Russell Community Theater is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit, corporation that was organized in 1986. Its ultimate governing body is its stockholders. The theater’s Board of Directors is elected annually by the stockholders. The sole purpose of RCT is to produce theater for the community and surrounding area. The theater is supported financially solely through the sale of tickets to its productions and by gifts from those supportive of community theater and the arts generally. RCT has a performance space at the corner of 5th and Kansas Streets, Russell. It also has offices, a warehouse, and scene shop located at 839 Main, Russell. For more information, call 785-483-4057. Please find us on Facebook.
Today
Increasing clouds, with a high near 58. Breezy, with a southeast wind 8 to 13 mph increasing to 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Showers and thunderstorms. Low around 40. Breezy, with a southeast wind 16 to 22 mph becoming north northeast after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Monday
Rain, mainly before 1pm. High near 42. Breezy, with a north wind around 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Monday Night
A 20 percent chance of rain before 1am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 29. Blustery, with a north wind 16 to 21 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph after midnight.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. Northwest wind 9 to 16 mph.
Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.
Wednesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.
Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 37.
Thursday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.
KHI
TOPEKA – this issue brief updates previous Kansas Health Institute estimates of new KanCare enrollment if Medicaid were expanded. It also provides a profile of how work requirements might apply to the potential expansion population.
Key points from the brief include:
Read it here: KanCare Expansion and Work Requirements, March 2018
The Kansas Health Institute (KHI) delivers objective information, conducts credible research, and supports civil dialogue enabling policy leaders to make informed health policy decisions that enhance their effectiveness as champions for a healthier Kansas. Established in 1995 with a multiyear grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, KHI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization based in Topeka.
