BARTON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating 3 suspect for alleged burglary.
Shayla Richmeier
Just after 3p.m. Sunday, the Barton County Sheriff’s Office responded to 1252 Northeast 190 road near the City of Claflin, according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir.
An alert citizen had observed a vehicle that he did not believe belonged there. The rural location was not occupied at the time of the burglary.
Sheriff’s officers and a Kansas Highway Patrol unit were able to quickly locate the suspect vehicles and stop them.
Harold MasonEric Reed
Three suspects were arrested in the area. They were identified as Eric Reed 46, Shayla Richmeier, 27 and Harold Mason age 47, all of Great Bend.
They were booked on burglary and theft charges.
Bond was set at $20,000.00 on all three. Reed posted bond and was released. Richmeier and Mason remained in jail Monday afternoon, Mason was out on bond from a previous burglary charge when he was arrested this weekend.
The Dane G. Hansen Foundation, based in Logan, notified Ellis County Fire and Emergency Management of approval for a grant from the foundation for $130,000.
The grant was submitted to assist in the purchase of new outdoor storm warning sirens throughout Ellis County.
The grant will directly help reduce the costs of sirens purchased for Antonino, Catharine, Ellis, Munjor, Pfeifer, Prairie Acres, Schoenchen, Victoria, Walker, and an area east of Hays.
The new weather warning system will replace storm sirens that are about 40 years old and are meeting the end of their expected lifespan.
The new system will allow the outdoor sirens to more adequately alert Ellis County residents in the event of a tornadic emergency.
The sirens will be linked to monitoring system, which will automatically notify officials if there is a maintenance issue with a siren.
Also, this new weather warning system will automatically activate the sirens after a tornado warning has been issued by the National Weather Service.This additional time is passed to the residents during the tornadic event to take shelter.
Finally, the new sirens will be installed with battery back-ups to allow the sirens to still activate during power outages.
This new computer system will allow partnerships between the Ellis County weather warning system with local businesses, schools, assisted living facilities or any others who are interested. This will allow those interested to purchase indoor devices which would be linked to the Ellis County system to alert residents who are indoors with devices similar to a fire alarm.
As a reminder, outdoor warning sirens are designed to only notify residents who are outdoors and not those who are inside a structure.
This project also includes assistance from Midwest Energy to install utility poles and provide electrical service to the sirens. Midwest Energy is providing these services at a lower cost to help lower the expense of this project.
“Ellis County greatly appreciates the support from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation as well as their continuous support for northwest Kansas projects,” a press release said.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer’s campaign chairman is endorsing independent candidate Greg Orman instead of GOP nominee Kris Kobach after Colyer’s narrow primary loss to Kobach.
Photo courtesy Orman -Doll for Kansas
Orman’s campaign announced Monday that Steve Baccus, a former Kansas Farm Bureau president, will become one of Orman’s campaign co-chairmen. Orman and the Democratic nominee, state Sen. Laura Kelly, of Topeka, are wooing Republican voters alienated by Kobach’s in-your-face conservatism and advocacy of tough immigration policies.
Colyer endorsed Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state, after Kobach won the Republican primary by 350 votes out of more than 317,000 cast. Colyer reiterated the endorsement Monday and said Orman’s announcement was the first Colyer and his aides knew of Baccus’ plans.
Orman is a Kansas City-area businessman, and Baccus said Orman is best qualified to improve the state’s economy.
Baccus is an Ottawa County farmer who served 12 years as Farm Bureau president before retiring from the post in 2014. The Farm Bureau endorsed Colyer in the primary.
Kobach said the Baccus endorsement means, “Topeka insiders are sticking together.”
Kelly spokeswoman Johanna Warshaw said the Baccus endorsement shows Orman won’t move Kansas past the past experiment in cutting Kansas income taxes championed by former GOP Gov. Sam Brownback or the budget woes that followed. Colyer was Brownback’s lieutenant governor before Brownback resigned in January to take an ambassador’s post.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Planned Parenthood clinic in Kansas City that stopped providing medication-induced abortions when its provider left five months ago is facing licensing issues as it works to resume offering the procedure.
The midtown Kansas City clinic of Planned Parenthood of Kansas photo Kansas News Service
The license that allowed the procedure at the midtown clinic expired earlier this month. After its previous provider left, the clinic secured another one. But Planned Parenthood said state health officials want to start the licensing inspection process from scratch.
“It’s hard for me to imagine how this isn’t for purposes of delay,” said Emily Wales, Planned Parenthood’s general counsel and chief compliance lawyer.
“We met our deadlines and submitted things to them as requested and, without any other information from the department, we hear that our license has expired, with no response to our application until after the date of expiration,” she said.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment left Monday by The Associated Press.
Because the midtown clinic’s new abortion provider doesn’t have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, it’s unclear whether it would be able to offer abortion services even if its license is renewed. A lawsuit is being fought over an admitting privilege requirement.
Emily Miller, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which operates the midtown facility, said the clinic continues to provide reproductive and other health services to patients, and has been directing patients interested in an abortion to its Overland Park, Kansas, facility.
“When abortion patients are contacting us to schedule appointments, we’re just talking with them about their alternatives,” Miller said. “We can’t keep people waiting around, so we’re trying to meet the need with services at our Overland Park location if that’s possible for people.”
For patients who depend on public transportation, that may be inconvenient at best and, in some circumstances, not possible at all.
“For a lot of patients, this is a much more accessible location,” Miller said. “So this is why we really feel like we need to restore care here.”
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal altercation and have identified the victim.
Police on the scene of the investigation early Sunday -photo courtesy KWCH
Just after 2 a.m. Sunday, police were contacted outside the Patrol North Police Station in Wichita by a 45-year-old man who stated a 46-year-old man was injured at a home in the 2300 block of north Chautauqua and needed help, according to officer Charley Davidson.
Officers located the victim identified as Desmond Winesberry with trauma to his body and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Captain Brent Allred. An investigation determined there was a verbal and physical altercation inside the residence, according to Allred and police do not believe this is a random incident.
Police originally reported the incident was a shooting. On Monday, Allred said to protect the integrity, police did not want to confirm the specifics on the type of trauma hat killed Winesberry.
It is the 37th homicide in Wichita this year.
If anyone has any additional information they can call Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111 or WPD Detectives at 316-268-4407.
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SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting.
Just after 2 a.m. Sunday, police were contacted outside the Patrol North Police Station in Wichita by a 45-year-old man who stated a 46-year-old man was injured at a home in the 2300 block of north Chautauqua and needed help, according to officer Charley Davidson.
Officers located the victim with trauma to his body and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police do not believe this is a random incident, according to Davidson. Police have not released the victim’s name or reported an arrest. It is the 37th homicide in Wichita this year.
If anyone has any additional information they can call Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111 or WPD Detectives at 316-268-4407.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas officials allowed hundreds of residents in two neighborhoods to drink contaminated water for years without telling them.
The state discovered dry cleaning chemicals had contaminated groundwater at a Haysville laundromat in 2011. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment didn’t act for more than six years.
The state didn’t test private wells less than a mile away, nor did it notify residents that their drinking wells could be contaminated so they could test the water themselves.
The state also waited more than four years to notify more than 200 homes that officials discovered contamination near a Wichita dry cleaning site.
The delays stem from the 1995 Kansas Drycleaner Environmental Response Act, which places more emphasis on protecting the dry cleaning industry than public health.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on a U.S. trade agreement with Mexico (all times local):
11a.m.
President Donald Trump says he’ll be “terminating” the North American Free Trade Agreement as he pursues a deal with Mexico and starts negotiations with Canada.
Trump said Monday during an Oval Office event that he’ll be calling the emerging agreement the “United States-Mexico Trade Agreement.” He says it will mark the end of the NAFTA name.
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto was on speakerphone and says he hopes NAFTA partner Canada will eventually be incorporated into the deal.
Adam Austen, a spokesman for the Canadian Foreign Minister, says Canada had been in regular contact with the NAFTA negotiators.
He says, “We will only sign a new NAFTA that is good for Canada and good for the middle class,” adding that, “Canada’s signature is required.”
___
10:25 a.m.
President Donald Trump is announcing a trade “understanding” with Mexico that could lead to an overhaul of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Trump made the announcement Monday in the Oval Office, with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto joining by speakerphone.
Canada, which is part of NAFTA, is not participating in the announcement. Trump says negotiations with Canada have yet to begin and is calling on the country to negotiate fairly. He’s threatening anew to slap tariffs on Canadian cars if they fail to do what he wants.
Trump says the call is being held to “celebrate the understanding” the U.S. and Mexico have reached on trade.
He says, “It’s an incredible deal for both parties.”
CONCORDIA- Kansas Senator Elaine Bowers (R-Concordia, 36TH Dist.) has been elected as the President of the Executive Board of the Women’s Legislative Network of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
The Women’s Legislative Network is dedicated to promoting the participation, empowerment, and leadership of women legislators in the 50 states and U.S. territories. There are currently 1,875 women serving in state legislatures across the country. Every female legislator is a member of the Network by virtue of her service, and the organization is governed by a bipartisan, regionally-balanced board of 15 directors. Recently, the Network has been tackling issues such as women’s leadership, women in the workforce, workplace culture, STEM education, social media, and civic education.
Senator Bowers was elected on August 2nd at the Women’s Legislative Network annual business meeting during the NCSL Legislative Summit in Los Angeles.
“It is an honor for me to represent Kansas and lead the Women’s Legislative Network,” Bowers said. “I look forward to working with female leaders throughout our country as we aim to promote the participation and empowerment of female legislators.”
The Executive Board of the Women’s Legislative Network is made up of a president, president-elect, vice present, past president, eight regional members, two at-large members, and a representative from the National Order of Black Elected Legislative Women.
HARPER COUNTY —The second earthquake this week shook Kansas Monday morning.
Location of Monday’s quake-image Kansas Geological Survey
The quake at 2:44a .m. measured a magnitude 3.4 and was centered approximately 4 miles northeast of Harper, according to the USGS.
The agency reported a 2.8 magnitude quake at 1:09a.m. Sunday centered two miles south of south Haven, according to the Kansas Geological Survey.
The USGS reported three quakes in Kansas last week including a 3.7 magnitude quake east of Plainville and another a 2.6 quake in Reno County on Thursday.
There are no reports of damage or injury from Monday’s quake.
The teacher was asking Harold some math questions.
Teacher: If I give you two Rabbits, and two rabbits, and another two
rabbits, how many rabbits do you have?
Harold: SEVEN!
Teacher: Let’s try this another way. If I give you two bottles of pop,
and two bottles of pop, and another two bottles of pop, how many bottles
of pop do you have?
Harold: SIX!
Teacher: Good! Now, if I give you two Rabbits, and two rabbits, and
another two rabbits, how many rabbits do you have?
Harold: SEVEN!
Teacher: How on earth do you work out that three lots of two rabbits is
seven?
Harold: I’ve already got one rabbit at home.
