Doris Irene Pooley Brumley, 81, of Salina, Kansas, and former Natoma, Kansas resident, died on Wednesday, August 22, 2018, at the Smokey Hill Health and Rehabilitation of Salina, Kansas.
Doris was born on September 03, 1936, in Paradise, Kansas, the daughter of James and Helen (Naylor) Pooley. Doris grew up in Rural Russell County and graduated from Lucas High School and lived in Russell County most of her life. She was formerly married to Robert H. Fischer. She was blessed with 4 children Robert, Laurette, David and Michael. She worked at Larned State Hospital as a licensed mental health technician. She also worked as a certified nurse’s assistant at Wheatland Nursing Center in Russell. Doris loved music, especially country music, and played in a few country music bands. She enjoyed singing, writing song, playing the guitar, bass and mandolin and wrote many country songs throughout the years. Most of all she enjoyed spending time with her family, especially her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Surviving family include her sons David Fischer (Krysta) of Salina, Kansas and Michael Fischer of Olathe, Kansas; sisters Marjorie Graham of Russell, Kathy Rose of Hoisington, Kansas; 6 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, ex-husband Robert H. Fischer, son Robert A. Fischer, daughter Laurette E. Fischer, brother James Pooley and sister Roberta Brown.
A celebration of Doris’ life will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Monday, August 27, 2018, at the Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary in Russell, Kansas, with Pastor Roger Dennis officiating. Burial will follow the service at the Natoma City Cemetery in Natoma, Kansas. Visitation will be from Noon to 8 P.M. on Sunday, August 26, 2018, at the mortuary in Russell, with family greeting guests from 4 P.M. to 6 P.M. Sunday afternoon. Memorials may be given to the Alzheimer’s Association and can be sent in care of the mortuary. Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in charge of the funeral service arrangements.
SABETHA, Kan. (AP) — A woman has been arrested in a head-on crash that killed the mother, sister and uncle of two Kansas high school football players as the family returned home from watching the boys’ team win a state football championship.
Perez-Marquez-photo Douglas Co. Department of Corrections
The Jackson County, Kansas, Sheriff’s Office says 48-year-old Maria Perez-Marquez is awaiting extradition to Kansas. She was arrested Thursday in Omaha, Nebraska, on an involuntary manslaughter warrant in the November 2017 deaths of 42-year-old Carmen Ukele, 11-year-old Marlee Ukele and 62-year-old Stephen Ukele.
Coach Garrett Michael says brothers Tanner and Carson Ukele were pulled off the Sabetha High School football team bus after a celebratory dinner. A trooper later told them their father had been hurt and the others had died. Perez-Marquez was passing another vehicle before the crash.
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JACKSON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal Kansas crash have filed charges against the driver.
Carmen and her daughter Marlee photo courtesy Popkess Mortuary
Marie Perez-Marquez, 48, Omaha, has been charged with 3 counts of involuntary manslaughter, reckless driving and aggravated battery for the November 25, 2017 crash, according to Jackson County Attorney Shawna Miller.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Chevy Equinox driven by Perez-Marquez, was southbound on U. S. 75 just north of 318 Road near Holton.
The driver attempted to pass another vehicle, swerved to the shoulder to avoid a collision and struck a northbound 2008 Chrysler Town and Country driven by Carmen K. Ukele, 42, Sabetha, head-on.
Ukele and passengers in the Chevy Marlee G. Ukele, 11 and Stephen M. Ukele, 62, all of Sabetha, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Another passenger in the Chrysler Lee F. Ukele, 59, Sabetha, and Perez-Marquez were transported to KU Medical Center. A passenger in the Chevy Rosalao G. Perez, 29, St. Joseph, MO., was transported to a Topeka Hospital and later transferred to KU Medical Center.
Ukele and family were returning home from watching Tanner and Carson Ukele play in the Sabetha High School football 3A state championship game.
Hays city commissioners unanimously approved two ordinances Thursday night to amend regulations regarding the heights of some side yard fences and of accessory structures, such as garages.
Jesse Rohr, public works director, said city staff and the Hays Area Planning Commission agreed the items in the Unified Development Code (UDC) were “unnecessarily restrictive.”
Commissioner Sandy Jacobs wondered “how that got by us.”
The massive UDC was adopted in August 2016, and has been amended more than once. That is to be expected, according to Mayor James Meier.
“When you do a big update like that, I think that we all knew that when we passed it, we’re going to have to come back and fix stuff,” Meier said.
(Click to enlarge)
“We had a couple changes come back to you I think this past spring,” Rohr added, “and there could be more in the future but hopefully not many.”
Street side yard fences will now be able to be six feet high, rather than just 42 inches, although sight lines will still be required.
Accessory buildings may be 18 feet or the height of the principal dwelling, whichever is taller. The number of stories in the building will not be a factor.
“I think this is easier for lay people to understand,” Commissioner Ron Mellick said. “We won’t have that confusion. Just clears up the whole ordinance.”
Three Hays businesses are in a group of about 4,000 companies nationwide that are 100 percent employee owned under a system known as Employee Stock Ownership Plans, or ESOPs.
ESOPs are retirement plans that are allowed under federal law, according to ESOP Association. Employees of an ESOP can become vested in the stock in their company in a variety of ways, including numbers of years of service.
Employees who are vested can take the cash value of their shares when they retire, leave the company or upon death or disability.
There are about 7,000 ESOPs in the U.S., covering almost 11 million employees, but only 4,000 of those are 100 percent employee owned.
Tradehome Shoes
Tradehome has been privately owned since it was founded by Alex Mains in 1921 with the purchase of two shoe stores in the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin. The owners of the company sold the company to the employees in 2014, and it became an ESOP.
Tradehome has 111 stores in 21 states across the Midwest. They carry over 150 brands of shoes.
You must be a full-time employee and 21 years old to participate in the Tradehome ESOP. Vesting is based in part on hours worked for the company. Tradehome in Hays has five employees.
Dan Smurawa, Hays manager, has been a manager for a little less than two years and is 20 percent vested in the company.
“Knowing that I can be an owner of a company just boosts my productivity, and I think it goes the same for a lot of Tradehome employees across the nation,” he said.
Smurawa said he saw many benefits to the ESOP.
Highly motivated employees provide better customer service, he said.
“I think I can hold my employees to a higher standard, representing us properly, going out and finding people who genuinely want to help our guests and fit them for what they need,” Smurawa said.
The ESOP is a recruiting tool for Tradehome. The starting manager salary also went up since the company became an ESOP.
“I think a lot of people look toward the future, and if there are benefits and retirement plans for them to plan for and look forward to, I think that can keep quality people too,” he said.
Smurawa is only 22, but he is already thinking about his future.
“I have been educated on compounded interest and the rule of 72,” he said. “Just looking at my parents, I think they could have benefited from early retirements and plans set in stone earlier. I think it is an important thing for our youth to be aware of and take advantage of.
“This isn’t my first retirement plan of sorts. I actually have another one. It is nothing I am in the dark about. There is always something I want to know about our ESOP and any way I can benefit myself and my family. Even at such a young time, the harder that I work now, can leave us better off sooner rather than at 65 when we are not as able to have fun and do the things we wish to do.”
Smurawa said he sees himself staying with Tradehome and building his ownership in the company. He said he is excited to hear news that the company is continuing to grow, which grows the value of the ESOP.
“Ultimately, I like to do what I do, and that is the most important thing,” he said.
Eagle Communications
Bob Schmidt and other in the early days at KAYS.
The Eagle Communications ESOP started with Bob Schmidt, who founded Eagle Communications in 1948.
Originally known as KAYS, Inc. and based in Hays, Eagle Communications began in the commercial television, radio broadcasting and cable television business. In 1989, the company sold its commercial television stations, and now concentrates on radio broadcasting, television, internet and telephone services.
Today, Eagle owns and operates 28 radio stations in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska; and 60 cable systems in Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado.
In 1998, Schmidt had several options when it came to the ownership of the company, but he chose to sell the company to the employees through the ESOP.
Schmidt
The goal was to continue the benefit of local ownership and provide a pathway for the employees of Eagle to share in the rewards of the company’s success.
An Employee Stock Ownership Trust was created to hold the shares Schmidt sold to Eagle. The trust then took out a loan from the bank in order to pay Schmidt for the shares he sold to the company. Each year, Eagle made contributions to the trust, which in turn helped repay the bank.
In December 2012, the Eagle ESOP purchased all outstanding shares from Schmidt. With this purchase, the ESOP attained a 100 percent ownership position of Eagle.
As the company continues to grow, employee-owners have the opportunity for growth and are rewarded with shares that are distributed from the trust.
Rhonda Meyerhoff, senior marketing specialist, has worked for Eagle for 13 years.
Joining Eagle is like joining a family, she said.
She recalled a time she needed to unexpectedly take time off to care for her 3-month-old grandson. Not only did the company work with her to schedule time to be with her family, but President Gary Shorman personally checked with her to make sure her grandson’s childcare was taken care of when she returned.
“To me, that said at Eagle, family came first,” she said. “That meant something to me.”
Meyerhoff has operated her own business, but at Eagle she has all the benefits of ownership without the hassles of owning a business.
“When I owned my own business, I had to hire and fire and do payroll taxes,” she said. “Now I have all the benefits and I get to concentrate on what I like to do.”
Meyerhoff compared the ESOP to owning a home instead of renting. The employees take greater care of what they own.
“We are rewarded extra when we do extra,” she said. “If the company does well because of all the extra work, we will all benefit. We work together.”
Western Supply, which is headquartered in Hutchinson and has a showroom in Hays, also has an ESOP, but did not wish to participate in this article.
Hays city employees were called out for another water leak early Thursday morning, this time just south of the 22nd and Vine Streets intersection.
Water Resources Director Jeff Crispin attributes the recent spate of water line leaks to a rainy summer and the remediation project of the water tower near Sternberg Museum, 3000 Sternberg Drive.
“The ground shifts quite a bit with the rain that we’ve had. It also happens when there’s been no rain,” Crispin explained to city commissioners Thursday night.
The other factor is the empty water tower south of Interstate 70.
Sternberg water tower project Aug. 21 (Photos courtesy city of Hays)
“Not only is that a source of water for us but it also helps regulate pressure within the system so you do have situations where there are sometimes leaks. That’s just part of our infrastructure that we deal with. Without that tower some of the pressures are difficult,” said Crispin.
Lead remediation and repainting of the one-million gallon tower began July 15 and was expected to be completed within six weeks.
Crispin told commissioners he hopes the large water tower will be back in service next week.
Crispin and the commissioners praised crews for responding quickly to leaks. “I’ve actually had citizens comment how quickly we seem to be getting that done,” said Sandy Jacobs.
“We get on scene and you have to call in locates to get people out before you can start digging, so our first response is to try to stop the from slowing.” Crispin said. “That also takes people at the water plant to slow things down and make sure we provide water for our citizens.”
The water line repair sites are messy and muddy, he added.
“Public Works comes behind us and helps us, but it’s been taking some time to get back and clean up those leaks,” Crispin said. “Sometimes we’ve been going from one leak to another and Public Works has other projects they have to work on, so we’re getting to those as quick as we can.”
According to Crispin, an average water leak takes four hours to repair.
GEARY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects on conspiracy to commit capital murder and violation of a no contact order, according to Police Captain Trish Giordano.
Rodriguez-photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections
The KBI and Junction City / Geary County Drug Operations Group in a joint investigation arrested Amanda Lynn Edison, 34, Grandview Plaza, Samuel Ibarra-Chu, 28, Grandview Plaza and Gregory Elias Rodriguez, 48, Junction City.
They are all being held without bond at the Geary County Detention Center, pending a first court appearance.
Rodriguez has a previous conviction for theft, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Hays High School students and staff will be relocating to the Hays Rec Center off Canterbury Drive starting around 10:30 AM on August 24, 2018 as part of our first Evacuation and Relocation Crisis Drill. The Hays Police Department will help facilitate that drill and may block parts of Canterbury west of the HS for a brief time this morning.
With seventy-some days to the 2018 general election, Greg Orman has become reviled by Democrats and others as a “spoiler,” who could easily help far-right Republican Kris Kobach win election as governor of Kansas.
It didn’t have to be that way.
Burdett Loomis, Professor, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts and Science, University of Kansas
In 2014, heading into the last few days of his U.S. Senate campaign, Orman was running neck and neck with three-term incumbent Republican Pat Roberts. His funding was adequate, his name recognition had shot up, and his independent campaign’s theme of shaking things up in gridlocked Washington resonated with Kansas voters.
Most importantly, Democrat Chad Taylor, never an enthusiastic candidate, had abandoned the race, narrowing the choice to Republican Roberts or Independent Orman.
Huge sums of outside money came in to support Roberts, nationalizing an election that could determine control of the Senate. Although polls showed them essentially tied as election day neared, Kansas Republicans eventually came home, and Greg Orman lost the race, 54 percent – 43 percent. Still, he had run a highly competitive campaign and attracted a host of supporters. At the same time, despite his protestations, Kansans viewed him as a de facto Democrat.
If, on December 1, 2014, Orman had announced that he was a Democrat and was going to work hard on behalf of Democratic candidates in 2016, with his troops, his money, and his personal appearances, he could have traveled across the state, demonstrating his talents and winning over party activists from Garden City to Gardner.
Given the historic unpopularity of Governor Sam Brownback and his tax policies, 2016 shaped up as a likely win for Democrats; indeed, it was, especially in the Kansas House. Orman, rightfully or not, could have taken credit for their performance, and many successful candidates would have expressed gratitude for his support.
In the wake of the 2016 election, he could have made the rounds of Democratic county events, talked with party elites, and likely convinced them that his moderate policies would play well in the 2018 governor’s race. With Paul Davis seeking the second district congressional seat, Greg Orman might well have cleared the field by announcing in July 2017 his candidacy for governor.
Ironically, he could have run on much the same moderate-centrist policies that he has historically espoused. With no voting record, he could glide above the issues that divided candidates in the 2018 primary. Moreover, with his independent background and Democratic label, he could attract moderate voters as right-wing Republicans faced off against each other.
Thus, heading into this September’s State Fair debate, Orman could be facing off against Kris Kobach, with his limited upside and assorted baggage. Orman would stand as the single candidate representing moderate Kansans, eager to maintain the momentum of the 2016 election and the 2017 rollback of Brownback’s tax policies.
In short, with the essential coalition of Democrats, independents, and moderate Republicans, Greg Orman might well be – right now — the favorite to win the governorship in 2018.
Of course, that did not happen, and now he sits at 10-12 percent in a tough three-way race, where his only role is as spoiler, who will allow Kobach to become governor of Kansas with 40-42 percent of the total vote.
Maybe this path was never in the cards, but for a conventionally ambitious politico, it seems straightforward. That’s not Greg Orman, who, for whatever reasons, has chosen a far more destructive route, rather than working step by step to build together a moderate majority in Kansas.
Burdett Loomis is an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Kansas.
The 2018 Fort Hays State football team will be giving back to the fans as its annual Autograph Day is back. Meet the Tigers on Saturday from 1-3 p.m. at Big Creek Crossing in Hays.
All 130 members of the team, plus the Tiger coaches, will be on hand to meet the fans and give out autographs during the event. Tiger cheerleaders and Victor E. Tiger will also be in attendance. 2018 schedule posters and sharpies will be provided. Fall schedule cards and information on the McDonalds Coin Toss Kid Program promotion will also be available.
One lucky fan will win two general admission season tickets to support the Tigers. That winner will be notified on Monday, August 28. This event is sponsored by Nex-Tech Wireless.
PLAINVILLE — The Kansas Hospital Association nominated June Karlin, Executive Assistant at Rooks County Health Center (RCH) for the Health Care Worker of the Year Award. Karlin, along with the other nominees, will be recognized at the KHA Awards Luncheon, Thursday Sept. 6 in Overland Park.
RCH CEO, Anthony Thomas states, “Compassionate is a word traditionally overused; but in June’s case, it is not encompassing enough. June transitioned the hospital’s credentialing process into a core credentials process that some larger hospitals would envy. She arranges board education and board agendas in a way that challenges the board of trustees, medical staff and senior leadership to work together, all without the parties realizing they are learning to cohere. She provides a vital communication line between hospital leadership and the board of trustees saving unnecessary consultant fees.”
Last year proved a difficult year for the community of Plainville, as well as for RCH staff. Mike Sinclair, the hospital’s former CEO, lost his battle to cancer. During that period of time, Karlin not only joined other senior staff in fulfilling Sinclair’s duties, but she also worked tirelessly to uphold his vision, providing the hospital with continuity, maintaining the hospital’s caring culture, and helping the new CEO transition into the position. Karlin did all of this and maintained her duties as credentialing officer. Throughout it all, she minimized staff concerns by keeping a tally of the employees’ needs, making sure senior leadership attended to those needs.
Fourteen years ago, Karlin was hired as an administrative assistant at RCH with no formal background in health care. Her initiative and dedication led to her current role as a leader providing guidance for all employees in nearly every aspect of hospital business. Self-driven, she coordinates employee engagement activities, such as National Hospital Week, fundraising activities, and employee celebrations, as well as, directing the Employees in Need Committee.
KHA’s Health Care Worker of the Year Award highlights hospital employees who have made a significant contribution to the betterment of their hospital, nominating individuals who routinely go above and beyond the call of duty. Karlin joins this ring of honor during the 2018 KHA Annual Convention, Thursday, September 6 at Sheraton Overland Park/Overland Park Convention Center.
KU inks video deal with ESPN. Photo courtesy KU Athletics
The award-winning in-house video unit of Kansas Athletics, Rock Chalk Video, will be playing a bigger role in the department as the result of an enhanced deal with ESPN, Kansas Athletics officials announced Thursday.
Rock Chalk Video will produce a combination of nearly 200 live events and Kansas-centered shoulder programming during the 2018-19 academic year for the ESPN+ direct-to-consumer streaming platform and the ESPN app nationwide, without any blackouts.
In addition to ESPN+, KU fans will also be able to see various Jayhawk TV Network programming throughout the state of Kansas and in the Kansas City Metro Area on KMCI (38 The Spot, Kansas City), Spectrum Sports, Midco Sports Network, and Cox Cable.
Rock Chalk Video, in collaboration with Jayhawk IMG Sports Marketing, will produce the standard Tier 3 offerings like the lone non-Fox/ESPN football game (which this season is the opener against Nicholls State on Sept. 1), six men’s basketball games (including the two exhibition contests), Late Night in the Phog and the spring football game. All nine of those events will be seen live, blackout-free, nationally through ESPN+ via the ESPN app, as well as regionally on KMCI and Cox Cable.
The programming will also include Jayhawk Gameday Live, a 30-minute pregame show and a 60-minute postgame show, on every home and away Kansas football and men’s basketball game day, as well as Hawk Talks on tape delay. For the first time, that content will be available across the country on the ESPN app, as well as regionally on KMCI, Spectrum Sports, Midco Sports Network and Cox Cable.
“We are thrilled to have an inclusive and expanded media coverage solution for our KU alumni and fans,” Kansas Director of Athletics Jeff Long said. “A special note of thanks to Spectrum Sports for not only elevating our coverage over the last four years, but for helping us get to this point with an internal production solution. With our over-the-air and cable partners, paired with our ESPN+ agreement, we are pleased that more Jayhawks than ever will be able to follow us.”
Rock Chalk Video has already started the expanded coverage of live KU events, so stay tuned to KUAthletics.com or ESPN+ for a complete listing of all Jayhawk programming.
ESPN+ is the premium multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Programming on ESPN+ includes thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and multiple other sports from more than 15 conferences), hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, , exclusive Top Rank boxing, UFC (beginning in 2019), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic soccer (Serie A, FA Cup, MLS, English Football League, UEFA Nations League, Eredivise, USL and more), rugby, cricket, new and exclusive documentary films and series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films.
