WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita man accused of killing his wife and dumping her body into a dumpster is now charged with first-degree murder.
Stafford-photo Scott Co. Sheriff
30-year-old Donnell Stafford appeared in Sedgwick County court by video Friday. Police allege he killed 37-year-old Leuh Moore early Sunday and put her body in a dumpster behind a liquor store less than a mile away.
Stafford was captured Tuesday at a hotel in Davenport, Iowa, and extradited to Wichita Thursday. His bond was set at $650,000.
Investigators believe the couple’s 7-year-old son was home at the time of the alleged crime. The boy was found safe at a relative’s house.
Stafford was also charged with two counts of animal cruelty for allegedly stabbing two dogs.
His next court appearance was scheduled for April 26.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Sedgwick County juvenile court document indicates the state of Kansas was told at least twice that a 5-year-old Wichita boy who has been missing since mid-February was being abused.
Lucas Hernandez
The document includes detailed accounts from people who said they saw Lucas Hernandez with bruises, black eyes and cuts at various times in the year before he disappeared.
His stepmother, Emily Glass, who reported him missing Feb. 17, is jailed on child endangerment charges involving her 1-year-old daughter. She hasn’t been charged in Lucas’ disappearance.
Glass-photo Sedgwick Co.
A juvenile court judge allowed media to see the child-in-need of care petition regarding Glass’ young daughter on Wednesday. The newspaper says the document details a violent and dysfunctional family life.
Glass’ attorney didn’t return a phone message left Friday.
The Dane G. Hansen Foundation is pleased to bring the Lovewell Institute for the Creative Arts to northwest Kansas this summer. The Foundation is sponsoring four, week-long musical theatre workshops for high school students (incoming freshman through graduating seniors).
Students conceive, write, choreograph, compose, design, rehearse, produce and perform an original piece of musical theatre in collaboration with a staff of professionals and educators.
Space is still available at each of the four locations:
June 4-8, 2018 Phillipsburg
June 11-15, 2018 Concordia
June 18-22, 2018 Russell
June 25-29, 2018 Colby
Students from surrounding communities and counties are encouraged to participate in a workshop close to them.For more information or to register, visit lovewell.org, and click on Apply, and then Kansas.
ABOUT THE LOVEWELL WORKSHOPS
The week-long day camp/workshop brings students from all different creative backgrounds together to create an original work of musical theatre from scratch. The process needs writers, actors, poets, dancers, singers, dreamers, visual artists, musicians, composers, designers and creative students of all kinds.
The students will work with a team of professional artists to explore the arts while forging new friendships and making memories to last a lifetime.
PARTICIPTION COSTS
The Hansen Foundation is underwriting the cost of the workshops so the student participation fee is significantly discounted to $50.However, no student who is truly committed to participate will be denied the opportunity due to inability to pay. Scholarships are available.
ABOUT LOVEWELL
The Lovewell Institute for the Creative Arts is a not-for-profit organization that brings students together with professional artists to conceive, create, compose, write, choreograph, design and produce and original musical in each workshop. The Lovewell team are artist who make their living as musical directors, playwrites, choreographers, composers, lyricists, etc.
Lovewell is based in Florida, but its roots are in Kansas. After a pilot in New York in 1984, the process became the “Lovewell Experience” in 1987 in Salina. The director of the program is a Kansas native.
Today, Lovewell offers workshops all over the United States and internationally. Learn more about Lovewell at www.lovewell.org.
For more information on NW Kansas Arts opportunities sponsored by the Hansen Foundation, visit our website www.danehansenfoundation.org; click on Special Initiatives and NWKansas Arts.
Astra Bank and the HaysMed Foundation on Friday announced the creation of the Astra Bank Endowment with a commitment of $25,000. The Astra Bank Endowment will provide funding for special projects benefitting the citizens of our community through the mission of HaysMed, the hospital said in a news release.
“Astra Bank is extremely excited about our relationship and newly endowed fund with HaysMed. Our region has been blessed by the talents and generosity of many who make HaysMed a leader in the healthcare industry. HaysMed has been and will continue to be an integral part of the longevity and success of our community. Astra Bank prides itself in community involvement and growth, which is exactly why we worked with the Foundation in establishing this fund,” said Astra Bank Senior Vice President Bryan VonFeldt.
HaysMed Foundation Board President Chris Wente added, “It is inspiring to see businesses in our community show their support towards HaysMed. On behalf of all who will benefit, we extend our gratitude to the leadership of Astra Bank for their generosity.”
Endowment gifts are established to provide perpetual support for a project, program, or other needs of HaysMed. The fund is permanently invested with the earnings providing continuous revenue streams for the purpose specified by the donor.
Astra Bank’s vision and core values include a commitment to the communities in which they serve. Astra Bank was founded in 1911, is headquartered in Abilene, Kan., and operates locations in Kansas and Nebraska. The HaysMed Foundation was formed in 1995 and is a charitable, not-for- profit organization whose mission is to support HaysMed. The Foundation, in partnership with donors, seeks to meet immediate and long-range health care needs of the people of western Kansas. An 18-member volunteer board guides the efforts of the Foundation.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an armed robbery and have four suspects in custody.
Just after 2a.m. Friday, police responded to report of a robbery in progress at a home in the 1300 Block of West Dora in Wichita, according to officer Paul Cruz.
A witness observed four unknown suspects entering the back door and a window. When officers arrived, they surrounded the residence and made contact with the 40-year-old homeowner. She told police there were four intruders armed with a shotgun inside demanding property, cash and drugs.
During the incident, a 29-year-old suspect ran from the residence. A police K-9 unit apprehended him. The other three suspects including an 18-year-old and two 13-year-olds walked out of the residence and were taken into custody.
All four have been booked for aggravated residential robbery and weapons violation, according to Cruz. The 29-year-old was transported for treatment from a dog bite.
DEWEY COUNTY, OK —The suspect wanted in connection with Monday’s robbery at Newton’s First Bank south branch is in custody, according to the Dewey County Sheriff’s office.
Paris -photo courtesy Newton PD
On Thursday night, police arrested Martin L. Paris, 50, in Seiling, Oklahoma, in the northwest part of the state, according to a media release.
A tip from someone who recognized Paris from media coverage led police to the motel where he was staying. He was taken into custody without incident.
Paris is now being held at the Dewey County Jail. He had been on federal probation in Oklahoma for previous bank robberies.
The robbery in Newton occurred Monday evening at about 5:45 p.m., when a man entered the bank, 1404 South Kansas Avenue, and passed a note to the staff. The man left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash. No weapon was displayed.
Jerry A. Ross, 67, died on Wednesday, April 11, 2018, at his home in Russell, Kansas.
A celebration of Jerry’s life will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, at St. John Lutheran Church in Russell, Kansas, with Pastor Roger Dennis officiating. Burial will follow at St. John Lutheran Cemetery in Russell. Visitation will be from 9 A.M. to 8 P.M. on Tuesday, April 17, 2018, at the mortuary with family present to greet guests from 6 P.M. to 7 P.M. Tuesday evening.
Memorials may be given to Pheasants Forever or St. John Lutheran Church. Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in charge of the funeral service arrangements.
GEARY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects on drug charges after an Interstate 70 traffic stop.
Police seized 350 pounds of pot and $326,000 -Photo courtesy Sterling Heights Police
The Geary County Sheriff’s Department reported their drug interdiction unit made the traffic stop April 5, near Junction City, according to Sheriff Tony Wolf.
Deputies discovered 350 pounds of marijuana in the vehicle. The marijuana was intended for sale in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
Deputies arrested 2 suspects then made notifications to the Drug Enforcement Administration-Michigan Office for further investigation.
With swift and decisive action by the DEA Group 6, a collaborated effort between Sterling Heights Crime Suppression Unit, City of Warren Police Department and the Michigan State Police resulted in the arrest of one suspect in Sterling Heights the following day.
The hard work and perseverance of these officers lead to the forfeiture of $326,000 in cash, according to a media release.
Due to the investigation, the DEA did not release names of the suspects.
Jim Butler, a senior scientist and chief of the geohydrology section of the Kansas Geological Survey, was one of those on a panel that presented science findings during the 2018 Ogallala Aquifer Summit in Garden City.
Meeting helps citizens, officials from eight states to share ideas and concerns
By PAT MELGARES K-State Research and Extension
GARDEN CITY – More than 200 people from agriculture and other industries came together April 9-10 to discuss the challenges and opportunities for preserving groundwater in the Ogallala Aquifer region, a large resource that touches parts of eight states from South Dakota to Texas.
The Ogallala Aquifer Summit marked a key accomplishment in the 50-year water vision for Kansas, a plan set forth in 2013 by then Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback.
“The Ogallala was one of the two marquee parts of the governor’s 50-Year Water Vision, along with the reservoirs in the eastern part of the state,” said Tracy Streeter, director of the Kansas Water Office, which organized the summit along with Kansas State University and Colorado State University.
“This conference is very important in helping us achieve our goals under the 50-year water plan that the governor set us on three years ago.”
Dan Devlin, the director of the Kansas Water Research Institute at Kansas State University, noted that the meeting was also in response to citizen’s requests.
Tracy Streeter, director of the Kansas Water Office, encouraged participants of the 2018 Ogallala Aquifer Summit to continue the conversations and share information with others.
“It was really interesting back when Gov. Brownback was doing the meetings for the 50-Year Water Vision for Kansas, we heard at meeting after meeting from citizens that they wanted to talk to the other Ogallala states,” Devlin said. “They said, ‘we want to know what they’re doing. We want to know what we can learn from them and we can also share things.’”
The Ogallala Aquifer underlies 175,000 square miles, or about 112 million acres in parts of eight states. For nearly 80 years, farmers and communities have been using the aquifer for agriculture and public water supplies. The Ogallala supports about 30 percent of all U.S. crop and livestock production, accounting for an estimated $35 billion in agricultural products annually.
But the resource is dwindling…quickly. Southern parts of the aquifer – including many areas of Texas and New Mexico – are nearly dry and in western Kansas, an extremely productive agricultural region, wells are slowing down as the amount of water available to farmers is becoming increasingly scarce.
“When we are dealing with issues like the Ogallala Aquifer, addressing them from one state’s perspective is just not the best way to get something done,” said Jackie McClaskey, secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture, who participated in the two-day meeting.
“By pulling together all of the states impacted by the Ogallala it allows us to bring lots of great ideas and lots of minds and lots of folks together to really say how can we work together to address concerns in the Ogallala, whether that be decline or economic conditions surrounding the Ogallala…all the different types of issues that not only Kansans are concerned about, but all of the folks that live on the Ogallala.”
Summit participants heard presentations on science and research, technology, producer practices and water policy, and shared their views on each during small group sessions. Their opinions were compiled and will be part of a report due out later this year.
“For me, the importance of this meeting is just kind of listening to some of the concerns in the other states,” said Harold Grall, a farmer near Dumas, Texas. “We’re all pumping out of the same aquifer. Each of the states has its own set of rules and regulations on how they conserve water and I like hearing those different ideas.”
He added: “At times, it just seems because we’re depleting a finite source, that our time is limited, but talking to the people around here helps us to be hopeful that maybe we’ve got a longer time than we think.”
A common theme at the meeting was that farmers want to do what’s right and sustain the resource for generations to come. It wasn’t a message lost on 16-year-old Grace Roth, an officer in FFA and a Kansas Youth Water Advocate.
“It encourages me and also makes me feel kind of relieved because these people have a genuine care for the future and these people want to do something for our generation,” Roth said. “They want to take action today so that we can ensure our future; we can ensure the future not only of agriculture but also the future of our world.”
Roth, who gave an impassioned 10-minute talk during the meeting, said every person should be interested about issues that help to preserve and protect water.
“Just imagine if one day you turn on your sink and nothing came out,” she said. “How would you continue on with your life? It’s a very scary thought of not being able to prosper in the future.”
Much of the university research currently being conducted in the Ogallala Aquifer region is a result of a Coordinated Agriculture Project (CAP) grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. CAP grants are designed to involve researchers from many universities and organizations, and to communicate information to citizens.
“We want producers to be the voice that is spreading the message,” said the Kansas Water Office’s Streeter. “It’s one thing for ag departments, universities, water office folks to get up and tell these success stories, but it’s much better for the producers themselves to do it, and that voice does get heard by other producers.”
McClaskey added: “What I think is unique about (the Ogallala Summit) is that we have universities engaged, we have government agencies engaged, but most important we have farmers and ranchers engaged. And those are the folks that are going to hold the rest of us accountable to keep moving forward and make sure that progress happens.”
Learn more about work in the Ogallala Aquifer region by visiting https://www.ogallalawater.org.
Lawrence E. Schwindt, age 90, passed away on Sunday, April 8, 2018 in Great Bend, Kansas.
He was born February 7, 1928, in LaCrosse, Kansas, to Benjamin and Ella (Foos) Schwindt.
Lawrence graduated from the 8th grade in a country school in Trego County near the family farm, and then worked full time on his family farm. He loved to drive the tractors and trucks and he would tell you that John Deere is the Best. He was a very hard worker and when there was farming to be done, he was always up and in the field at the crack of dawn before anyone else was even up. He loved visiting and telling stories about working on the farm and the “old days” to anyone that would listen.
Lawrence loved to play baseball when he was younger and was very good at it. As he got older he enjoyed other games and was known as the “King of Dominos”. He was also the official “fly swatter”. He said that he worked hard enough when he was younger and swatting flies was relaxing and something he enjoyed doing. And besides…someone had to do it.
You would always see him wearing overalls, with the pockets full of ink pens and he wore a baseball cap most of the time. He collected thousands of pens in his life time and always had a few in his hand. And, if you ever left one laying around, it became part of His collection too. Lol. He also had a big collection of baseball caps. He loved ice cream, especially chocolate shakes, and bubble gum (by the million), he once said. He was easy to get along with and he had a good sense of humor and liked to make you laugh.
He was known by many in his later years as “Papa Bear” and “Grandpa”. He was loved by so many.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Mildred Brau and husband Albert; and brother, Benjamin Jr. He is survived by his brothers Delano Schwindt and wife Amelia of Utica, and Lyle Schwindt and wife Deana of Cheyenne Wells, Colorado.
Memorial service will be 11:00 a.m., Saturday, April 14, 2018, at Praise Fellowship Church, Ransom, Kansas. Inurnment will take place at a later date in WaKeeney City Cemetery.
Memorial contributions: the church, and may sent directly to 106 Old KS 4, Ransom, KS 67572.
Just after 2a.m. Friday, police responded to report of a robbery in progress at a home in the 1300 Block of West Dora in Wichita, according to officer Paul Cruz.
