The second Legislative Coffee hosted by the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce will be held Sat., April 21, at the Fort Hays State University Robbins Center.
The event was postponed from April 7 because the Legislature remained in session that Saturday.
Doors open tomorrow at 8 a.m. with the legislative panel speaking at 8:30 a.m.
Scheduled to participate are Sen. Rick Billinger (R-Goodland), and Reps. Eber Phelps (D-Hays), Ken Rahjes (R-Agra) and Leonard Mastroni (R-LaCrosse).
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Kansas center Udoka Azubuike is declaring for the NBA draft but is not hiring an agent, leaving open the possibility of returning to the Jayhawks for his junior season.
The 7-foot, 280-pound Azubuike missed most of his freshman season with a wrist injury, but was often dominant in helping the Jayhawks to the Final Four this past year. He averaged 13 points and seven rebounds while shooting 77 percent from the field, the second-best mark in NCAA history.
Azubuike, who was born in Nigeria, plans to attend the NBA draft combine in May in Chicago, then speak with teams to gauge his draft potential. He must decide by May 30 whether to stay in the draft or return to Kansas.
Jayhawks coach Bill Self said Friday he encouraged Azubuike to “test the waters.”
FILLMORE COUNTY —Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) seized more than 1,850 pounds of marijuana and other drugs during a traffic stop on Highway 81 in Fillmore County.
Just before 6 p.m. Wednesday, a trooper observed a 2017 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van driving on the shoulder near Geneva, Nebraska, 122 miles north of Salina.
During the traffic stop, an NSP K9 detected the presence of a controlled substance inside the van, according to a media release.
Last night near Geneva, NSP Troopers seized more than 1,800 LBs of marijuana and other drugs. That’s nearly a full ton.
Troopers then searched the van and located 1,853 pounds of marijuana, 8,779 doses of hash oil vape pens, and 46 pounds of loose hash wax. The street value of the drugs is estimated at more than $5 million.
The driver, Michael Cardis, 39, of Arvada, Colorado, was arrested on multiple charges, including possession of more than one pound of marijuana, possession with intent to deliver, and no Drug Tax stamp. Cardis was lodged in Fillmore County Jail.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A decade ago, the U.S. military marked seven years of continuous fighting in the Middle East. Scores of service members had already deployed multiple times, and the pressures of deployment had taken a toll on many — physically, psychologically, emotionally. That year, 2008, the U.S. Congress stepped up to help, approving a new program specifically for National Guard and Reserve members: the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP).
In establishing YRRP, Congress recognized that Guard and Reserve service members face challenges throughout the deployment cycle that are uniquely different than those confronting their active duty counterparts. The program connects service members and their families with resources where they live and provides a support network to aid their unique challenges.
Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who was instrumental in introducing the legislation creating the program in 2008, honored YRRP’s 10th anniversary by entering a statement into the official record of the United States Congress. The proclamation recognized the program’s successes and dedication to ensuring a ready and resilient Reserve Component.
Klobuchar also acknowledged the contributions made by other members of Congress in the creation of the program by recognizing: retired Congressman John Kline, R-Minn.; former Senators Norm Coleman, R-Minn. and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.; and current U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga.. Minnesota’s Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program for its National Guard served as a model for the national program.
Since its creation, YRRP has continually evolved to address the changing needs of a dynamic and diverse military community. YRRP’s pre-, during, and post-deployment events have supported more than 1.5 million service members and their families. Post-event surveys show attendees overwhelmingly approve of the effectiveness and benefit — program events received an 87 percent satisfaction rate in the most recent survey.
The full text of the proclamation can be found here.
TOPEKA —The latest wave of school walkouts has sparked demonstrations against gun violence around the nation and in many communities in Kansas on Friday.
More than 2,700 walkouts were planned on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting.
At the same time students were walking out, members of the Kansas State Rifle Association held a rally at the state capitol in Topeka in support of 2nd amendment rights
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is asking the state Supreme Court for an extra 10 days to file part of his legal defense for a new public school funding law because of a flaw in it.
photo by CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Schmidt filed a request Thursday to have until May 10 to report to the court on how legislators increased education funding.
The court ruled in October that the state’s current education funding of more than $4 billion a year is inadequate and gave Schmidt until April 30 to report on how lawmakers responded.
Lawmakers approved legislation that was supposed to phase in a $534 million increase in spending over five years. But officials later found a flaw that lowered funding by $80 million.
Lawmakers reconvene April 26 and could pass a follow-up bill.
Edward Cross is president of the Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association.
President Trump has said he wants to make America a dominant player in world energy markets. Over the past year, the Trump Administration has moved forward with policies designed to deregulate and encourage American energy development.
The Trump administration eliminated 22 unnecessary regulations for every new one it created. This regulatory rollback will save Americans from more than $8 billion in lifetime costs from wasteful, expensive regulations.
President Trump’s economic policy agenda has added 2.1 million jobs and reversed job losses in critical sectors, most notably in manufacturing. The unemployment rate fell to 4.1%, the lowest in 17 years. Congress passed the historic tax reform bill, which will unleash an unprecedented wave of American prosperity, thanks to the more than $5 billion in cuts.
While much has been accomplished, much work remains to free our energy markets and empower consumers and businesses to make their own energy choices. As the Trump Administration moves forward, it is clear that their approach to energy policy could not be more different than the previous administration’s. With the change in policy come new opportunities.
Energy is so thoroughly woven into our daily lives that few will ever question whether it will be there, or where it comes from. Petroleum plays an integral role in nearly every aspect of our lives. Oil-based products are likely the first thing you touch at the beginning and end of each day, whether it is your alarm clock, television remote, cellphone, or even the toothpaste and toothbrush you use to brush your teeth. Those who wear makeup or synthetic fibers, such as polyester or nylon, are using or touching petroleum nearly 24 hours a day. As a key component in heart valves, seat belts, helmets, life vests, and even Kevlar, petroleum is saving tens of thousands of lives daily. Furthermore, oil and gas are key components in many medicines and antibiotics such as antiseptics, antihistamines, aspirin, and sulfa drugs.
Just a few years ago, no one would have imagined the U.S. could increase production of oil and natural gas while cutting greenhouse gas emissions, which are now near 25-year lows. A recent study by the Energy Information Administration indicates the U.S. emitted 23% fewer energy-related CO2 emissions in 2015 than in 2005. Further, thanks in part to the increased use of domestic natural gas, ozone concentrations have dropped by 17% since 2000. The oil and natural gas industry has proven that over the long-term it is possible to lead in energy production AND in environmental stewardship.
The fundamental change under the Trump Administration is that market realities and a respect for consumers and their preferences drive smarter regulations that focus on protecting the environment and growing the economy. All Americans benefit from a safe, environmentally responsible, and thriving oil industry. And it is important to let market forces, not government mandates, drive energy policies.
What Americans expect and deserve are the facts. And the fact is, recent history has disproved the false premise that economic growth and significant increases in energy production must, necessarily, come at the expense of environmental improvement.
The vision of less energy in the future contradicts the overwhelming consensus of experts who agree that we will need more energy for decades to come. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) worldwide energy consumption will increase by 27% by 2040, and 77% of that energy consumption will be met by fossil fuels. In the U.S., oil and natural gas will supply 60% of U.S. energy needs by 2040, even under the most optimistic scenarios for renewable energy growth.
Trump Administration environmental policies are building on the progress our nation has made in the last several years thanks in large part to the American oil and natural gas energy renaissance. They recognize that the innovation and core commitment to American energy security displayed by America’s oil and natural gas industry is a national asset that should be encouraged and promoted.
The U.S. has a unique opportunity to show the world how energy abundance can be used as a positive force to lift people up. More than a billion people around the world face challenges for adequate food and education, clean water and protection from heat and cold due to a lack of access to energy. We should work to ensure more people have access to safe, affordable, and reliable energy, no matter which state, nation, or continent they reside. Because to rise out of poverty and enjoy health and safety, people need more energy, not less.
We should set aside the acrimony and division that has marked too much of past national energy policy discussions and work together as one nation on a positive forward-looking energy future based on the understanding that our nation’s best energy future can only be achieved through a true all of the above energy strategy. We need a new American understanding of energy and with it a national energy policy based on science, the free market, and entrepreneurial spirit.
Future generations are looking to us to get our nation’s energy policy right. They’re counting on us to leave them with a country that is second to none in energy production, security, and economic prosperity.
Edward Cross is president of the Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association.
RENO COUNTY — Authorities determined that a Reno County home destroyed in a Tuesday fire north of Hutchinson was an act of arson and have a suspect in custody.
Justin Day, 47, Hutchinson, is charged with one count of arson for intentionally setting the home on fire.
Crews on the scene of the Tuesday house fire-Photo Hutchinson Fire Dept.
In court Friday, Deputy District Attorney Tom Stanton indicated that, before setting the fire, Day canceled the insurance on the home, which belongs to his mother and one other person.
Stanton also convinced Magistrate Judge Cheryl Allen to raise the $8,500 bond to $25,000. He also asked that Day have no contact with the two victims. Day’s mother is afraid of him, according to Stanton.
It was just before 10 p.m. Tuesday when the Hutchinson Fire Department Red Crew, responded to the 3-bedroom home at 9804 N. Lorraine. On arrival, first crews found heavy fire conditions that had engulfed the entire two-story structure.
Justin Day-photo Reno Co.
Because increasing winds rapidly spread the fire, the roof and second-story walls collapsed as crews were stretching the initial hose lines. Heavy embers sparked spot fires up to 200 yards from the structure — that stretched available resources thin.
No one was home at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported.
The case against Day now moves to a waiver-status docket on May 16.
The Ellis High School Forensics Team at their annual state qualifiers showcase, “This is our Forensics Night.” Enjoy a night of acting and speaking held in the Ellis High School Auditorium in Ellis, KS, on Monday April 30th, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. Kid-friendly performances, and FREE ADMISSION FOR ALL. Time limit: 2 hours long. Baked goods and drinks available from the Ellis High School Drama Club at intermission.
The unemployment rate in Ellis County fell slightly to 2.5 percent in March, down from 2.6 percent in February.
Jobless rates were relatively flat across northwest Kansas, with only a handful of regional counties above the 3 percent mark. At 3.7 percent, Trego and Rooks counties have the highest unemployment rates in March.
Click the chart above for a complete county-by-county breakdown.
Preliminary estimates reported by the Kansas Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.4 percent in March. This was unchanged from February and down from 3.7 percent in March 2017.
“Kansas employers added jobs in March,” said Secretary Lana Gordon. “This is the tenth consecutive month of job growth, which is good news for Kansas.”
Seasonally adjusted job estimates indicate total Kansas nonfarm jobs increased by 2,100 from February. Private sector jobs, a subset of total nonfarm jobs, increased by 2,200 from the previous month.
“The survey of Kansas employers this month reported an increase in three key areas. These are the number of jobs, the number of average weekly hours worked, and real hourly earnings compared to one year ago,” said Senior Labor Economist, Tyler Tenbrink. “This indicates employers are demonstrating a stronger demand for labor compared to last year at this time.”
Since March 2017, Kansas gained 10,700 seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs and 9,400 private sector jobs.
