July 2018 – Page 73 – Hays Post Archive

HPD Activity Log June 29 & 30, July 1

Posted on July 3, 2018July 2, 2018

The Hays Police Department responded to 10 animal calls and conducted 24 traffic stops Fri., June 29, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Driving Under the Influence–300 block W 8th St, Hays; 12:25 AM
Drug Offenses–400 block W 5th St, Hays; 1:28 AM; 2:47 AM
Suspicious Person–4500 block Hoover Dr, Hays; 1:44 AM
Water Use Violation–2900 block Walnut St, Hays; 5:52 AM
Animal At Large–1000 block E 15th St, Hays; 7:54 AM
Suspicious Person–3800 block Willow St, Hays; 8:20 AM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–32nd and Vine St Frontage Rd, Hays; 8:49 AM
Suspicious Person–1000 block Reservation Rd, Hays; 9:38 AM
Animal At Large–11th St and Fort St, Hays; 10:01 AM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–1300 block Lawrence Dr, Hays; 10:23 AM
Suspicious Activity–500 block W 17th St, Hays; 12:26 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–1200 block Main St, Hays; 1:13 PM
Fraud–2700 block Elm St, Hays; 2:11 PM
Animal Cruelty/Neglect–2200 block Canterbury Dr, Hays; 2:49 PM
Harassment, Telephone/FAX–300 block E 11th St, Hays; 5:10 PM
Animal Cruelty/Neglect–200 block E 11th, Hays; 6:20 PM
Welfare Check–200 block W 6th St, Hays; 7:06 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–500 block W 12th St, Hays; 9:59 PM
Liquor Offense, sell, furnish, transport–300 block E 18th St, Hays; 11:12 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–4100 block Vine St, Hays; 11:36 PM; 11:36 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 4 animal calls and conducted 15 traffic stops Sat., June 30, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Suspicious Person–2800 block Hall St, Hays; 12:239 AM
Intoxicated Subject–500 block W 17th St, Hays; 1:42 AM
Battery on LEO–1400 block Walnut St, Hays; 2:55 AM
Abandoned Vehicle–400 block E 19th St, Hays; 9:39 AM
Found/Lost Property–2600 block Donald Dr, Hays; 10:45 AM
Animal Bite Investigation–200 block Northridge Dr, Hays; 11:23 AM
Criminal Transport–1300 block Kansas Highway 264, Larned; 1:34 PM
Animal At Large–2500 block E 19th St, Hays; 2:14 PM
Drug Offenses–3200 block Vine St, Hays; 6/29 3 PM; 6/30 11 AM
MV Accident-Private Property–3600 block Vine St, Hays; 4:21 PM
Suspicious Activity–100 block W 38th St, Hays; 5:14 PM
MV Accident-Hit and Run–1100 block Centennial Blvd, Hays; 12 AM; 5:26 PM
MV Accident /DUI–24th and Main St, Hays; 7:19 PM
Lost Animals ONLY–1200 block Donald Dr, Hays; 8:14 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 10 animal calls and conducted 12 traffic stops Sun., July 1, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Violation of Restraining Order/PFA–100 block E 7th St, Hays; 12:35 AM
Suspicious Person–2300 block Vine St, Hays; 2:27 AM
Mental Health Call–2900 block Ash St, Hays; 6:37 AM
Animal At Large–100 block W 34th St, Hays; 9:21 AM
Animal At Large–1200 block Maple St, Hays; 9:52 AM
Drug Offenses–4200 block Vine St, Hays; 10:17 AM
Animal At Large–27th and Fort St, Hays; 11:21 AM
Wildlife Incident–1500 block US 183 Alt Hwy, Hays; 11:39 AM
Dead Animal Call–1000 block E 8th St, Hays; 12:26 PM
Unwanted Person–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 1:21 PM
Criminal Threat–100 block W 11th St, Hays; 2:01 PM
Civil Dispute–2700 block Vine St, Hays; 2:32 PM
Theft (general)–200 block W 10th St, Hays; 2:54 PM
Drug Offenses–1000 block E 41st St, Hays; 3:21 PM; 3:35 PM
Animal Injured–25th St and Donald Dr, Hays; 4:57 PM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–1200 block Canterbury Dr, Hays; 6:12 PM
MV Accident-Private Property-Hit and Run–200 block E 28th St, Hays; 8 PM; 8:08 PM
Found/Lost Property–300 block W 43rd St, Hays; 8:09 PM
Civil Dispute–500 block Vine St, Hays; 9:46 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–3600 block Vine St, Hays; 10:30 PM; 10:48 PM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–3400 block Vine St, Hays; 11:33 PM

HPD Activity Log July 2

Posted on July 3, 2018July 3, 2018

The Hays Police Department responded to 9 animal calls and conducted 17 traffic stops Mon., July 2, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Drug Offenses–400 block W 4th St, Hays; 12:28 AM
Mental Health Call–400 block W 5th St, Hays; 5:55 AM
Theft (general)–1300 block Lawrence Dr, Hays; 8:16 AM
Theft (general)–400 block E 19th St, Hays; 8:35 AM
Child in Need of Care–2200 block Canterbury Dr, Hays; 11:08 AM
Animal At Large–1000 block E 29th St, Hays; 11:18 AM
Civil Dispute–400 block W 4th St, Hays; 12:10 PM
Lost Animals ONLY–400 block W 23rd St, Hays; 1:10 PM
Theft (general)–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 1:20 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–300 block W 13th St, Hays; 1:40 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–2900 block Vine St, Hays; 3:35 PM; 3:37 PM
Animal At Large–3300 block Willow St, Hays; 3:47 PM
Criminal Trespass–500 block E 20th St, Hays; 4:43 PM
MV Accident-Co Road/St Hwy–27th St and Woodrow, Hays; 5:09 PM
Water Use Violation–400 block E 13th St, Hays–5:10 PM
MV Accident-Co Road/St Hwy–100 block W 14th St, Hays; 5:11 PM
Unwanted Person–1800 block Pine St, Hays; 5:56 PM
Harassment, Telephone/FAX–1100 block E 22nd St, Hays; 6:10 PM
Water Use Violation–1700 block Marshall Rd, Hays; 6:48 PM
Found/Lost Property–600 block E 13th St, Hays; 7:41 PM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–3300 block Vine St, Hays; 8:18 PM
Civil Dispute–3700 block Canal Blvd, Hays; 8:49 PM

Hot, windy Tuesday

Posted on July 3, 2018July 3, 2018

Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 98. Breezy, with a south wind 11 to 16 mph increasing to 17 to 22 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. Breezy, with a south wind 10 to 20 mph.

Independence Day Mostly sunny, with a high near 96. South wind 11 to 16 mph.

Wednesday Night A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southeast wind 5 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 91. Southeast wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday Night A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68.

FridayA 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85.
Friday NightA 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65.

Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.

Hays school board approves Chromebook study; elects Fox as president

Posted on July 3, 2018July 2, 2018

By CRISTINA JANNEY

Hays Post

Mandy Fox was elected president and Mike Walker was elected vice president of the Hays school board Monday night.

The Hays school board approved a pilot program to study the use of Chromebooks in the district at its meeting Monday night.

The program will include purchasing Chromebooks for students at the Learning Center, a middle school class and an elementary school class.

The total cost for 70 Chromebooks, licensing and teacher training will be $22,543.

The board recently approved the purchase of Dell computers for high school students. During that debate, some board members expressed frustration the technology committee did not present an option with Chromebooks. They thought Chromebooks might be a cheaper option.

Superintendent John Thissen said the real test of the pilot would be of the Google platform compared to the Microsoft Suite, which the district uses now.

Board member Sophia Rose Young voted against the pilot program, saying she was not convinced a switch to Chromebooks would save the district money. She said she was concerned about the cost of training on a new system. She said her employer, Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas has been in the midst of a conversion to Google since she has been with the organization. Some systems are still not converted to Google.

“This could be bigger beast than a little study on a laptop,” she said.

Thissen said the investment would not be wasted if the district decided not to transition to Chromebooks. He said the computers would be used in the district in some way.

Board reorganization

The board elected Mandy Fox, former board vice president, as the new president of the board. It elected Mike Walker as the new vice president of the board. Lance Bickle vacated the position of president after serving three years.

The board approved a number of other annual appointments, but delayed board president appointments so nominations could be taken. Those included Hays Recreation Commission, Early Childhood Connections Policy Council, Hays Area Children’s Center Board, Technology Committee and USD 489 Foundation for Excellence Board.

More on the bond

At the end of the meeting, board member Luke Oborny asked if the board needed to direct the superintendent to collect opinions from the public through town halls or a survey since the board voted last week to delay any action on a bond until January.

Board president Mandy Fox said she thought the vote last week directed the administration to do nothing until January.

Board member Paul Adams said he wanted communicated to the public their opinions are valued and there are many opportunities to communicate with board, including attending board meetings and speaking during the audience participation period.

Other business:

• Sarah Wasinger of the USD 489 Foundation gave a report on a dinner and auction the foundation will conduct on Nov. 3. Proceeds will go toward security upgrades at USD 489 schools. The foundation hopes to raise $50,000 toward the cost of the upgrades, which are being done this summer.

• Student handbook revisions were approved

Lindor has 2 HRs, 7 RBIs as Indians beat Royals

Posted on July 3, 2018

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Francisco Lindor homered twice, including a grand slam, and finished with a career-high seven RBIs as the Cleveland Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 9-3 on Monday night.

Corey Kluber (12-4), who failed to make it out of the second inning in his previous start at St. Louis, gave up two runs in the first, but little after that. He allowed three runs and seven hits, walked none and struck out five over six innings.

Lindor homered in the fourth after Yan Gomes singled and Jakob Junis hit Tyler Naquin and Rajai Davis with pitches. He added a three-run homer in the sixth to finish Junis’ evening. Lindor has 17 home runs and 54 RBIs in 54 games against the Royals.

Davis had three hits and scored three runs.

Junis (5-10) has lost his last seven starts and is tied with teammate Jason Hammel for most losses in the American League. He has yielded a major league-high 24 home runs, including 12 in his last five starts over 27 innings.

Whit Merrifield homered on Kluber’s third pitch for his fourth career leadoff home run. Salvador Perez singled home Mike Moustakas, who had doubled, in an 11-pitch at-bat for the other Kansas City run in the first.

Jorge Bonifacio logged his first RBI of the season in the Kansas City sixth after being suspended the first 80 games for taking a performance enhancing drug.

The Royals have lost 23 of their last 28 games. They are tied with the Baltimore Orioles for the most losses in the majors with 54. They scored four runs or fewer for the 23rd time in the last 24 games.

ROYALS SIGN FIRST-ROUND PICK

The Royals signed right-hander Jackson Kowar, a first-round compensation selection and the 33rd overall pick, to a $2.118.700 signing bonus. He went 10-5 with a 3.04 ERA as a Florida junior.

GOODBYE LEBRON

LeBron James has left the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Los Angeles Lakers. “If someone gave me $154 million I’d probably go somewhere too,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “He did what he said he was going to do. He got them a championship. When you’re a free agent, you’ve earned that right. I will miss him, because I loved going to games when he played. It’s hard to begrudge somebody. He earned it.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians: RF Lonnie Chisenhall was a late scratch with a strained left calf. … RHP Danny Salazar underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in Dallas. “It just kind of came to a point,” Francona said. “That’s the last option. You try everything else before you go into somebody’s shoulder. The good side is there was no structural (damage). The rotator cuff was good. They cleaned him out. It’s a shame we lost him for the whole year.”

UP NEXT

Indians: RHP Shane Bieber is 3-0 with a 2.22 ERA in his first four big league starts.

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy is winless in six home starts this season, going 0-3 with a 6.32 ERA.

UPDATE: Kan. man accused in murder of sister’s boyfriend captured

Posted on July 3, 2018July 3, 2018

NOBLE COUNTY, OK —The Kansas man who fled the scene of a fatal weekend shooting in Wichita is in custody in Oklahoma, according to Wichita Police officer Paul Cruz

Robert G.Hill -photo Noble County Sheriff

Robert Hill is being held in Perry, Oklahom after state troopers arrested him at a bus stop there Monday, according to the Noble County Sheriff’s Department.

Just after 2 a.m. Saturday, Hill allegedly shot and killed his sister’s boyfriend Patrick Ball-Morse, 23, during argument at at apartment in the 800 Block of west 26th Street South, according to Wichita Police Lt. Todd Ojile.

Hill has previous convictions for drugs, assault and theft, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

————

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and searching for a suspect.

Just after 2a.m. Saturday, police responded to a shooting in the 800 Block of west 26^th Street South in Wichita, according to Lt. Todd Ojile. Police located a 23-year-old man identified as Patrick Ball-Morse dead from a single gunshot wound in an apartment, according to Ojile.

Investigators learned that Ball-Morse and his 25-year-old girlfriend were at the residence moving items out an apartment. The girlfriend and her 34-year-old brother got into an argument. The brother brought out a handgun. According to investigators, Ball-Morse attempted to intervene when he was shot and killed.

Robert G. Hill is considered armed and dangerous

Immediately after the shooting, the suspect identified as Robert G. Hill fled the area, according to Ojile. Hill has outstanding warrants in Sedgwick County and is considered to be armed and dangerous.

He has previous convictions for drugs, assault and theft, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Anyone with any information on Hill is asked to call 911.

This is the 27^th homicide in Wichita in 2018.

Judge sets trial for online gamers in Kan. hoax call case

Posted on July 3, 2018July 3, 2018

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has set a fall trial date for two online gamers whose alleged dispute over video game bet ultimately led police to fatally shoot a Kansas man while responding to a hoax call.

Police body camera images of The December 28, fatal response to a hoax call -courtesy Wichita Police

U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren on Monday scheduled a Sept. 4 jury trial for 18-year-old Casey Viner of North College Hill, Ohio, and 19-year-old Shane Gaskill of Wichita. They are charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, wire fraud and other counts.

Prosecutors allege Viner became upset while playing the Call of Duty WWII video game and asked 25-year-old Tyler Barriss of Los Angeles to “swat” Gaskill, the practice of making a false report to get emergency responders to descend on an address.

A police officer fatally shot 28-year-old Andrew Finch after he opened the door.

KDHE welcomes KanCare Liaison

Posted on July 2, 2018July 4, 2018

KDHE

TOPEKA – Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Secretary Jeff Andersen is pleased to welcome Kolloh Nimley to serve as the agency’s KanCare Liaison. She will work closely with the KDHE divisions of Public Health and Health Care Finance to identify gaps in health care services. She will also collaborate with contractors, stakeholders, policymakers, legislators and the general public to improve health care outcomes.

“Our Public Health and Medicaid programs serve the same populations, so it is important that we focus on comprehensive services that promote Kansans’ well-being,” said Governor Jeff Colyer. “I am pleased that we now have a designated individual who will look for data-driven solutions to assist KanCare consumers.”

Monday, July 2 was Nimley’s first day on the job. She has a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of North Dakota, a master’s in political science from the University of Oklahoma and is a doctoral candidate in health care administration at Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio. She has more than 19 years of experience in policy work, addressing public health, global health and health care policy in the United Kingdom, State of Minnesota and the International Medical Graduates program with the State of Minnesota, similar to Kansas’ J-1 Visa Waiver program.

Nimley will, among other duties, work with KanCare Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) in reviewing data related to KanCare recipients to identify gaps in coverage where an existing program may provide a benefit to consumers. She will work in the Office of the Secretary, in Topeka.

“We are pleased that Kolloh has joined KDHE,” said Secretary Andersen. “Her extensive education and experience will be an asset in building bridges and connectivity between the Kansas Medicaid program and public health offerings—contributing to our efforts to take a more holistic approach to the health care of Kansans.”

KDHE’s Division of Public Health includes the following bureaus: Community Health Systems, Disease Control and Prevention, Epidemiology and Public Health Informatics, Family Health, Health Promotion, Oral Health and the Center for Performance Management.

KDHE’s Division of Health Care Finance includes KanCare, Electronic Health Records, Medicaid Program Integrity, the State Employee Health Plan, Office of Inspector General, Projections and Informatics, and Health Information Technology and the Health Information Exchange.

The KanCare Liaison is different from the KanCare Ombudsman position, which is designed to assist KanCare consumers directly with case-specific concerns.

Kansas shooting victim hospitalized, facing drug charges

Posted on July 2, 2018July 2, 2018

SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug charges after a weekend shooting.

Just after 8p.m. Saturday, police were sent to the 800 Block of Sherman after report of a shooting, according to Captain Paul Forrester.

When officers arrived they found an uncooperative 28-year-old Joseph Valdez suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper left thigh. He was taken to Salina Regional Health Center for treatment of the wound.

Officers obtained a search warrant for the home and recovered a .380 Taurus handgun, one spent shell casing, about an ounce of meth, and digital scales.

Once Valdez is released from the hospital, police requesting charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute within a thousand feet of a school, felon in possession of a firearm, No drug tax stamp, and felony and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Valdez also has a warrant for his arrest from Cowley County on a burglary charge, according to Forrester.

Man accused of cutting up wife in Kan. storage unit found competent for trial

Posted on July 2, 2018July 2, 2018

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A man arrested at a suburban Kansas City storage unit with two of his children and his dismembered wife’s remains has been found competent to stand trial after undergoing a mental health evaluation.

The ruling was made Monday during a hearing for Justin Rey in Johnson County, Kansas, where he’s charged with child endangerment.

He isn’t charged in his wife’s killing. Rey says she died after giving birth in October in a Kansas City hotel room. Investigators say he then went to the Lenexa, Kansas, storage unit where he was arrested with the newborn and the couple’s toddler. He was preparing to catch a train. He’s also charged in the death of a California man whose body hasn’t been found.

Rey told The Associated Press he didn’t kill anyone.

Salina mayor’s use of ‘tar baby’ term creating outcry

Posted on July 2, 2018July 2, 2018

SALINA— Salina Mayor Karl Ryan’s use of the phrase “tar baby” during a city commission meeting is creating an outcry in his central Kansas community.

The furor stems from a June 25 meeting during which Ryan said, “Can I just be a tar baby for a minute,” during discussion about authorizing the city manager to exceed his spending authority to pay for care seized animals.

Ryan, who is white, says his mother would call him a “tar baby” when he being difficult. He says he first heard the phrase in Joel Chandler Harris’ “Uncle Remus” tales of Br’er Rabbit and Tar Baby.

But others say the term has taken a derogatory meaning and say Ryan is racially clueless.

The Citizens forum at the Salina City Commission Monday afternoon lasted nearly an hour as citizens were critical of Ryan.

The mayor apologized and said, “this has been an embarrassing incident for me.” He also admitted he was “fully ignorant of these regards.”

City Commissioner Trent Davis, the only African-American member of the commission said he did not believe Ryan was racially motivated by his comment.

-The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Man sentenced for shotgun murder near Emporia St.

Posted on July 2, 2018July 2, 2018

EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — A man has been sentenced to life in prison in the fatal shooting of a woman in her apartment near the Emporia State University campus.

Sony Uk, of Emporia, won’t be eligible for parole for 50 years under the sentence ordered Monday for first-degree murder. Judge Merlin Wheeler said there was “absolutely no reason or justification” for the March 2017 death of 38-year-old Mahogany Brooks. Uk declined to speak at the hearing.

During his trial, the defense argued that the killing wasn’t premeditated, which is required for a first-degree murder conviction. But the prosecution argued it was, saying Uk arrived at Brooks’ apartment with a loaded shotgun and pulled the trigger multiple times.

News From the Oil Patch, July 2

Posted on July 2, 2018July 2, 2018

By JOHN P. TRETBAR

US crude prices are on a tear, gaining more than seven dollars a barrel last week, and ending the first half of the year up more than 20% from January.

Prices were over $74 Monday afternoon, after dropping below that mark earlier in the day. The Nymex benchmark contract was up a dime to $74.25/bbl. London Brent was down $1.29 to $77.94. Kansas Common crude at CHS in McPherson starts the week at $64.50/bbl, after gaining 75 cents on Friday.

Baker Hughes reported 1,047 active drilling rigs across the U.S. Friday, a drop of four oil rigs and one seeking natural gas. The count in Texas was down three, and in North Dakota was down two rigs from the active list last week. Independent Oil & Gas Service reported 16 active drilling rigs in eastern Kansas, down two, and 31 west of Wichita, up one. Operators are moving in completion tools to five leases in Barton County and six in Ellis County.

Operators filed 37 new drilling permits for the week ending June 28, 806 so far this year, with 21 east of Wichita, 16 in western Kansas, including two permits for new locations in Stafford County. We’re nearly 90 permits ahead of last year at the end of June.

Independent Oil & Gas Service reported 33 newly-completed wells across the state last week, 15 in eastern Kansas and 18 west of Wichita. Operators completed one well in Barton County producing pay dirt, and one dry hole in Ellis County. So far this year, the state has completed 735 wells, up more than 70 wells from last year’s second quarter totals.

The U.S. is holding steady at record production levels. For the third week in a row, the government said we produced 10.9 million barrels per day for the week ending June 22. That’s the highest weekly figure ever. The four-week average is more than 1.5 million barrels per day higher than it was a year ago at this time.

Energy regulators in Texas report big increases in that state’s oil and gas production during the month of April. Preliminary figures from the Railroad Commission of Texas showed average production of more than 2.7 million barrels per day, up from 2.6 million a year earlier.

The election of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as the next President of Mexico could impact the oil and gas industry here and around the world. Obrador hopes to increase the country’s refining capacity instead of importing from US refiners. Mexico is their biggest foreign market, up to an average of 808,000 barrels per day last year. Mexico’s leftist president-elect has vowed to review the outgoing president’s energy overhaul, which included opening the country to foreign energy operators. He said some foreign investment could continue but threatened to cancel the reforms if he found corruption in the awarding of contracts.

The US exported more crude last week than was pumped by all but three OPEC countries. According to the Energy Information Administration, we exported a record three million barrels per day. Analysts say those totals typically fluctuate from week to week; last week’s numbers are up nearly 300,000 barrels a day from the week before. U.S. oil exports reached a record 3 million barrels a day last week— a greater amount than is pumped each day by all but three OPEC countries, and only Saudi Arabia and Iraq are exporting more oil than the U.S. did last week.

The Canadian government would like to see construction accelerate on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, but has no control over decisions to resume or start new work until it takes ownership of the project, which would move crude from Alberta to Canada’s Pacific coast. Canada’s Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr told Reuters he expects the deal to close in “mid to late summer.”

The United States is pushing foreign countries to cut oil imports from Iran to zero by November, as the Trump administration escalates its bid to pressure after pulling out of the nuclear deal. The price of U.S. crude topped $70 per barrel for the first time since May on the news that countries were now expected to completely eliminate their imports, rather than the earlier demands that they make “significant” reductions. A senior State Department official says the administration does not intend to give out waivers allowing close allies to keep importing. Among those allies are India, South Korea, Japan and Turkey. China remains the biggest importer of crude from Iran, which remains a party to the nuclear deal despite our withdrawal.

A Texas oil and gas businessman who called himself the “Frack Master” has been charged with securities fraud in connection with a scheme that defrauded investors out of $62.6 million. Federal prosecutors accused Christopher Faulkner and his company Breitling Energy, of selling working interests to investors in Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and North Dakota, but defrauded them by, among other things, inflating the estimated costs of drilling and testing wells.

A federal judge on Monday threw out lawsuits filed to hold big oil companies responsible for global warming. U.S. District Judge William Alsup said questions about how to balance the “worldwide positives” of energy against its role in global warming “demand the expertise of our environmental agencies, our diplomats, our Executive, and at least the Senate.”