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Firefighter charged for spitting on child at Kan. restaurant

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City firefighter faces charges for an incident in which witnesses allege he called a child a racial slur and then spat on him in a restaurant.

Scene of the alleged incident-photo courtesy KCTV

The Kansas City Star reports that 42-year-old Terrence J. Skeen has been charged with battery, assault and disorderly conduct involving a Feb. 26 incident at a Hooters restaurant. Witnesses told police that a customer used a racial slur and spit on a child.

Police say the case also has been referred to the FBI for further investigation.

A Kansas City spokesman says Skeen has worked for the fire department for more than 15 years.

City officials declined to comment on individual personnel or discipline issues but stated that the city “values diversity and expects all employees to treat others with respect.”

Hays Middle School eighth-graders back-to-back WAC champs

The Hays Middle School eighth-grade boys finished the 2018 season with a 28-1 record and another WAC Conference title.

Pictured:
Mgr. Grayson Walburn, Asst Coach Ben Oberle, Noah Weimer, Garrett Wellbrock, Ashton Hernandez, Wesley Oakley, Jordan Dale, Mgr Corey Musil.
Back Row:  Dylan Dreiling, Nate Brooks, Jace Linenberger, Ashton Thomas, Carson Kieffer, Ty Adams, Coach Cade Scott.  Not pictured Mgr Jack Weimer.

High Plains Mental Health Center partners with United Methodist Health Fund to bring 7 Cups of Tea to NW Kansas

High Plains Mental Health Center, in partnership with the United Methodist Health Fund, is providing complimentary, premium memberships to www.7cups.com for every person in High Plains’ 20 County Catchment Area

High Plains Mental Health Center is excited to announce its latest effort to provide better access to mental health services for the people of Northwest Kansas through a partnership with the United Methodist Health Fund and 7 Cups of Tea. 7 Cups of Tea is an online behavioral and emotional health program that connects individuals to a variety of services including personalized growth paths, peer support group conversations, and the option to chat with specially trained, volunteer listeners in a one-on-one chat environment.

High Plains Mental Health and the United Methodist Health Fund have partnered to provide every person in High Plains’ twenty counties with access to 7 Cups’ premium features that would normally require a monthly subscription. The goal is to provide supportive services to the people of Northwest Kansas who might otherwise struggle gaining access to mental health services in our rural environment or would benefit from round-the-clock peer support. To sign up for your free 7 Cups of Tea account, visit www.7cups.com.

High Plains Mental Health Center is a licensed community mental health center dedicated to the aggressive pursuit of providing a comprehensive mental health program to the citizens of Northwest Kansas. Embodied in this pursuit are fundamental principles of establishing quality services as close to home as possible, at an affordable fee, and delivered in the least disruptive manner available. Such services will offer a continuum of care so that treatment can be individualized, and our staff can respond quickly and compassionately to those reaching out to us.

KHP identifies motorist assist driver who died after collision

Wednesday’s crash scene photo WichWay.org

PARK CITY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a Kansas Highway Patrol motorist assist driver identified as 69-year-old  Ricardo J. Torres has died after his vehicle was struck by a semi-trailer truck near Park City.

The collision occurred late Wednesday afternoon. The motorist assist truck was in the median when the Torres pulled into the inside lane of southbound I-135. The truck was hit from behind by a semi-trailer truck.

Torres was critically hurt, and later died at a hospital. The semi driver Stephen A. Jackson, 24, Wichita, wasn’t injured.

One of the vehicles involved in the fatal crash photo courtesy KWCH

Trooper Chad Crittenden says the collision occurred south of a hill and it’s possible the victim either didn’t see the semi or misjudged its speed.

——–

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal crash Wednesday afternoon crash.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that just before 4p.m., a vehicle rear-ended a motorist assist vehicle on Interstate 135 one mile south of 61st street in Park City.

The KHP has not released names of the victim.

Silver Alert canceled for missing Kansas woman

KBI

The KBI canceled the Silver Alert for Georgia Miner. She was found deceased in Topeka.

Authorities released no additional details late Thursday.

—-

LENEXA — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is  seeking the public’s assistance in locating a missing endangered adult.

Georgia R. Miner, white female, 75 years old, has not had contact with relatives or friends since March 2, 2018. Ms. Miner drives a silver, 2007 Hyundai Sonata with Kansas tag 406-AZQ.

According to family, Ms. Miner has exhibited signs of dementia and has gotten lost while driving errands in the recent past. Ms. Miner also takes medication and it is unknown if she has it in her possession.

Ms. Miner is 5’04’’ tall, 135 lbs. with blonde, medium length hair and blue eyes.If you have seen or had contact with Ms. Miner or know of her whereabouts, please contact the
Lenexa Police Department at 913-477- 7301, or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474- TIPS (8477).

Girl Scouts to celebrate birthday

Hays area Girl Scouts will celebrate the Scouts’ birthday from noon to 6 p.m. Monday, March 12 at the Hays office at 2707 Vine.

There will be cake, punch and activities as well as Girl Scout Shop promotions. It is not too late to join Girl Scouts. Register online at www.kansasgirlscouts.org/join.

Hays is a part of the Girl Scouts of the Kansas Heartland Council.

For more information, contact the Hays office at 785-625-5671.

Noma M. Keesee

Lifelong Phillipsburg resident Noma M. Keesee passed away Thursday, March 8, 2018, in the Phillips County Retirement Center, Phillipsburg, at the age of 88.

She was born December 4, 1929 in Phillips County, KS the daughter of Erl & Theresa (Schulke) Haskett.

She was united marriage to Lowell Keesee on February 9, 1950 in La Junta, Colorado. He preceded her in death on March 4, 2009.

Survivors include her 3 sons, John of Shirley, Massachusetts, Robert of Phillipsburg and Tony of Mannford, Oklahoma; 2 daughters, Amy Gordon of Trevor City, Michigan and Rita Graham of Haltom City, Texas; 11 grandchildren; 15 great grandchildren; and her sister, Bernice Werner of Phillipsburg.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 12, 2018 in the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg. Burial will follow in the Agra Cemetery, Agra, KS.

Mrs. Keesee will lie in state from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and from Noon until 9 p.m. Sunday at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel. The family will receive friends Sunday evening at the funeral chapel from 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. for visitation.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Church of Christ or Senior Companions.

Online condolences: www.olliffboeve.com.

Kansas firefighters mopping up last of wildfires

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Crews have extinguished 50 wildfires and are now mopping up the remains of another seven amid an outbreak that has blackened more than 42 square miles across Kansas.

The Kansas Adjutant General’s Office said Thursday that no fire-related injuries have been reported in the state. A barn and outbuilding were destroyed in Elk County.

Its spokeswoman, Katie Horner, says the fire risk has eased for now. But she adds the state remains dry and there is a fire danger every day, particularly this weekend in western Kansas.

As many as nine Black Hawk helicopters with water buckets were deployed at one time this week to assist with firefighting efforts.

Most of the acreage that burned was in northwest Kansas where five fires charred more than 23 square miles.

K-State survives TCU 66-64 in OT in Big 12 quarterfinals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Kansas State’s Barry Brown scored the go-ahead layup with 11.2 seconds left in overtime, and Alex Robinson missed a pair of foul shots at the other end for TCU, allowing the Wildcats to escape with a 66-64 victory in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday.

The Horned Frogs, who forced OT on Desmond Bane’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer, had the ball with the game tied at 64 and 34.5 seconds to go. But when Robinson’s pass was deflected out of bounds, a video review showed TCU’s Vladimir Brodziansky touched it last and Kansas State was given the ball.

Brown was fouled while converting a driving layup, but he missed the free throw.

At the other end, Robinson drove down the right side of the lane and was fouled by Makol Mawien with 1.3 seconds left. But the 60-percent foul shooter missed the first of two free throws, forcing him to miss the second, and the Wildcats corralled the rebound to seal the win.

Mawien finished with 16 points, and Xavier Sneed and Dean Wade scored 12 apiece for the fourth-seeded Wildcats (22-10), who advanced to play Kansas or Oklahoma State in Friday night’s semifinals.

Kenrich Williams led the Horned Frogs (21-11) with 20 points. Robinson contributed 16 points on 6-for-15 shooting, and he finished with seven turnovers – none more costly than the last.

The teams couldn’t have played a more even first half, swapping the lead seven times with seven ties and ending 30-all at the break. Both were 2 of 8 from beyond the arc, the Wildcats shot 48 percent from the field and the Horned Frogs shot 52, and neither team made a free throw.

Hardly a surprise, given the teams split in the regular-season with each winning at home.

TCU finally put together the first big run in the opening minutes of the second half. Robinson started it with a free throw and ended it with a jumper, and Williams added five points during the 11-0 spurt, which gave the Horned Frogs a 43-34 lead with 14 1/2 minutes to go.

Kansas State clawed right back thanks to a series of Horned Frogs miscues. At one point, Robinson turned it over three times in a span of four possessions, then blew a wide open layup in transition.

Cartier Diarra scored at the other end for Kansas State, knotting the game 53-all.

Kansas State kept the momentum going, edging ahead 59-56 when the Horned Frogs’ J.D. Miller was called for basket interference with 52.3 seconds left. But after Williams missed at the other end for TCU, coach Jamie Dixon elected to play defense rather than foul the Wildcats.

Brown’s long 3-pointer missed with eight seconds left, and that gave Bane enough time – by a fraction of a second – to hit his only basket of the game and force overtime.

BIG PICTURE

TCU had never lost to the Wildcats in the postseason, beating them in the NCAA, NIT and Big 12 tournaments over the years. It also ended a streak of three straight conference tournaments in which the Horned Frogs had won at least one game.

Kansas State won four of six to finish the regular season, and now should feel comfortable about an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament despite its pillow-soft non-conference schedule.

UP NEXT

TCU heads back to Fort Worth, Texas, to wait out Selection Sunday.

Kansas State prepares for its Big 12 Tournament semifinal.

Police respond to false report of active shooter at Kan. high school

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities and school district officials are investigating an alleged threat at Maize South High School, 3701 North Tyler Road.

According to a social media report from USD 266, “Despite rumors, there is no threat or active shooter at Maize South High School.”

All students are safe. Law enforcement officials are on the scene and investigating a report.

Staff members are working to communicate further details.

At this time, we believe this is misinformation or a false report.”

Authorities released no additional details.

Data breach affects 3 Kansas Applebee’s locations

TOPEKA —RMH Franchise Holdings (“RMH”) recently learned about a data incident affecting certain payment cards used at RMH-owned Applebee’s restaurants that we operate as a franchisee. A

According to the company web site, they are providing this notice to  guests as a precaution to inform them of the incident and to call their attention to some steps they can take to help protect themselves. RMH operates its point-of-sale systems isolated from the broader Applebee’s network, and this notice applies only to RMH-owned Applebee’s restaurants including the restaurants a the Town Center in Manhattan, at 5928 SW 17 Street in Topeka and at 2902 Eagle Crest Drive in Emporia.

See more on the breach and additional locations included here

Unauthorized software placed on the point-of-sale system at certain RMH-owned and -operated Applebee’s restaurants was designed to capture payment card information and may have affected a limited number of purchases made at those locations, according to the company web site.

Certain guests’ names, credit or debit card numbers, expiration dates and card verification codes processed during limited time periods could have been affected. The exact dates vary by location. For a list of affected restaurants and the specific dates related to each location, please see below. Payments made online or using self-pay tabletop devices were not affected by this incident.

 

Lee ‘Doc’ Franklin

Graveside Memorial Service: Saturday, March 10th at 11:00 am at Big Timber Cemetery, rural Jennings, Kansas, with Kent Morgan officiating

Military Rites: Oberlin American Legion Post #70.

Memorial Fund: Decatur County Food Pantry (contributions may be sent in care of Pauls Funeral Home, 121 N Penn Ave., Oberlin, KS 67749)

In Loving Memory
Lee Edward Franklin passed away March 4, 2018, at the age of 72. He was born October 6, 1945, in Oberlin, Kansas, to Leo H. Franklin (1913-2001) and Charlotte J. (Cilek) Franklin (1916-1988).

Lee spent his youth on the family farm northwest of Jennings and graduated from Decatur Community High School in 1963. He attended Kansas State University and Fort Hays State University. Lee joined the US Air Force where he rose to the rank of Captain during the Vietnam War. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery in action. Lee was a proud veteran who loved his country and understood through real experience that freedom isn’t free.

After leaving the Air Force, he completed his university studies then worked in the securities and exchange business for many years in Colorado before retiring to the family farm near Jennings. In his retirement, Lee spent countless hours promoting economic development in rural counties. He was also an accomplished chef and barbeque pro, well known for his special Memorial Day gatherings.

In December 1968, Lee married Ardis Marie Crouse in Haigler, Nebraska. They later divorced.

Lee is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Christian and Kristen Franklin of Hopkinton, Massachusetts; grandchildren, Ryan and Kate Franklin; sister and brother-in-law, Jeanne and Allen Hooper of Oberlin; two nieces; and many cousins. His parents preceded him in death. Because of his mother’s blood connection to the original Decatur County pioneer families of Cilek, Rohan, Heiman, Tacha, Hess, and Petracek, Lee is related to hundreds of people in the area. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Marvin Dean Taylor

Marvin Dean Taylor was born on September 7, 1934 near Tasco, in Sheridan County, Kansas, to Orval and Bernice (Haynes) Taylor. He passed away on March 6, 2018 at the Sheridan County Long Term Care in Hoxie.

He grew up on a farm, and began doing chores and running the tractor at an early age. Whenever they weren’t working, Marvin and his brothers could be found playing football, basketball, or baseball, or pitching horseshoes. Marvin was educated in the schools of Sheridan County graduating from Sheridan Community High School with the class of 1952. Marvin attended and graduated from Kansas State University with a BS degree in Agriculture in 1957.

After a period of active duty in the US Army, he returned to the farm, and farmed in partnership with his father and his brother Harold, raising wheat, alfalfa, and feeding cattle. After their father’s retirement, Marvin and Harold continued farming in partnership. The partnership lasted more than sixty years.

He married his high school sweetheart, Kathleen Smith on August 21, 1953, and they attended Kansas State University together. They became the parents of Jeannine, Neil, and Daniel. After 55 years of marriage, Kathleen passed away. Marvin was later blessed by the companionship of Patricia Blair during the last five years of his life.

He is survived by children Jeannine of the home; Neil and wife Jolene, Overland Park, KS; and Daniel and wife Stacey, Olathe, KS; five grandchildren: Catherine Taylor, Anna Taylor, Scott Taylor, Matthew Taylor, and Emma Taylor; brothers Harold and wife Arvilla of Hoxie; Ralfe and wife Lorena of Payson, AZ; Larry and wife Brenda of Overland Park, KS; Keith and wife Paula of Overland Park, KS; brother-in-law Bob Smith of Westminster, CA; sister-in-law Shirley Taylor of Grand Junction, CO; brother-in-law Tom Wentz of Pasadena, CA; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Kathleen, his parents, sisters Ellen Mae and Ruby Smith, and brother Dale.

A funeral service will be held Saturday, March 10, 2018, at the Hoxie Presbyterian Church at 11:00 A.M. with Reverend Dixie Anders officiating. Interment will be in the Hoxie City Cemetery following the Service. Visitation will be held Friday, March 9, 2018, from 2:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. with family receiving friends from 6:00 P.M. until 7:30 P.M. at the Mickey-Leopold Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the Sheridan County Benefit Walk, the Sheridan County Historical Society, or the Sheridan County Library. On-line condolences may be left at www.mickeyleopoldfuneral.com.

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