LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A man who fled from a Kansas prison and through Missouri has been given an additional 10-plus years in prison by a Kansas court.
Hurst-photo Mo. Dept. of Corrections
Allen Hurst is already serving 20 years in Missouri for the 2013 escape, as well as a term for burglary and theft in Kansas. His new sentence of 130 months in Leavenworth County will run consecutive to his other sentences.
Hurst and two other men escaped from the Lansing prison on May 10, 2013. Hurst and one of the other escapees, Scott Gilbert, stole a pickup truck and led officers on a 100 mph chase on Interstate 29 and along rural highways. During the chase, Gilbert fired at officers with a shotgun.
No one was injured. Gilbert was sentenced to 128 years for the shooting and 10 years for escape.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas woman who’s representing herself in a double-homicide case says she’s missing thousands of pages and more than 100 CDs of evidence.
Dana Chandler -photo Shawnee County
A status conference was held Thursday to determine scheduling the retrial of Dana Chandler. Chandler faces charges of first-degree murder in the 2002 slayings of her ex-husband, Michael Sisco, and his fiancee, Karen Harkness.
Chandler says she wants the missing evidence from the prosecution before moving forward.
The Kansas Supreme Court vacated Chandler’s 2012 conviction in April on the basis of prosecutorial misconduct by former Shawnee County Deputy District Attorney Jacqie Spradling. District Attorney Mike Kagay inherited the case, and decided in May that he would retry Chandler on the charges.
A tentative trial date has been scheduled for Oct. 1.
SABETHA – Iola took advantage of an early miscue and a solid pitching performance as they eliminated the Hays Monarchs in the semifinals of the AA American Legion State Tournament Saturday.
After the two teams had played scoreless through two Iola got a leadoff single in the top of the third inning. Following a sacrifice bunt the runner stole third and came in to score when the pickoff throw to third by catcher Creighton Renz sailed into the outfield for an error. That put Iola up 1-0.
They added a second run on an RBI single to do up 2-0.
After the Monarchs threatened but failed to score in the bottom of the inning Iola added three more in the fourth to take a 5-0 lead.
The Hays offense woke up a bit in the bottom of the sixth scoring three times with Renz, Adam Gottschalk and Cole Zimmerman all driving in runs with RBI singles to cut the deficit to 5-3.
But Iola answered right back with three of the own in the top of the seventh on their way to the 8-3 win.
Ryan Post post-game interview
Zimmerman suffered the loss for the Monarchs, he allowed five runs, four earned on five hits in three innings. He struck out one and walked two.
Zimmerman was 2 for 3 at the plate and drove in a run. He finished with seven RBI’s at the state tournament. Gottschalk was also 2 for 3 with an RBI in the game.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas has developed a new mandatory training program for student-athletes designed to help prevent sexual violence.
Jen Brockman photo courtesy University of Kansas
The university’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Center has worked with KU Athletics to launch the Gender Based Violence Prevention Seminar this fall.
“Kansas Athletics was that first group to step up and say, ‘This is important, and we recognize that and we want to be a part of it,'” said Jen Brockman, who leads the center. “They could see the application. They could see the worth and how this would improve the lives of their students.”
Brockman said many institutions just train student-athletes in sexual violence prevention for 10 or 20 minutes. The university’s training will provide evidence-based instruction over four years, giving student-athletes 45 hours of direct education on gender-based violence prevention through their time at the school.
“We like quick and easy fixes, so we think, ‘If I just tell people not to do this bad thing, then they won’t do this band thing anymore'” Brockman said. “But that’s not how changing attitudes, behaviors and beliefs works, because the messaging that our students are getting surrounding gender-based violence, they are inundated with daily.”
The program will focus on four areas over the course of its installments: individual, relationships, community and societal. The seminar is based on the four-level model for understanding violence and the potential effects of violence prevention methods.
It will take time and research to determine how effective the training is, Brockman said. But seeing the program come to fruition has been the center’s “dream” since the free-standing facility’s founding more than two years ago.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating pair of fatal shooting incidents.
Police on the scene of the shooting investigation on North Grove Friday night-photo courtesy KWCH
Just before 8 p.m. Friday, police responded to a shooting call in the 2200 block of north Grove in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.
First responders found a 51-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation revealed the victim was involved in a physical disturbance with an unknown suspect when the suspect shot the victim, killing him, according to Davidson.
Just after 3 a.m. Saturday, police responded to a shooting call at a residence in the 2100 block of south Palisade in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.
Upon arrival, Officers located a 27-year-old male victim with a gunshot wound to the neck. The victim was transported to an area hospital where he died from his injuries.
The investigation revealed an unknown suspect shot into the residence from the outside striking the victim. The suspect then fled the scene. These are not believed to be a random incidents, according to police
The annual WKHRMA (Western Kansas Human Resources Managers Association) seminar will be held on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at the Robbins Center located on the campus of Fort Hays State University. Doors open and registration will begin at 8:30 a.m.
Speaker: Melody L. Rayl, Attorney, and Lauren Sobaski, Associate, of Fisher Phillips
Registration: $65 Members; $80 Non-Members; Lunch is included; Registration and Payment due October 9, 2018.
*This event will be SHRM (5 hours) & HRCI Certified
We would like to thank our sponsors for their generous support:
-Hays Area Chamber of Commerce
-Werth Wealth Management
-Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball
-Management Development Center (MDC) at Fort Hays State University
-Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
-Freedom Claims Management, Inc.
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged burglary.
Rodgers-Shortt -photo Shawnee Co.
Just after 3:30 a.m. Friday, police were patrolling an area in Topeka that had several reports of car burglaries in the recent past, according to Lt. Andrew Beightel.
While scouting the area the officers spotted a subject skulking around a vehicle.
The subject, later identified as Dominque Rodgers-Shortt, 22, was checking for unlocked car doors in the 3900 blk of SW Colley Creek Dr.
While conducting their investigation, Officers found that Rodgers-Shortt had a loaded firearm in his waistband. That firearm was found to be stolen from a burglary of another unlocked vehicle in the area.
Officers also found evidence on Rodgers-Shortt of at least two other vehicle burglaries committed overnight in the same vicinity. Contact was made with the victims of the other burglaries and the property was returned.
Police arrested Rodgers-Shortt and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on charges of burglary to a vehicle, possession of stolen property, possession of marijuana and obstruction.
Anyone with information regarding this crime is encouraged to contact the Topeka Police Criminal Investigation Bureau at 785-368-9400 or Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007.
Donna KrugLearning safe food handling practices is one of the best skills a person can acquire. We have two opportunities for anyone interested in the ServSafe program coming up in August. Read on for more details.
An Employee ServSafe Class will be offered in Great Bend on Wednesday, August 15th. This class for food handlers will be held from 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. at the Cottonwood Extension District – Great Bend office, located at 1800 12th Street. As an Extension educator, I am happy to offer this training to food handler employees. This course is based on the 6th Edition of the ServSafe Food Handler Guide. Participants who complete the class will receive a certificate. The cost to register for the August 15th class is $10 and registration may be completed online by going to the KRHA website, www.krha.org
A ServSafe Manager Certification Course will be held on Thursday, August 23rd, from 8:15 am to 5:00 pm at the Cottonwood Extension District – Hays Office, located at 601 Main Street. The ServSafe program is a national certification program designed to teach safe food handling practices to those who serve food to the public. ServSafe in Kansas is provided by K-State Research & Extension in partnership with the Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association (KRHA).
Neeley Carlson, KRHA, will be the course instructor. The cost for the course is $113 for KRHA members or $133 for non-KRHA members and includes the ServSafe 7th edition textbook, national certification exam, training materials and refreshments. The course is taught in English, however exams in other languages are available. Please note language preference in registration. Pre-registration is requested in advance to allow for ordering books and materials. Mail registration and payment to KRHA or register online with a credit card at: www.krha.org A minimum attendance is required to hold this class.
If you have any questions about either of these ServSafe workshops please contact me.
Donna Krug is the Family & Consumer Science Agent and District Director for the Cottonwood Extension District. You may reach her at: (620)793-1910 or [email protected]
GREAT BEND — The Kansas Wetlands Education Center will host its annual Perseid Meteor Shower Watch Party – a free, fun-filled family evening of crafts, science experiments, games, snacks, and stargazing – at 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10, at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center.
The center, 592 NE K-156 Hwy, is at the southeast side of Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, northeast of Great Bend.
The Persied Meteor Shower occurs every year when the earth passes through the trail of dust and debris left by the Swift-Tuttle comet. Perseids are a popular show, but this year will be better than most, with a peak of 60-70 meteors per hour.
The moon will be near new moon, at a crescent, so it will set early. This means clear, dark skies for better meteor watching. The shower gets its name because the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus.
Families of all ages are encouraged to come out to learn the difference between an asteroid, comet and meteor through a dry ice science experiment, enjoy a night hike on our nature trail, create a space rock fridge magnet, play glow-in-the-dark wiffle ball, and enjoy s’mores while gazing at the night sky.
In addition to the activities, the FHSU Science and Mathematics Education Institute will have its inflatable planetarium for guaranteed star-viewing.
Activities will run until the sky is dark enough to enjoy the meteors. Bring a lawn chair or blanket for more comfortable stargazing.
For more information, call the KWEC at 1-877-243-9268.
Several members of a task force formed by Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer to address the opioid crisis claim his refusal to consider Medicaid expansion undermines their work.
Sen. Barbara Bollier, left, a Mission Hills Republican, and Rep. Elizabeth Bishop, a Wichita Democrat, talking strategy after a meeting of the Substance Use Disorder Task Force on Thursday. JIM MCLEAN / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
State Sen. Barbara Bollier, a moderate Republican and retired physician from Mission Hills, called expansion and the increased federal funding it would trigger critical to implementing many of the recommendations being considered by the group.
“Everybody in that room, with possible exception of two or three, knows that expanding Medicaid would help us pay for the services we need to deal with this crisis,” Bollier said Thursday after the group’s most recent meeting.
But she said Greg Lakin, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment official leading the task force, has made expansion off limits for discussion.
“Because the governor doesn’t support it … we’re essentially not allowed to make that recommendation,” Bollier said. She said “it’s very possible” that members who disagree will issue a competing set of recommendations that include expansion.
Sheldon Weisgrau, a policy advisor to the pro-Medicaid expansion advocacy group Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, called the task force “a farce” in a series of tweets sent during Thursday’s meeting.
At Gov’s Task Force on Substance Use Disorder. Rep. Bishop asks why discussion of #ExpandKanCare is not reflected in minutes. Chair Dr. Greg Lakin replies that they will only record and recommend policies the Gov will approve.
— (((Sheldon Weisgrau))) (@ACAResource) July 26, 2018
Lakin, the state’s chief medical officer, bristled at the contention that he imposed what amounts to a gag order. He insisted the directives were necessary to keep members focused on developing a targeted set of affordable and politically viable policy recommendations.
“There are a million different subjects and everybody’s got their own agenda,” Lakin said. For instance, he said also discouraged discussion of medical marijuana.
“I’m just trying to keep us on task,” he said.
After years of fruitless advocacy, the Kansas Hospital Association and organizations belonging to the alliance pushed an expansion bill through the Legislature in 2016. But then-Gov. Sam Brownback vetoed the measure and lawmakers failed by a few votes to override him.
Expansion advocates hoped that Colyer’s desire for a fresh start after serving for seven years as Brownback’s lieutenant governor would make him open to compromise on the issue.
That didn’t happen. Instead, Colyer, a Republican running to keep the office, quickly reiterated his opposition and lawmakers backed away from plans to force another showdown on the issue.
Current eligibility for KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program, is limited to children, pregnant women, people with disabilities and low-income seniors in need of nursing home care.
Single adults without children aren’t eligible for KanCare regardless of income. Parents can qualify, but only if they earn less than a third of the federal poverty level, which for a family of four is less than $10,000 a year.
Expansion would make all Kansans who earn up to 138 percent of the poverty level eligible. That’s about $17,000 for an individual and roughly $34,000 for a family of four.
About 150,000 Kansans — mostly low-income adults — currently fall in what is known as the “Medicaid gap.” They’re ineligible for KanCare but unable to afford private coverage.
Colyer has said he favors helping low-income Kansans get better jobs rather than increasing their dependency on government.
The task force, officially known as the Substance Use Disorder Task Force, is scheduled to deliver its recommendations to the governor by Sept. 1.
The Hays Police Department will host its 3rd Annual Community Night Out event Thursday, August 2 from 5-8 p.m. at the Hays Aquatic Park, 300 Main.
Join us for a fun evening of free swimming and food! Free hot dogs and hamburgers will be served to the first 1,000 people in attendance.
We would like to thank our sponsors that help make this event possible: Fraternal Order of Police Hays Lodge 48, Pepsi, Phaze 2, Walmart, Crawford Supply and the Hays Recreation Commission.
Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
“Kansas ranchgirl” and “Turkish princess” are probably not the first words one would associate together, but in the 1920s these came to refer to one and the same person. Then there was the Kansas rooster who became a movie star in the 1940s, appeared in Life magazine, and was insured by Lloyd’s of London. These amazing stories and many more are shared in a new book by rural Kansas author Roger Ringer.
Roger Ringer is author of the book “Kansas Oddities – Just Bill the Acting Rooster, the Locust Plagues of Grasshopper Falls, Naturalist Camps and More.” Roger and family live near Medicine Lodge.
Roger is a freelance writer, western entertainer, history buff – and Kansas treasure. He’s a board member of the Cowboy Storytellers Association of the Western Plains, a founding member of the Western Music Association, Kansas chapter, and active with the We Kan conference and the former Kansas Sampler Festival.
“People have been telling me interesting stories all my life,” Roger said. “As I’ve shared those stories with others, people told me I should write a book.”
Beginning in 2013, he finally took time to do so. “Everytime I did research on one story, I’d come across two or three more,” he said. “Often the local people were not aware of the remarkable history in their own community.”
In spring 2018, his new book was released by History Press. Kansas Oddities chronicles remarkable stories from all over the state, described as “eccentric tales celebrating independence and ingenuity.”
“We are a state of firsts,” Roger said. The first patented helicopter is an example. Several types of cars, tractors, threshing machines, boats, and other manufactured products were first designed in Kansas and are described in the book. “Those farm boys were out there thinking, `how can I do this easier?’” Roger said. “The motto for many of those entrepreneurs was, `if you needed something and you couldn’t afford to buy it, you just built it.’” This resulted in several innovative backyard prototypes.
Kansas people are highlighted. One unusual example is Sidia Wirt who grew up on a ranch near Garden City and went to KU. She performed music in New York and became a Hollywood socialite.
A Brazilian count asked to marry her as did a newspaperman in Hutchinson, Kansas. According to legend which she never confirmed nor denied, a coin toss decided whom she would marry. The newspaperman won the coin toss but lost the war. They married, but after a few weeks, she informed him that he was not keeping her in the lifestyle she expected so she left him for Los Angeles.
Later she married a Turkish prince and literally reigned over a mansion in Constantinople, but again the marriage didn’t last. She moved back to the U.S., married an Army aviator and withdrew from the social scene.
Then there is the story of Just Bill the rooster. Stafford County businessman Earl Kelly bought Just Bill from Nebraska for $100, a goodly sum in 1946. Just Bill beat hundreds of competitors from 40 states to be named grand champion rooster at an Oklahoma poultry show sponsored by RKO film studio. He won a large trophy and a movie contract – I am not making this up – and became the RKO trademark rooster, crowing on the newsreels that preceded the movies in theaters. Earl Kelly insured Just Bill for $1,000 from Lloyd’s of London.
Each vignette in the book is short and readable, covering urban and rural Kansas. Stories range from the formation of the Orient Railroad in Kansas City to the invention of the bulldozer in the rural community of Morrowville, population 155 people. Now, that’s rural.
“This book is necessary to keep these stories from being lost,” Roger said. “What hurts is the stories I couldn’t get in. I have enough for another twelve volumes.” His current book is available from Sam’s, Costco, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Kansas Oddities makes for fascinating reading. We commend Roger Ringer for making a difference by capturing and sharing these quirky but true stories of Kansas history. He makes oddities interesting.
Today
A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 7am and noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. East wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tonight
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 3am and 4am. Some storms could be severe, with damaging winds. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. East northeast wind 7 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Sunday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Northeast wind 7 to 9 mph.
Sunday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. East northeast wind 6 to 10 mph.
Monday
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. North northeast wind around 8 mph.
Today