TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court is giving Attorney General Derek Schmidt an extra week to file his legal defense for a new public school funding law because of a flaw in it.
The court on Wednesday revised its schedule for attorneys to file written arguments on education funding. Schmidt has until May 7 instead of April 30 to report on how legislators increased education funding.
The court ruled in October that the state’s current funding of more than $4 billion a year is inadequate.
Lawmakers approved legislation aimed at phasing in a $534 million increase over five years. Officials later found a flaw that lowered funding by $80 million, and Schmidt then sought extra time to file his legal defense.
Lawmakers reconvene Thursday and expect to pass a school funding fix.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — An animal rights organization is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the beating death of a Wichita man’s dog during a break-in.
Agnes Rozella (Chandler) Cooper, 102, died April 20, 2018 at Phillipsburg, Kansas. She was born November 13, 1915 in Osborne County, Kansas to Charles N. and Emma (Stevens) Chandler.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Forrest and daughter-in-law, Patricia Gastrock Cooper.
She is survived by two sons, Anthony Bruce Cooper, Topeka, KS, and companion Jane Golub, Stilwell, KS, and Brace Cooper and wife Linda, Lenexa, KS; her daughter, Lesley Schonthaler and husband Lee, Zurich, KS; 6 grandchildren; and thirteen great-grandchildren.
Cremation was chosen. The Family will conduct a Memorial Service April 30, 2018 at 11:00 a.m., at the United Presbyterian Church, Phillipsburg, KS with Pastor Chris Davis officiating. Inurnment will be at Fairview Cemetery, Phillipsburg, KS after the service. Memorial contributions may be given to the United Presbyterian Church c/o Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel. P.O. Box 563, Phillipsburg, KS 67661.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Officials say the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services is on track to fall short of federal requirements for inspection of 350 nursing home facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding.
Sen. Vicki Schmidt, a Topeka Republican-file photo Kansas News Service
The agency’s compliance record for annual inspections has grown worse since 2015, when state employees completed surveys at nearly 80 percent of the state’s nursing facilities.
Only 35 percent were inspected in 2017 and the state is on pace to conduct less than 40 percent for 2018.
Department Secretary Tim Keck says the agency needs more inspectors to comply.
Republican Sen. Vicki Schmidt chairs the Legislature’s oversight committee on Medicaid. She says the department not being in compliance is a public safety issue.
PLANO, Texas — J.C. Penney Co. recently honored its top performing stores with its Founder’s Award at a special ceremony on April 5 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas.
With more than 870 JCPenney stores across the country, general manager Staci Kessinger was one of over 90 store leaders recognized for outstanding performance in 2017.
Marvin R. Ellison, chairman and chief executive officer; Joe McFarland, executive vice president and chief customer officer; and Tony Hurst, senior vice president of stores were in attendance to recognize the leaders’ achievements.
“I’m proud of our dedicated associates at JCPenney in The Mall who received this special recognition,” Hurst said. “The Founder’s Award is the Company’s highest honor, recognizing top-performing leaders that significantly contribute to the success of JCPenney and provide customers with an unmatched shopping experience. We look forward to another exceptional year serving the customers in Hays.”
The Company’s Founder’s Award is presented to general and district managers for leading teams that deliver strong results in the areas of financial performance, customer and client service and business expertise.
Dr. Tisa Mason
Earlier this month, I had a great time interacting with students, faculty, staff and community leaders during the BIG Event. An initiative of the university’s Student Government Association in collaboration with the FHSU Foundation, BIG provides help and services to community members who need them. This successful event is just one of many ways FHSU supports the community – a community that has long been a strong supporter of the university.
I love the fact that April is National Volunteer Month. It encourages us to pay tribute to the many people who make a difference for the university and the community. It also honors our mission “to develop engaged global citizen-leaders.” Our students, faculty, staff, alumni and neighbors are so very giving of their time, heart and home. Our impact on our communities is profound.
The great thing about volunteer service is that the impact is threefold. Research has established that when one person does something kind for another person, and someone else happens to witness that act of kindness, in that one moment three people benefit: the doer, the recipient and the witness. Research also indicates that random acts of kindness improve health and life satisfaction, increase energy and self-worth as well as optimism, and foster a sense of belonging and connection in the world. Amazing!
As I was thinking about how witnessing one simple event can bring happiness and optimism to others, I remembered the absolute joy of being part of the presentation team in October of 2014 when FHSU student Amanda Thompson won the National Disability Institute’s “My American Dream” video contest. Amanda suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) following a car accident. Not only did she complete college but at the time of the award Amanda was pursuing a master’s degree in communication disorders to achieve her dream of becoming a speech pathologist to help other people living with TBIs.
This annual contest encourages people with disabilities to share their dreams – to demonstrate that having a career, succeeding in college and achieving financial independence is an important American dream for everyone. The surprise presentation happened during one of her classes. I will never forget the moment – the pride, the joy, the hopefulness. That day the benefit of kindness was not threefold – but 33-fold!
Just this past week I experienced great joy, and honestly many tears, as I watched Dancing Together for DSNWK in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center. The event is a collaboration between campus and community partners, Styles Dance Centre, DSWNK, and the FHSU Leadership 310 course. My friends Karen and Jason McCullough told their story of being thrust into the disability community when their daughter Natalie was born with a rare chromosome rearrangement, Trisomy 4p.
Eight-year-old Natalie, on stage, wore a beautiful pink ballerina tutu. Two dancers twirled around her with wonderful grace, lovingly lifted Natalie into the air, and together they danced. Natalie McCullough became a ballerina.
As I reflect with a grateful heart about the many volunteers who make our community a better place, I am pondering how I will participate in Pay It Forward Day on Saturday, April 28. Here are some ideas from my short list:
1. Send a positive text message to five people.
2. Tape an envelope on a vending machine with some money in it and a note “enjoy a drink and snack.”
3. Surprise a neighbor with freshly baked cookies.
4. Donate towels or blankets to an animal shelter.
5. Pick up litter.
6. Clean windshields of cars in the parking lot.
7. Thank a volunteer firefighter.
8. Leave positive sticky notes on the mirrors in public bathrooms.
9. Write my husband a list of things I love about him.
10. Tape coins around a playground for kids to find.
Pay It Forward Day is a global initiative that exists to make a difference by creating a huge ripple of kindness felt across the world. I urge you to talk with your family and friends about one small thing you can do to Pay It Forward on Saturday. Let’s make Hays America the epicenter of 10 million acts of kindness around the world!
RENO COUNTY —The man who died in an accident during a police chase just before 5:30p.m. Sunday in Reno County was on parole, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Cooper-photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Suzuki motorcycle driven by Logan Cooper, 28, Wichita, was being pursued by KHP westbound on 4th Avenue East of Obee Road.
During the pursuit the motorcycle pulled into a parking lot in an effort to avoid officers, according to Trooper Chad Crittenden.
A westbound 2001 Lexus driven by Scott Gray, 51, Wichita, pulled over to allow law enforcement vehicles to pass.
After they passed, the Lexus pulled back onto the road. As the motorcycle exited the parking lot traveling in the opposite direction, the two vehicles collided, according to Crittenden.
Cooper was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the KHP. Gray was not seriously injured.
Cooper was on parole after previous convictions for aggravated robbery, criminal use of a financial card, robbery and driving while suspended, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating robbery and have a suspect in custody.
Gray-photo Saline Co.
On Sunday night, officers responded to a reported home invasion at an apartment in the 2100 Block of East Crawford in Salina, according to police Captain Paul Forrester.
A woman at the scene told officers a man entered her apartment, stole cash, shoes and the then took the keys and left in her 2002 Mercedes Benz.
The woman’s two children, age 8 and 10, were in the apartment and witnessed the crime, according to Forrester.
Someone sent the victim a text message suggesting who committed the crime.
On Tuesday police responded to the Target Store, 2900 Block of Market Place in Salina and found the vehicle. Authorities at the store reported it had been parked on their lot since Sunday. After a review of security camera images, police identified Brook Gray, 23, exit the Mercedes. Security camera footage also showed him taking items from the store, according to Forrester.
Police tracked Gray to a residence on State Street and made an arrest. He is being held on requested charges of aggravated burglary and theft, according to Forrester.
The city of Hays is still waiting for official word from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about the number of passenger boardings there were last year at the Hays Regional Airport.
“As far as the city stands, we believe we’ve hit over the 10,000 mark,” Assistant City Manager Jacob Wood said. “We’ve counted and we believe we’re over those. But it’s really up to the FAA to approve that number and give us the final results.”
If there were more than 10,000 boardings in 2017, the city becomes eligible for a $1 million grant from the FAA. Otherwise, the grant funding program annually allocates $150,000 for airport projects.
Recognizing the “FAA is a huge bureaucracy, it takes a long time for them to give us the actual numbers,” Wood acknowledged.
He thinks there may be something preliminary from the FAA next month.
Previous million dollar FAA grants have paid for construction of the airport fire station, the Instrument Landing System (ILS), repair of the main runway and to make improvements in the terminal.
“Once you reach 10,000 boardings, it really changes the scope and scale of the airport,” said Vice-Mayor Henry Schwaller. “It would also be indicative that the new air carrier SkyWest is paying off.”
According to Ovid Seifers, airport manager, the boarding reports come from two sources: SkyWest, the airport’s Essential Air Service (EAS) provider and from boardings with charter flights with a Part 135 Operator, an aircraft that is hired on demand for transport.
SkyWest 50-passenger jets began providing service at the Hays Regional Airport in August, 2014, with flights to and from Denver. A Chicago flight, in cooperation with the Salina Regional Airport, was added earlier this month.
The airport last reached 10,000 boardings in 2011 and 2012. City officials are hopeful the new Chicago flight will help boost the numbers regularly.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Authorities say a woman has died on an Alaska Airlines plane that took off from Seattle and landed at Kansas City International Airport.
Passenger waiting area at KCI Tuesday-photo courtesy Fox4Kansas City
Kansas City police said in a news release that firefighters responded Tuesday to a medical emergency on Flight 478 and found the woman dead. Police said it appeared that she had suffered from cardiac arrest but that the exact cause of death won’t be known until after an autopsy.
The airline’s website says the flight was direct from Seattle to Kansas City.
(Photo by Kelsey Stremel, FHSU University Relations)
By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN FHSU University Relations and Marketing
They took off their Fort Hays State University rodeo vests for the final time Sunday. But Matt Rezac and Kaitlyn Dinges agreed that being part of the rodeo team for their entire college careers was a ride they will never forget.
Rezac and Dinges will graduate in May and move on to their next venture.
Rezac will return home to Onaga to work in his family business, Rezac Land and Livestock. Dinges, a native of Ness City, will begin work as a grain merchandiser in Leoti for Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. while working online toward her master’s degree in agricultural business and risk management.
Sunday, Rezac and Dinges were two of eight seniors recognized at the finals of the 52nd annual Fort Hays State NIRA Rodeo at Doug Philip Arena.
“I think that’s when it finally hit me that I’m graduating in three weeks,” said Dinges, who will graduate summa cum laude with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. “I took off that vest and thought, ‘I’ll never go into the arena with my Fort Hays State rodeo vest on again.’ Fort Hays has been my life the last few years, so it’s kind of bittersweet.”
Dinges said she will take with her many life lessons she learned while earning degree and a certificate in economics in just three years. She also held down a campus job while spending four or five hours a day at the rodeo arena.
“I learned so much while I was here,” she said. “I’ll always hold that dear in my heart. It’s made a big impact on my rodeo career – on my life.”
Dinges didn’t make Sunday’s finals in her two events (breakaway roping and barrels), but she took it all in stride.
“You have to realize that at any time that it might be your last run in the arena,” she said. “Of course, you want to do well and win, but you also have to be thankful to just be able to compete.”
Dinges and the rest of the FHSU club got to cheer on one teammate who made it to Sunday’s finals. Peyton Mentzer, a junior from Ensign, finished third in the average in team roping.
“We’re all part of a team,” Dinges said, “so even if your weekend wasn’t up to par, you’re still going to cheer on your teammates. We all practice together, so your teammates’ success is your success.”
Dinges will continue to compete in some amateur rodeos this summer with plans to buy her pro card in two years.
After graduation, next up for Rezac is his wedding, set for July 21. Then, he and his new bride, Alexa Schindler, will begin their life together on his family ranch. Schindler, who graduated from FHSU in December 2017 with a degree in teacher education, is a second-grade teacher at Onaga Elementary School.
Rezac, whose speciality is team roping, doesn’t plan to continue rodeoing but will take part in team roping contests. He never qualified for nationals during his college career, but he said he will never forget his time at Fort Hays State.
“It’s definitely kind of sad,” he said of leaving rodeo behind. “But I’ve made so many good memories and had a lot of fun. It’s definitely something I’m going to remember.”
Rezac began team roping as a youngster before getting involved in rodeo in high school and hadn’t really thought much about participating in college.
“But a high school buddy of mine had some family members who came out here and they liked the rodeo program,” he said.
Rezac came to FHSU for a college visit and “fell in love with it.” He immediately decided to join the rodeo club while working toward his degree in animal science and even served as the club’s president the past two years.
Like Dinges, Rezac said his involvement with the rodeo club was definitely one worth writing home about.
“It teaches you a lot of responsibility,” he said. “You’ve got to take care of your horse every day, even when it’s blizzarding. You’re all in this together, and you get to know each other really well.”
Dinges said she has been riding horses since she could walk and has been competing in – and winning at – rodeos since she was a young girl. She qualified for the national high school finals three years in a row.
“I started over with horses when I got to college, and it takes years to develop that bond with them,” she said. “I feel it’s a goal you are looking toward in college rodeo, to make it to nationals. But a lot of it, too, is to better your horsemanship skills, and I learned a lot while I was here in Hays.”
To hear Dinges talk about her rodeo experience, one might think she had won a national championship.
“My experience has been absolutely amazing,” she said. “I tried to use all the resources that Fort Hays State allows all the students.”
“I can’t imagine any better instructors,” she continued. “They’ve opened so many doors for me and allowed me opportunities that I’ve pursued. I have extremely mixed emotions about graduating in May. I’m excited to graduate and go out into the real world, but I am definitely going to miss Hays.”
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ third-largest school district is reviewing complaints that administrators infringed on students’ freedom of speech during a national classroom walkout to protest gun violence, including by taking away student photographers’ cameras.
Students protests gun violence in Kansas
The issues arose Friday at Shawnee Mission North High School and Hocker Grove Middle School. Students said they were censored, and Shawnee Mission North junior Grace Altenhofen told board members at a meeting Monday that an administrator told students photographers they weren’t allowed to cover the event because the administrator “didn’t approve of the subject matter.”
Shawnee Mission School District Interim Superintendent Kenny Southwick said he would “take personal responsibility for some of the things that happened.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas says it has received numerous complaints and is investigating.
Submitted
