Month: April 2018
🎥 ECTV Forum Dr. Mohammad Riazi Kermani
KZ Country Cheesy Joke of the Day 4/30/18
An Elephant’s Memory
An elephant was drinking out of a river one day, when he spotted a
turtle asleep on a log. So, he ambled on over and kicked it clear
across the river.
“What did you do that for?” Asked a passing giraffe.
“Because I recognized it as the same turtle that took a nip out of my
trunk 53 years ago.”
“Wow, what a memory” commented the giraffe.
“Yes,” said the elephant. “I have turtle recall”.
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MADORIN: Captain Albert Barnitz, his letters and journals
Following the Civil War, many officers born and raised in the East found themselves serving their country on the Kansas frontier. One such man was Captain Albert Barnitz, born in Pennsylvania in 1835 and reared in Ohio. He studied first at Kenyon College and later continued his education at Cleveland Law College. While there, he published a book of poetry titled Mystic Delvings. This hinted at innate writing tendencies that modern readers still enjoy.
Barnitz’s road to the Kansas frontier began after the death of his first wife who died in childbirth in 1860. Still grieving, he soon joined the 13th Ohio Infantry as a three-month volunteer in 1861. Following that service, he enlisted in the 2nd Ohio Cavalry as a sergeant. By 1863, Barnitz achieved senior captain rank.
Following his recovery from severe injuries, Barnitz returned to serve under the command of George A. Custer in the Shenandoah Valley and fought his last battle at Appomattox. He returned briefly to civilian life, but received a captain’s commission in the U.S. Army in 1866. The following year he married his second wife Jennie Platt, and they began their Great Plains adventure that included writing and saving a series of letters and journals which shed light on military and social life of the time.
During his military career, Barnitz served at several frontier forts, including Leavenworth, Riley, and Harker. His wife Jennie joined him at several of these postings. When they weren’t together, they wrote one another regularly. Albert also kept a journal of his experiences over decades. Fortunately for posterity, they saved these documents.
Through these letters and journals, readers can time travel to the years 1866 – 1869 on the Plains. Robert Utley collected and edited them into the book Life in Custer’s 7th Cavalry. Barnitz and Jennie write about military experiences, life on the prairie, Hancock’s failed expedition, a battle with Indians at Fort Wallace, Camp Alfred Gibbs (near the town of Ellis, Kansas), and Jennie surviving a flash flood at the site of the first Fort Hays.
Of interest to history buffs, Albert and Jennie’s letters reveal personal information about the Custers, Colonel Alfred Gibbs, Major Joel Elliott, Miles Keogh, and other famous colleagues. Through this couple’s running commentary, readers see these historical personages as real people with their strengths and frailties. In addition, readers see the evolution of Barnitz’s attitudes about these individuals and realize Captain Barnitz and Jennie’s opinions weren’t static. This couple’s correspondence must’ve engaged Robert Utley completely as he studied their decades of text.
Their letters reveal Albert and Jennie’s love story, his desire to be a good officer, and his disgust with fellow officers who drank too much or abused their troops. Interested in nature, he provides excellent accounts of wildlife, plants, and weather in this region as well.
Because Barnitz had the observational and writing skills of a poet, he thoroughly recorded the essence of military life during one of the frontier’s most active periods, providing a time machine-like glimpse into a vanished era. Life in Custer’s Cavalry is more than communication between a man and woman. It’s an invitation to visit their world.
Native Kansan Karen Madorin is a local writer and retired teacher who loves sharing stories about places, people, critters, plants, food, and history of the High Plains.
Now That’s Rural: Ray Essington, music teacher
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
Is there an electronic piano keyboard gathering dust at your house? I‘m afraid there is at mine. We don’t seem to find much time to use it. Today, we’ll learn about a high school music teacher who is helping students with their keyboard skills. In doing so, he’s building on the tradition of one of the world’s most famous musical instructors. She came from this very same hometown.
Last week we learned about Dorothy DeLay, one of the world’s most famous violin teachers. Miss DeLay graduated from Neodesha High School in 1933.
Ray Essington is the music teacher at Neodesha today. He grew up at Council Grove. Ray got a bachelor’s degree in music at KU, taught in Arkansas and then earned his master’s in music education at Kansas State.
Ray’s first Kansas school music teaching job was at Thayer, a rural community of 497 people. Now, that’s rural.
He then moved to Neodesha to become vocal music director for the middle school and high school. Here he met and married his wife, Ghendi.
Through the years, one trend he noticed was the reduced number of private piano teachers. Such teachers used to be quite common everywhere. When Neodesha High School changed from a block schedule to an eight-hour day, Ray got permission to start a piano class.
“I was convinced that parents had bought their kids keyboards which were sitting at home gathering dust,” Ray said. “(Musical keyboarding) is becoming a lost art,” he said. “With the support of the school district and the counselors, we were able to start a piano class.”
The class was held in the high school choir room. “We pull out four big tables with Yamaha keyboards and this becomes the piano lab,” Ray said. “We have the smaller 61-keyboards as well as the full size 88 key boards,” he said. This helps students learn the piano and perhaps to use keyboards which they might have at home.
Meanwhile, Ray had been somewhat aware of the name of Dorothy DeLay. Just before Ray came, Neodesha High School had honored Miss DeLay with one of its alumni awards. Then Ray remembered that his high school principal at Council Grove was named Dennis DeLay. Was it possible that there was a connection?
Sure enough, there was. Dorothy DeLay was the principal’s cousin. Ray’s principal had grown up at Yates Center, where the name of the principal’s father – Calvin DeLay – is on the old school stadium.
The more Ray learned about Dorothy DeLay, the more interested he became. The fact that she was one of the world’s most noted violin teachers and had graduated from Neodesha High School made it especially interesting.
“I got in touch with Dorothy DeLay’s daughter Alison,” Ray said. “We went to Boston for three days and she let me go through her keepsakes. It was awesome to see things like the picture of President Clinton presenting her with the National Medal of the Arts.”
It further inspired Ray to do more to honor Dorothy DeLay back home in Neodesha. He founded the Dorothy DeLay String Academy to teach violin to his students. It started as a volunteer program after school two years ago and is now part of the federally-funded after-school program. Twenty-one elementary school students, including Ray’s daughter, are part of the Dorothy DeLay String Academy today.
“The house Dorothy DeLay grew up in still stands here in Neodesha,” Ray said. “I would love to see it become a museum.”
Ray Essington is retiring from teaching in May 2018. “I plan to build a shadow-box display of Miss DeLay’s artifacts which will go in the foyer of the school auditorium,” he said. Through his creative use of keyboards and his string academy, he is building the musical capacity of his students.
Do you have an electronic keyboard at your house gathering dust? I do. We salute Ray Essington for making a difference with his creative teaching of piano keyboards and his efforts to build on the history of Dorothy DeLay. I think such creative teaching methods are key.
Tip from Lyft driver leads to arrest of Kan. jewelry store assault suspect
SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an attempted armed robbery and have one suspect in custody.
Just before 5p.m. Saturday, police responded to an armed robbery call at Powell Jewelry in the 2400 block of north Maize Road in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.
A 56-year-old female employee told police two unknown suspects entered the business, and one suspect brandished a handgun and pointed it at her.
The employee fled to the rear of the business and pushed the business hold up alarm in the process and was followed by one suspect who fled on foot. The second suspect also fled the business on foot.
Shortly after the attempted robbery call, a Lyft driver called 911 about an individual acting suspicious that he had picked up in the area of Powell Jewelry. This led police to the Quik Trip (QT) located at 21st and Ridge.
At the QT, police arrested a 33-year-old man and booked him into jail for three counts of aggravated assault and a felon in possession of a firearm. A handgun was also recovered.
The description of the outstanding suspect is, an unknown black male, late 20’s to 30’s, 5-foot-8, large build, black ball cap, red shirt with white long sleeves, yellow shorts, white tennis shoes with darker lower color, gold necklaces with a gold medallion.
There were no injuries, and no loss in this case.
Arizona man held on $75K Bond for alleged child sex crime in Manhattan
RILEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a child sex crime and have made an arrest.
On Saturday, police arrested Vincent Lee Ulibarri, 34, of Phoenix, for the alleged rape of a minor in Manhattan, according to the Riley County police department arrest report.
Ulibarri is being held on a $75,000 Bond on requested charges of rape and aggravated indecent liberties involving someone under the age of 14.
Warm, windy Monday
Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Very windy, with a south wind 22 to 27 mph increasing to 31 to 36 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph.
Widely scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms are expected. Large hail and damaging winds possible from a few storms. #kswx pic.twitter.com/CFzLwTaJT1
— NWS Dodge City (@NWSDodgeCity) April 30, 2018
Tonight Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. Very windy, with a south wind 26 to 31 mph decreasing to 20 to 25 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 44 mph.
Tuesday A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. South southwest wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
Tuesday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind 11 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
WednesdayPartly sunny, with a high near 84. Southwest wind 10 to 13 mph.
Wednesday NightA 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 54.
ThursdayMostly sunny, with a high near 75.
Sprint and T-Mobile agree to $26.5 billion merger
NEW YORK (AP) — T-Mobile and Sprint reached a $26.5 billion merger agreement Sunday that would reduce the U.S. wireless industry to three major players — that is, if the Trump administration’s antitrust regulators let the deal go through.
The nation’s third- and fourth-largest wireless companies have been considering a combination for years, one that would bulk them up to a similar size as industry giants Verizon and AT&T. But a 2014 attempt fell apart amid resistance from the Obama administration.
The combined company, to be called T-Mobile, would have about 127 million customers. Consumers worry a less crowded telecom field could result in higher prices, while unions are concerned about potential job losses.
In a conference call with Wall Street analysts, Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure acknowledged that getting regulatory approval is “the elephant in the room,” and one of the first things the companies did after sending out the deal’s news release was to call Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
The companies stressed that they plan to have more employees following the combination, particularly in rural areas, than they do as stand-alone companies now.
They also emphasized that the deal would help accelerate their development of faster 5G wireless networks and ensure that the U.S. doesn’t cede leadership on the technology to China.
And they said the combination would allow them to better compete not only with AT&T and Verizon but also with Comcast and others as the wireless, broadband and video industries converge.
“This isn’t a case of going from 4 to 3 wireless companies — there are now at least 7 or 8 big competitors in this converging market,” T-Mobile chief executive John Legere said in a statement. He would be the CEO of the combined company.
The all-stock deal values each share of Sprint at slightly more than 0.10 T-Mobile shares. Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile’s parent, would own about 42 percent of the combined company. Japan’s SoftBank, which controls Sprint, would own 27 percent, and the remainder would be held by the public.
The companies said they expect the deal to close by the first half of 2019 and would result in about $6 billion in annual cost savings.
Investors have been anticipating a deal like this for some time. In addition to the thwarted attempt three years ago, the two companies were poised to combine in October, but the deal was called off after what analysts said was a disagreement over control of the combined company.
The deal will have to be reviewed by the Justice Department and the FCC.
National carriers had not been able to get a deal through under President Barack Obama. But the FCC in September deemed the wireless market “competitive” for the first time since 2009, which some analysts say could make it easier to present a deal.
The 5G aspirations are at the heart of the agreement, and the new technology could allow companies to provide faster service to people’s homes.
Sprint’s Claure likened going from 4G to 5G to switching from black-and-white television to color. The combined company plans to invest up to $40 billion in its network in the first three years, which executives said would drive more hiring and better service for customers.
Sprint has a lot of debt and has posted a string of annual losses. It has cut costs and made itself more attractive to customers, BTIG Research analyst Walter Piecyk said, but hasn’t invested enough in its network and doesn’t have enough airwave rights for quality service in rural areas.
T-Mobile, meanwhile, has been on a yearslong streak of adding customers. After the government nixed AT&T’s attempt to buy the company in 2011, T-Mobile led the way in many consumer-friendly changes, such as ditching two-year contracts and bringing back unlimited data plans.
Consumers are paying less for cellphone service thanks to T-Mobile’s influence on the industry and the resulting price wars.
Verizon and AT&T have been expanding their video-content businesses, while cable companies have been moving into wireless. That allows a single company to combine home and wireless internet and use content to support the communications businesses.
Comcast, the cable giant that finished buying NBCUniversal in 2013, offers customers wireless service by reselling access to Verizon’s network. So does another dominant cable company, Charter.
New Medicare cards heading to Kansans after June
KID
TOPEKA—Ken Selzer, CPA, Kansas Commissioner of Insurance, wants Kansans to know that new Medicare identification cards for beneficiaries do not include changes to current coverage or benefits.
“When Kansans begin receiving new Medicare cards after June 2018, the only change is they will have new identification numbers,” Commissioner Selzer said. “The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is required to remove Social Security Numbers from beneficiary IDs.”
The cards are being mailed in a state-by-state sequence that includes Kansas cards mailing sometime after June, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The new ID cards are to be distributed throughout the United States by April 2019.
The Kansas Insurance Department does not regulate regular Medicare, but it does regulate Medicare Supplement plans.
Commissioner Selzer offers these tips to beneficiaries receiving new IDs:
- Destroy the old card immediately upon receiving the new one. Use the new ID number for all Medicare transactions from that point on.
- Watch out for Medicare scams regarding the cards. New cards will be mailed to beneficiaries, and no one connected with Medicare will be calling or knocking on doors.
- If you have Medicare questions, call the Senior Health Insurance Counselors of Kansas (SHICK). The number is 800-860-5260. You can also see a short video on the new cards atwww.cms.gov/medicare/new-medicare-card/nmc-home.html .
- Current coverage and benefits will not change for those receiving new cards unless the beneficiaries make a change at open enrollment time near the end of 2018.
- If you have a Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage coverage or a Part D prescription drug plan, keep those identification cards. They are separate from the regular Medicare coverage.
Caretaker admits mistreating elderly man at Kan. nursing home
ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas woman admitted in court that she mistreated an elderly man she was supposed to be caring for at an Atchison residential care facility.
On Friday, thirty-eight-year-old Tammy Puckett of Leavenworth pleaded guilty to mistreatment of a dependent person.
Atchison County Attorney Jerry Kuckelman said that Puckett was employed at Medicalodge in Atchison. He said in March she didn’t provide for the physical and mental needs of an 80-year-old man who was dependent on her. The details of the neglect were not released.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 15. Puckett is out of jail on $15,000 bond.
Kansas sex offender back in court on new charges
RENO COUNTY — A Kansas woman convicted of aggravated indecent liberties with a child in Saline County in 2006 is in trouble for failing to register as a sex offender on four different occasions in Reno County.
Kristen L. Bauman, 36, Hutchinson, is also charged with a fifth count of unlawful acts — using a computer system, namely, Care.com — to execute a scheme with the intent to defraud or obtain money by asking for employment as a babysitter by fraudulent means. That could be concerning, considering her criminal past.
These crimes occurred in December of 2017.
Bauman is free on bond as her case moves to a waiver-status docket.
Cuthbert homers twice in Royals’ win over White Sox
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Cheslor Cuthbert homered twice and drove in four runs as the Kansas City Royals won consecutive games for the first time this season, defeating the Chicago White Sox 5-4 on Sunday.
Whit Merrifield singled home Alcides Escobar, who was hit by a pitch to leadoff the eighth inning, with the go-ahead run off Bruce Rondon (1-1). Escobar left in the ninth with a left hand contusion.
Cuthbert, who had not homered since August 20 – a span on 109 at-bats – drove a Hector Santiago pitch into the White Sox bullpen in the fourth.
He homered in the fifth with Salvador Perez and Jorge Soler aboard off Chris Volstad. It was Cuthbert’s second career multi-homer game. The other was June 11, 2016.
Royals starter Ian Kennedy left after five innings with a 4-2 lead, but reliever Brian Flynn could not hold it.
Daniel Palka doubled home two White Sox runs in the fourth, giving him five RBIs in two games.
Leury Garcia two-out triple in the sixth scored Trayce Thompson, cutting the Royals lead to 4-3. Nicky Delmonico’s run-producing double in the seventh tied the score.
The Royals loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh, but failed to score. Kansas City is 4-for-25, .160, with the bases loaded this season
Brandon McCarthy (2-0) picked up the victory, while Blaine Boyer logged his fifth career save and his first since May 29, 2016 while with the Milwaukee Brewers
NOT OVER YET
The quarrel between Royals catcher Salvador Perez and White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson may not be finished. The two exchanged words Saturday after Perez thought Anderson celebrated too much after a leadoff home run. “I play this game with my heart and I put a lot of work into it and I’m not going to change because of that,” Anderson said. “It’s not the first incident and it’s probably not going to be the last.” The two teams meet 12 more times this season with the next nine in Chicago. “(Matt) Davidson, he has a pretty good season here, nobody to hit him, you know,” Perez said. “He hits the ball, homer and runs hard. Why you gotta hit him? No. But if you’re gonna do that (bleep) to us, we’re gonna hit you. We will tell the pitcher, ‘hit him.”‘ Davidson has seven home runs against the Royals this season.
RENTERIA RETURNS
White Sox manager Rick Renteria returned after missing the three games Friday and Saturday to attend his mother’s funeral services in Austin, Texas. “Our family is very grateful to everybody,” he said. “We had a lot of outpouring from the game. My family’s very thankful for that. We think she’s in a much better place now. We see her laughing in our mind’s eye, now. I’m sure she’ll be up there cheering the White Sox on with my dad and probably arguing (with the umpires) out there with me every now and then.” He said he received some game reports updates while away. “Kind of kept up with everything,” Renteria said.
UP NEXT
White Sox: After an off-day Monday, RHP James Shields will start Tuesday at St. Louis. He is 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA in his last three starts.
Royals: RHP Jason Hammel will start Monday at Boston in the opener of a three-game series.