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Month: April 2018
Search continues for suspect that prompted lockdown at 3 Kan. schools
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are asking the public for help to locate a suspect that prompted the lockdown of three Kansas schools Monday.
Just after 10a.m, a Shawnee County Sheriff’s deputy noticed a suspicious vehicle in a trailer park in the 5700 Block of N. Topeka Boulevard in Topeka, according to a media release.
The deputy attempted to circle back to the vehicle but the vehicle left the trailer park.
The deputy noticed the unoccupied vehicle parked in the Seaman Middle School with an individual walking towards the main entrance.
The deputy alerted school officials who placed the school in a soft lock down. In addition, Northern Hills Elementary and the Pleasant Hill Learning Campus was alerted and placed in a soft lock down. Seaman Middle School officials observed a male approach the main entrance to the middle school and briefly tried the locked doors.
They observed the individual then cross Topeka Boulevard to the west. School officials promptly relayed this information to law enforcement. Additional law enforcement arrived and searched the area.
The search continued until updated information was obtained indicating the individual was no longer in the area. Schools were alerted of the updated information and subsequently returned to normal building procedures.
Through the use of the school’s video footage along with interviews conducted at a residence in the 5700 block of N. Topeka, it was later determined the identity of the individual involved in this incident is Derek S. Devlin, 33, of Topeka.
Devlin has a Felony Warrant for Failure to Appear and a Misdemeanor Warrant for Driving While Suspended/Revoked. Anyone with information on Mr. Devlin is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 785-251-2200 or Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007.
This incident showed the effectiveness of the security protocol, and prompt communication between law enforcement and Seaman School Officials. USD 345 School Police and the Kansas Highway Patrol assisted with this incident.
HaysMed ER doc: Restrictions on emergency room use could be dangerous
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Anthem insurance recently made headlines for its policy on denying payment for some emergency room visits for non-emergencies.
The Anthem policy initially was rolled out in four states, but that did not include Kansas.
Officials at HaysMed said its billing department has not had patients say they had problems with denial of payment for emergency room visits.
However, HaysMed emergency room doctor Dr. Derek Yarmer recently talked to the Hays Post about when it is appropriate to use the ER and what he thought the effect of possible denial of coverage for ER visits might have on patients.
Emergency rooms cover a wide array of conditions in part because they are always open and can usually perform diagnostic tests quickly, Yarmer said.
He said it can be difficult to distinguish if a person is having a health crisis until a doctor has run a battery of tests.
“It is so hard to define,” Yarmer said. “Someone falls awkwardly on their ankle. If it is a sprain, it is not an emergency. If it is broken, it needs to be splinted. You don’t know until you get the X-ray.”
Symptoms that definitely should result in a trip to the ER include chest pain, symptoms of a stroke and bad infections.
On the opposite extreme, maladies such as earaches, coughs, colds, and bumps and bruises are probably conditions that can be addressed by a primary care physician or at urgent care.
Cost is the primary reason insurance companies have sought to rein in emergency room visits.
The base charge for a trip to the ER is $1,000 in Hays. An office visit to a primary care provider runs about $105, and the cost of a visit to urgent care is the same.
In an addition to higher costs, ERs doctors complete more complex and often more costly tests than primary care doctors.
“I am boarded in emergency medicine, so if you come to the ER, you basically declare you have an emergency,” Yarmer said. “It is my job to prove you do or don’t. If you do, then I treat it. We do a lot more CT scans trying to find something wrong as opposed to the mindset of a primary care doctor where they will see you in clinic where they will do some blood work and see you back in a day or two. We don’t have that luxury. We have one shot to prove or disprove you have an emergency.”
Receiving care for non-emergent conditions from a primary care physician can not only be cheaper but better for the patient.
The American Academy of Family Physicians reported in 2015 that a study in California indicated those who maintained a relationship with a primary care physician were less likely to use the emergency room or be admitted to the hospital.
Nadereh Pourat, Ph. D, noted in an article for the AAFP on her study those patients who received regular primary care received preventive care such as medication management, weight management and exercise plans.
Data from the HaysMed indicated 23.6 percent people served in the ER did not report having a primary care physician, but it is not necessarily because they didn’t have insurance. Self-pay patients made up 9.5 percent of those served at the HaysMed ER.
Regardless of insurance or primary care status, the majority of Americans are saying they are using the ER because they think they have a condition serious enough to warrant it. A National Health Statistics Study released in 2016 indicated 77 percent of respondents age 18 to 64 went to the ER because of the seriousness of their condition, 12 percent went because their doctors’ offices were closed, 7 percent went because of lack of access to other care and the rest gave no reason.
Although there may be benefits in encouraging patients to seek care from a primary care physician, Yarmer said policies that create fear of denial for ER care can be detrimental. Yarmer gave another example.
“You don’t know if it is an emergency until we do some testing,” he said. “People come in for chest pain that ends up being acid reflux. Two totally different things, but if you are having a heart attack, that is definitely an emergency, but acid reflux isn’t. You don’t know until you get the testing done to rule it out.
“I think if you start limiting access to the emergency department or (create) fear of being penalized financially for it, then people probably won’t come in for their chest pain,” he said.
Attempts have been made in the past to curtail ER use, Yarmer said, but he said it is difficult for the average person to know when a condition is not an emergency.
“I think it is dangerous to threaten people with not paying for them to be seen. I can understand the insurance companies want efficient care. There are a lot of things that we see in the ER that could be seen in a different clinic, but I think once you start threatening to not reimburse, there are going to be people who have bad outcomes — missed heart attacks, missed strokes — things like that. People are going to be just too worried about the bill.”
Clock Ticking, Republicans Try, Fall Short On School Spending Bill
By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN
Republicans in the Kansas House couldn’t win enough votes Monday to increase school funding by hundreds of millions of dollars. Conservatives in their own party thought it was too much money, Democrats said it was too little.
SCOTT CANON / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
House Majority Leader Don Hineman said legislative leaders would keep working toward a compromise and could come back with a fresh proposal on Tuesday.
“Hopefully we have a different outcome tomorrow,” he said late Monday, but added that the bill as written is “all we can afford at this point in time.”
Republican and Democratic legislators on both sides of the aisle have signaled they want to avoid a tax hike after passing a politically painful a $1.2 billion increase last year.
The bill that failed Monday by a 65-55 vote sought to end a school finance lawsuit by ratcheting up spending over the next five years. By the end of that period, annual school funding would be half a billion dollars higher than what was already budgeted for next school year.
Rep. Ed Trimmer tried but failed to tack on an extra $295 million to the ultimate annual increase to help schools deal with the effects of inflation. The Democrat said the bill, as it was designed, shortchanged schools on that front.
“I was trying to make it a true cost of living,” he said. “At least it was an improvement, getting us more on the right road.”
Democratic Minority Leader Jim Ward voted against the bill and said if Republicans want to bring in votes from his side of the aisle, they should consult with school districts suing the state about what would resolve the lawsuit.
The proposal to include more money to cover inflation appeared to take its cue from the districts pressing legal challenges on state funding. Their lawyers were listed on an informational sheet Democrats distributed during a caucus meeting earlier in the day.
An amendment from Republican Rep. Brenda Landwehr might have attracted more conservative votes, but at the cost of moderate ones.
Landwehr proposed allowing publicly funded vouchers for parents to send their children to private schools if the Kansas Supreme Court cuts off funding to public schools.
Rep. Chuck Weber, another Republican, said a policy like that could have won him over.
“We want to keep our kids going to school some place,” he said. “(Landwehr’s proposal) would have put pressure on the court to see how ludicrous it is to shut down our schools.”
The Kansas Supreme Court could block distribution of money to schools in the course of finding a funding law unconstitutional. The closest Kansas has come to that situation was in 2005.
Meanwhile, Senate Republicans may pass their own plan out of committee on Tuesday. That bill is dwarfed by the House proposal that failed. It would add $50 to $60 million in funding for schools.
Sen. Molly Baumgardner, chair of the Senate school finance committee, said the idea is to address the court’s concerns by targeting extra money at early childhood education and other programs known to help students achieve.
Both the failed House bill and the Senate bill that could advance Tuesday propose funding increases that come on top of the $300 million approved by the Legislature last year. Most of that boost took effect this school year, and the final third will be phased in next school year.
The chairman of the House tax committee had said the House’s $500 million plan could be done without a tax hike. Yet a few months ago lawmakers balked at, and were even angered by, a similar proposal from then-Gov. Sam Brownback on his way out of office.
Meanwhile, a proposal to amend the state constitution to prevent schools from battling out funding levels in court will have a hearing Tuesday.
Attorney General Derek Schmidt urged the House Judiciary Committee to let Kansans weigh in by putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot.
After decades of sparing with the court over whether they’re providing “suitable” funding for public schools, Schmidt said, lawmakers appear as deeply divided as ever.
“I don’t think we’re closer to having a clear answer after a thousand plus pages (of studies and litigation) then we were when we started,” he told the committee.
The brand-new lobbying coalition behind the push announced their membersMonday. They include the Kansas Chamber, Kansas Farm Bureau, the Kansas Contractors Association and others.
Jim McLean of the Kansas News Service contributed to this story.
Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service. You can reach her on Twitter @Celia_LJ.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on Kansas legislators’ debate over increasing spending on public schools (all times local):
5 p.m.
The Kansas House has rejected a proposal to phase in a $522 million increase in aid to the state’s public schools over five years.
The vote Monday was 65-55 against giving first-round approval to a bill that Republican leaders believed would meet a Kansas Supreme Court mandate to boost education funding. The court ruled in October that the state’s current spending of more than $4 billion a year is not sufficient under the state constitution.
Leaders of the House’s GOP majority immediately scheduled another debate on school funding for Tuesday.
Many Democrats did not think the spending increase was big enough, while some conservative Republicans wouldn’t support the increase in the bill.
GOP leaders said the measure was about as much as the state could afford without increasing taxes.
___
3:35 p.m.
Republican lawmakers in Kansas have blocked an attempt by Democrats to add more spending to a five-year education funding plan designed to satisfy a court mandate to boost state aid to public schools.
The House debated a bill Monday to phase in a $522 million increase in funding over five years. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled in October that the state’s current aid of more than $4 billion a year is not adequate under the state constitution.
Democratic Rep. Ed Trimmer of Winfield proposed making the increase in aid $295 million higher so the state would phase in an increase of $817 million over five years.
The vote was 76-46 against his amendment. Republican leaders said the bill is as much as the state can afford without raising taxes.
High wind warning Tuesday
Today Scattered sprinkles before 11am. Areas of blowing dust after 9am. Mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 46. Very windy, with a north northwest wind 32 to 40 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph.
Critical fire risk today due to dry & very windy conditions across SW Kansas. A Red Flag Warning & a High Wind Warning are in effect #KSWX pic.twitter.com/ccfPbzMwvM
— NWS Dodge City (@NWSDodgeCity) April 3, 2018
Tonight Clear, with a low around 19. Windy, with a north wind 23 to 28 mph becoming light and variable.
Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 63. Windy, with a south southwest wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 21 to 26 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 36 mph.
Wednesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. Breezy, with a south wind 16 to 21 mph decreasing to 9 to 14 mph after midnight.
ThursdayMostly sunny, with a high near 68.
Thursday NightMostly cloudy, with a low around 31.
FridayA chance of snow and freezing rain before 8am, then a chance of snow between 8am and 5pm, then a slight chance of rain and snow after 5pm. Cloudy, with a high near 35. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
State launches “My (Re)Employment Plan” workforce program
OFFICE OF GOV.
TOPEKA – In an effort to match unemployed job seekers with Kansas employers looking to hire workers, Governor Jeff Colyer, M.D., is proud to announce the state of Kansas has launched “My (Re)Employment Plan,” a program that blends enhanced workforce services with personal responsibility to get Kansans back to work faster.
The collaboration between the Kansas Department of Labor, Kansas Department of Commerce and the KANSASWORKS Workforce System will provide enhanced reemployment services to Kansans who are unemployed and looking for work. The program, called “My (Re)Employment Plan” connects unemployment recipients with workforce service professionals in their area. Unemployed Kansans who are receiving benefits will be provided, free of charge, personalized job search assistance, including:
- Creation of a personalized “My (Re)Employment” Plan that focuses on goals and accountability
- Skills assessment to match interests and skills with occupations
- Resume, interview, and networking assistance
- Labor market information highlighting current in-demand jobs
To emphasize the importance of a planned, dedicated job search to match unemployed workers with jobs, individuals who fail, without good cause, to participate in this free of charge service will lose unemployment benefits until such time as they can demonstrate a reasonable job search. The program is designed to help people achieve their reemployment goals and to reduce time spent on unemployment.
Kansas jobseekers assigned for My (Re)Employment Plan services will be referred to one of 21 KANSASWORKS facilities throughout the state. Participants will be notified by mail around the midpoint of their unemployment claim. The notification will provide appointment details, including where and when the jobseeker will receive services, and the steps they need to take to better prepare for a successful job search.
“Kansas is experiencing low unemployment and Kansas businesses are ready to hire qualified workers,” said Governor Jeff Colyer. “The My (Re)Employment Plan program will connect unemployed job seekers with the 48,000 job openings at businesses across the state.”
“Workforce needs is one of the top concerns of the Kansas business community. The Kansas Chamber and its members appreciate the increased focus on getting Kansans back to work when there are thousands of open jobs and employment is at near record highs,” stated Alan Cobb, President and CEO of the Kansas Chamber.
“Kansas SHRM supports efforts to connect unemployed individuals with job opportunities. A planned job search that emphasizes the importance of networking and access to quality job search tools will benefit both those looking for employment and employers,” said Shelbye Smith, State Council Director of Kansas SHRM.
“NFIB’s latest Small Business Economic Trends survey found that ‘quality of labor’ is the No. 1 problem facing America’s small-business owners,” NFIB State Director Dan Murray said. “The My (Re)Employment Plan Workforce Program is welcome news to Kansas small businesses that are struggling to find qualified applicants to fill must-needed jobs.”
“I know all the Local Workforce Development Boards in Kansas are constantly hearing from employers seeking talent and this initiative will assist in connecting job seekers to the large number of career opportunities available throughout Kansas,” said Keith Lawing, CEO, Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas.
“The Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Kansas, which is recognized as the ‘Chamber of Commerce of the Kansas Construction Industry,’ applauds Governor Colyer’s focus on workforce development for Kansas. This is a key issue, as the construction industry in the state needs 8-10,000 new workers over the next few years to meet demand that is driven by an enhanced state economy and the retirement of our baby boom generation of workers,” stated Mike Gibson, AGC of Kansas Executive Vice President.
“This commonsense initiative by Governor Colyer couldn’t come at a better time for our state’s employers, especially those in advanced manufacturing,” added Gary Plummer, President and CEO of the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce. “We’re excited about the future prospects in this high paying industry sector and creating a pathway to connect those needing work with those firms that need workers is a wise and welcome program.”
Kansas vet fights to keep adopted child from deportation
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas couple has filed a lawsuit in hopes of reversing federal immigration officials’ decision not to allow their adopted Korean-born daughter to become a U.S. citizen.
Army veteran Patrick Schreiber and his wife finalized their niece’s adoption in 2014 when she was 17, The Kansas City Star reported. She now studies at the University of Kansas but may soon be deported.
Schreiber said an adoption attorney informed him he had until his niece turned 18 to adopt her. But a federal statute says children brought into the country must be adopted before age 16 for access to U.S. citizenship.
“The law clearly says that if you’re 16 or older when adopted, you cannot derive citizenship from your parents,” said USCIS spokewoman Sharon Rummery. “We don’t make the law. That’s the job of Congress.”
The girl arrived legally in the U.S. with a student visa at the age of 15 after family problems in Korea prompted the Schreibers to host her in 2012. Schreiber said he and wife put their niece’s adoption on hold after the military called him to Afghanistan in 2013.
“I should have put my family ahead of the Army,” Schreiber said.
Now Schreiber is determined to keep his family together, even if it means moving back to South Korea.
“Yes, she loves the United States. But our biggest concern is staying together as a family,” Schreiber said.
The Scheibers’ attorney, Rekha Sharma-Crawford, said the immigration system “really is broken.”
UPDATE: Substitute Kan. teacher charged with sex with teen
CLOUD COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a woman for alleged sex crimes involving a student.
Just after 2p.m. March 29, police arrested Nicole Reed, 42 of Clyde, at Concordia Junior-Senior High School in the 400 Block of West 10th Street on a Cloud County warrant, according to Concordia Police. Reed worked as a substitute teacher with USD 333.
Charging documents say that on or about the Fourth of July in 2015, Reed had unlawful sexual relations with a boy who was at least 14 but not yet 16. She also is accused of soliciting the teen previously.
Reed was held on a $20,000 Bond for for aggravated indecent liberties with a child and indecent solicitation of a child.
Her first court appearance is April 11, according to the Cloud County Attorney.
On March 26, police arrested 53-year-old Kevin Johnson. The USD 333 vocal music teacher is charged with unlawful sexual relations, according to the Cloud County Attorney.
The AP contributed to this report.
Police identify Kan. man who died in weekend shooting
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and asking for help to locate suspect.
Just after 11:45 p.m. Friday, police responded to a shooting call at the Sugar Creek Apartments located in the 2500 Block of south Oliver in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.
Upon arrival officers located a 36-year-old man identified as Darren Williams who had multiple gunshot wounds. Williams died of his injuries at the scene, according to Davidson.
Through the investigation it was determined the victim arrived at the apartments with his 35-year-old girlfriend to meet with an individual. After arriving on scene a disturbance ensued between the victim and an unknown suspect and multiple shots were fired by the suspect which struck the victim.
The suspect is described as an unknown black male, approximately 5-foot-7. Police have no addition details.
If anyone has any additional information please call Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111 or WPD Detectives at 316-268-4407. This was not a random incident, and is the eleventh homicide in Wichita for 2018, according to Davidson.
Listen to Tiger Talk with Fort Hays State softball coach Adrian Pilkington and baseball coach Steve Johnson
Click below to listen to Tiger Talk with the “Voice of the Tigers” Gerard Wellbrock and Fort Hays State softball coach Adrian Pilkington and baseball coach Steve Johnson.
Tiger Talk airs on Monday evening at 6 p.m. on Tiger Radio Mix-103.
Officials: 2 dead in Kansas garage fire
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An investigation continues into a fire that killed two people near Topeka.
The fire broke out Sunday in a garage north of Topeka. The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office identified the victims as 56-year-old Phil Lee, who died at the scene, and 83-year-old Patricia Lee, who died later Sunday at a hospital.
Foul play is not suspected. Fire crews contained the blaze to the garage of the home.
Vernon J. ‘Vern’ Basgall
Vernon J. “Vern” Basgall, 76, Hays, died Sunday, April 1, 2018 at his home in Hays.
He was born March 15, 1942 in Hays the son of Jerome and Regina (Urban) Basgall. In 1960 he graduated from Victoria High School and attended Fort Hays State University for one year. On August 22, 1964 he was united in marriage to Betty Morrison in Loretto, Kansas. She preceded him in death on March 17, 2004. Vern was an Engineer Tech 4 with the Kansas Department of Transportation until his retirement. He enjoyed golf, bowling, fishing, hunting, camping, and spending time with his grandsons. He was a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church.
Survivors include two daughters; Ruth Renee’ Kuhn of Hays and Lisa Marie Fuller of Tuscon, AZ, a grandson; Kevin Kuhn and wife Crystal of Hays, a brother; Dan Basgall and wife Linda of Hays, and a sister; Shirley Gottschalk of Manhattan, Kansas.
He was preceded in death by his wife Betty, his parents, and a grandson Kyle Kuhn.
Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 am on Friday, April 6, 2018 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 1805 Vine Street, with Fr. Leo Blasi and Fr. John Schmeidler officiating. Burial will follow in the LaCrosse City Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 pm until 8:00 on Thursday and from 9:00 am until 9:45 on Friday, all at the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 1906 Pine Street. A parish vigil service will be at 7:00 pm on Thursday at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested in Vern’s memory to the Fort Hays Municipal Golf Course, in care of the funeral home. Condolences may be left for the family at www.haysmemorial.com
Richard L. ‘Rich’ Shubert
Richard L. “Rich” Shubert, 71, Hays, died Sunday, April 1, 2018 at his home in Hays.
He was born June 30, 1946 in Hays the son of Cecil and Arlene (Boyer) Shubert. He attended school in Plainville, Kansas and then went on to receive his firefighting training. On September 17, 1966 he was united in marriage to Ruth A. Blagrave in Plainville, Kansas. He was a firefighter with the Hays Fire Department for 30 years, beginning in 1972 until his retirement in 2002. He then enjoyed over thirteen years as Chief of the Ellis County Fire Department Rural District #2. He was a member of the Firefighters Relief Association and he enjoyed hunting, fishing, collecting firefighter memorabilia including patches from all over the world, ATVing, and volunteering at the Hays Fire Department Museum.
Survivors include his wife Ruth, of the home in Hays, a son; Robert Leon “Bob” Shubert and wife Ashley of Hays, a daughter; Stacey Renee Graves and husband Joseph of Cedar Hill, Texas, two sisters; Lois McGuire and husband Jim of Longdale, OK and Barbara Leikam of Hays, eight grandchildren; Joshua, Alec, Zachary, Joey, Shannon, Abigail, Allison, and Thomas, six great grandchildren; AnnaSophia, Addysen, Amelia, Olivia, Tanner, and Leon, and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and an infant brother; William Herbert Shubert.
Funeral services will be at 10:00 am on Thursday, April 5, 2018 at the North Oak Community Church, 3000 Oak Street, Hays, with Pastor Ken Ediger officiating. Burial with honors by the Hays Fire Department and Ellis County Fire Department will follow in the Plainville Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5:00 pm until 7:00 on Wednesday at the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 1906 Pine Street, and from 9:00 am until service time on Thursday at the church. Memorials are suggested to Hays Fire Department Museum in care of the Firefighters Relief Association, PO Box 85, Hays, Kansas 67601. Condolences may be left for the family at www.haysmemorial.com