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Month: August 2018

AG Schmidt, Sunshine Coalition to offer free training on open government laws

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TOPEKA – As previously announced, free training sessions on Kansas open government laws will be offered at four locations next week. The trainings are a cooperative effort of Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt and the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government.

The schedule for the sessions is as follows:

Additional training sessions in Topeka and Johnson County are being planned and will be announced in the coming weeks.

These seminars are free and open to the public. Space at each location is limited, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants can register on the Kansas Attorney General’s website, www.ag.ks.gov/open-gov, or by calling (785) 296-2215.

The training about the Kansas Open Records Act and the Kansas Open Meetings Act will be conducted by attorneys in Schmidt’s office who have experience in open government laws and who are charged by law with training and enforcement of them. Panelists will include Kansas Sunshine Coalition members, local government officials and media representatives.

Wagoner will perform at Grainfield Opera House this weekend

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GRAINFIELD — Colby native Brock Wagoner will perform this month at the Grainfield Opera House with his father, Jeff Wagoner.

Brock Wagoner has been involved in music since he was a youth. He began performing at the age of 6, singing the national anthem at basketball games and singing at weddings. As he got older, performing and playing in a local band, he discovered his love for writing and recording music when he was in high school and continued this love in college. After taking a recording class in college, he purchased his first recording software and began writing and recording music from home. Not only does Brock enjoy writing music, he also loves playing different instruments; piano, drums, acoustic guitar, bass guitar and keytar are just a few of the instruments he enjoys. His favorite thing to do is play music with his father, Jeff Wagoner.

The performance will be 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 19, at the opera house, 296 Main, Grainfield. Tickets are $15, with proceeds benefiting the opera house. For more information, click the image above.

Roadwork starting Thursday on U.S. 36 in Cheyenne County

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KDOT

The Kansas Department of Transportation plans to begin work on a mill and overlay project along U.S. 36 Cheyenne County on Thursday.

The project area covers an 18-mile portion of U.S. 36 from the Colorado border to the east K-27 junction near Wheeler. Traffic will be reduced to one lane and controlled by flaggers and a pilot car during daylight hours. Minor delays, not exceeding 15 minutes, should be expected.

Work is expected to be complete by mid-September, weather permitting.

Venture Corporation is the primary contractor for the project with a total contract cost of $2.6 million.

Sunny, hot Thursday with a chance for thunderstorms

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Today A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. South southeast wind 5 to 9 mph.

TonightA 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 7pm and 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. East northeast wind 6 to 8 mph.

FridaySunny, with a high near 85. Northeast wind 6 to 8 mph.

Friday NightMostly clear, with a low around 64. East northeast wind 3 to 8 mph.

SaturdaySunny, with a high near 88. Light south wind becoming southeast 5 to 9 mph in the morning.

70 years after Babe Ruth’s death, fans still flock to grave

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Shutterstock.com

HAWTHORNE, N.Y. (AP) — Amid the serene graves at Gate of Heaven Cemetery sits the one where visitors leave baseballs and bats instead of bouquets, tributes to a baseball superstar who still outshines others seven decades after his death.

It’s the resting place of Babe Ruth, the indelible slugger and larger-than-life personality who died Aug. 16, 1948.

Considered by many the greatest player in baseball history, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox legend set home run records — 60 in one season, 714 in his career — that stood for decades. He remains one of the sport’s defining figures.

If someone knows one name in baseball, it’s likely his: the Sultan of Swat, the Bambino, the Babe, or, officially, George Herman (Babe) Ruth.

Ruth began as a left-handed pitcher and became a slugging outfielder, playing for 22 major league seasons before retiring in 1935. In his prime, he would hit more home runs than some entire teams, and he was known for his flair on and off the field.

Former President George H.W. Bush once wrote that although he got to attend many enjoyable events as president and vice president, meeting Ruth at Yale University while Bush was a student and baseball team captain there “topped them all.”

After Ruth died of throat cancer at 53, tens of thousands of fans came to pay respects as his body laid in state for two days at the original Yankee Stadium, dubbed “The House That Ruth Built.” People jammed the streets around St. Patrick’s Cathedral during his funeral.

At his grave at the suburban cemetery owned by St. Patrick’s trustees, visitors over the years have left countless bats, balls, caps and T-shirts, as well as beer, whiskey, cigars and hot dogs. Someone delivered an entire sausage-pepper-and-onion pizza to honor a man known for his prodigious appetites, field superintendent John Garro said.

Another time, he said, someone asked — unsuccessfully — to sleep over in the cemetery in the run-up to Boston’s 2004 World Series win. It ended an 86-year drought that fans called “the curse of the Bambino,” supposedly cast upon the Red Sox for sending Ruth to the Yankees. The grave was so heavily visited during Boston’s 2004 World Series run that two cemetery workers were assigned specifically to watch over it, Garro said.

The tributes proliferate quickly enough that workers tidy up every other week and do a more thorough clear-out every couple of months.

Still, “we like to keep some stuff there,” Garro said, “because it keeps the whole thing going.”

Granderson’s grand slam leads Jays past Royals

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Curtis Granderson hit a grand slam, Marco Estrada pitched effectively into the seventh inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Wednesday night.

Jorge Lopez (0-2), who was making his Royals debut after being acquired July 27 from Milwaukee as part of the Mike Moustakas trade, threw a 2-0 fastball that Granderson drove over the Royals’ right-field bullpen gate with two outs in the fourth inning.

It was Granderson’s 10th career grand slam and his second this year, both against the Royals. The first was April 18 in Toronto. He has 19 home runs and 50 RBIs in 106 games against Kansas City.

Royals pitchers have yielded a major league-leading 10 grand slams.

Kevin Pillar singled home Teoscar Hernandez with the first run of the fourth and contributed an RBI single in the second for the Blue Jays, who have won three of four.

Lopez was removed after 4 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits, two walks and a hit batter.

Estrada (6-9) gave up four runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings to pick up his first career victory at Kauffman Stadium.

Salvador Perez homered twice in the loss, his fifth career multi-homer game.

Perez connected in the first with Whit Merrifield aboard and led off the fourth with his 21st home run. Perez has hit at least 20 homers in four consecutive seasons, joining .John Mayberry, Steve Balboni, Bo Jackson and Mike Sweeney among the Royals to accomplish that feat.

Brett Phillips tripled in the seventh and scored on Alcides Escobar’s two-out single for the other run off Estrada.

Ken Giles allowed a pinch-hit homer to Ryan O’Hearn but still earned his 15th save in as many chances and his third with the Blue Jays.

Rain delayed the start of the game by 15 minutes.

HE’S THAT FAST

Adalberto Mondesi stole three bases, including one when he was picked off first base, on Tuesday. Royals manager Ned Yost compared Mondesi’s acceleration to former Kansas City speedsters Jarrod Dyson and Terrance Gore. “It’s up there,” Yost said. “It’s very easy, quick, hard speed. It’s just, boom, he’s gone. It’s like the Road Runner. You expect a little pillow of dust following him. He’s that fast.”

ROSTER MOVES

Blue Jays: LHP Tim Mayza was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo. LHP Thomas Pannone was optioned to the Bisons.

Royals: RHP Blaine Boyer, who yielded a two-run eighth inning homer on Tuesday in a 6-5 loss to Toronto, was released. Boyer had a 12.05 ERA in 21 relief appearances. … The Royals sent Gore to the Cubs for cash considerations. In parts of four seasons with Kansas City, Gore was primarily used as a pinch runner, stealing 21 of 25 bases and scoring 24 runs, but went 0-for-11 in 49 games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: RHP Aaron Sanchez (bruised right index finger) made a rehab start for Class-A Dunedin in the Class A Florida State League, going 3 2/3 innings and allowing one run on two hits, while walking four and striking out three. He threw 35 strikes in 74 pitches.

Royals: OF Brian Goodwin (left groin strain) will begin a rehab assignment Thursday with Triple-A Omaha.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: RHP Sam Gaviglio (2-5, 4.86 ERA), who was with the Royals last September and traded to Toronto in spring training, will start the series finale.

Royals: RHP Glenn Sparkman (0-1, 5.06) will make his first career start after eight relief appearances.

Texas man accused of sex with minor in Kan. faces new charge

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SEDGWICK COUNTY — A Texas man has been charged in a superseding indictment with five counts of producing child pornography, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Carmona -photo Butler Co.

The new counts are in addition to an indictment in May that charged Juan Carlos Carmona, 36, Houston, with one count of traveling from Texas to Kansas to have sex with a minor and one count of transporting a minor from Kansas to Texas to have sex with her.

If convicted, Carmona faces a penalty of not less than 15 years on each production count, up to 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the travel count and not less than 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the transportation count. The FBI investigated.

FHSU volleyball holds Black and Gold Scrimmage

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Courtesy Ryan Prickett (FHSU Sports Information)

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team got a chance to play in a game day environment Wednesday with the annual Black and Gold Scrimmage at Gross Coliseum. The teams played five sets with the black beating the gold 3-2.

Azlyn Cassaday led the black team with 19 kills and 11 digs.

Isabelle Reynolds hit .306 and led the gold with 21 kills while freshman Kayla Vitztum added 11 kills but also committed 11 errors.

FHSU coach Jessica Wood-Atkins

Jessica Wood-Atkins is in her first season as the Tigers head coach and thought they played okay in their first time out.

“I thought we had a really good day. We tried to to pair the teams pretty evenly” Wood-Atkins said. “We wanted to see some matchups, middles versus middles, setters versus setters and they did well.”

With over half of her roster either freshman or sophomores, Wood-Atkins will be relying on some of the younger talent this season.

“Our young ones are going to have to step up but I think that they have the ability to” Wood-Atkins said. “We’re going take our bumps, they’re going to have their days. They’re just getting used to the speed still.”

The Tigers open their season a week from Friday at the Oklahoma-Panhandle State Tournament.

Kansas nurses sue to overturn midwife law

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OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Two nurse midwives are trying to overturn a Kansas law prohibiting them from practicing without physician oversight after they lost the ability to deliver babies at a hospital.

Julie Gorenc and Kara Winkler photo courtesy Midwife Partners in Wellness

Kara Winkler and Julie Gorenc have filed a federal lawsuit saying that requiring nurse practitioners to practice under a physician is unfair because doctors have a financial interest.

“They’re what we call a market competitor,” said Keith Williston, an attorney for the midwives. “They both want to treat the same patients.”

Winkler and Gorenc are part of Midwife Partners in Women’s Wellness in Lenexa. The women allege they lost 25 clients who were planning to give birth at Shawnee Mission Medical Center after Dr. Janetta Proverbs ended her collaborative practice agreement with them. No other Shawnee Mission laborists would take them on. Laborists are hospital-employed physicians who deliver babies for women who don’t have a regular OBGYN.

Proverbs has called the allegations “unfounded.”

“If they didn’t like the rules and didn’t want to follow the rules they shouldn’t have joined the hospital,” she said. “The hospital did not treat them any differently than any other provider that has hospital privileges at Shawnee Mission.”

Proverbs declined to say why she ended her agreement with Winkler and Gorenc.

Kansas is one of 19 states requiring nurse midwives to sign such agreements with physicians. State-certified nurse midwives in Kansas pressed for legislation in 2015 and 2016 that would allow them to practice independently of doctors. After a lobbying group for Kansas doctors opposed such a bill, a compromise allowed midwives to practice independently only if they get a medical license from the state’s nursing board and from the board that regulates doctors.

Williston said such a law leaves midwives at the mercy of doctors who can restrict their practicing unless they give physicians a portion of the revenue.

“(Midwives) really don’t have a choice,” Williston said. “They have to accept whatever terms are put in there.”

The defendants listed in the lawsuit include the president of the Kansas State Board of Nursing, Proverbs, four laborists and Adventist Health Mid-America, which is the parent organization of Shawnee Mission.

Board member of KC-area lacrosse team wanted to be teen’s sex coach

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KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City area lacrosse team board member has been convicted of a sex crime for attempting to solicit sex from a 17-year-old female team member. 

McEnerney-photo courtesy Platte Co. Attorney’s office

According to a media release from the  Platte County Attorney, James L. McEnerney, 61, of Overland Park, Kansas, pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct in Platte County Associate Circuit Court on July 24.

Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said, “This defendant used his position of trust and influence to try to entice a young team member into sex, while also saying he could help her play college lacrosse.  Fortunately, she had the strength to reject his shameful advances.”

McEnerney was an onsite coordinator and board member for a local Lacrosse club team on which the victim played.   He offered to help her get recruited to play in college and then began to send her sexually-suggestive texts.

The victim’s mother found the text messages and confronted McEnerney.  McEnerney apologized and admitted what he did was “disgusting” and that he was “ashamed.”

In text messages to the 17-year-old, McEnerney offered to be the girl’s “sex coach.”

McEnerney offered to send the girl pictures of his genitals. She refused.  He also attempted to get the victim to engage in sexual conversations with him, which she declined.

The victim also described an incident where McEnerney touched her thigh and kissed her on the cheek.  She said his advances made her feel scared and uncomfortable.

Prosecutors charged McEnerney with the class C misdemeanor of sexual misconduct in the second degree, which is punishable by a maximum of 15 days in jail.  Since the age of consent in Missouri is 17, that misdemeanor charge was the most serious crime McEnerney committed by soliciting the girl for sex.

Zahnd expessed frustration with the light punishment available for the crime the defendant committed.  “Today, club sports are vitally important athletic training grounds for many children,” he said.  “If a high school coach has sex with a high school player, it is felony regardless of the victim’s age.  That should also be true for a club sport.”

Zahnd called on the Missouri legislature to make it a felony for any adult affiliated with club athletics to attempt to have sex with a player.

Missouri State Representative Kevin Corlew, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, agrees and plans to sponsor legislation to close the club sports loophole.

Corlew said, “From Jerry Sandusky to Larry Nasser, we’ve seen people misuse sports as a way to facilitate the sexual abuse of young people.  Enough is enough.  Parents should be able to have their kids play sports without fear that they’ll be sexually exploited. I’ll work with the legislature to change the law to protect young athletes from shameless coaches and trainers who prey on young athletes.”

The case was investigated by the Gladstone and Parkville Police Departments.  It was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Chris Seufert.

UPDATE: Police identify bicycle rider killed in Kansas crash

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SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal accident an have identified the victim.

First responders on the scene of the fatal accident-photo courtesy KWCH

Just after 9p.m. Tuesday, police responded to an injury accident in the 5300 block of east 21st Street north in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson.  Upon arrival, Officers located a man identified as 60-year-old Philip Marzett of Wichita with critical injuries.  He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation revealed, Marzett was riding a bicycle and crossing 21st street southbound when he was struck by 2003 white Chevy truck, driven by a 63-year-old man traveling east bound.

Police released no additional details Wednesday afternoon.

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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Officials say a bicycle rider has been killed in a Wichita crash.

A dispatcher says that emergency crews were called in an area in the northeast part of the city.

The supervisor says the bicycle rider was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle wasn’t hurt. The victim’s name wasn’t immediately released.

Portion of 27th Street will be closed for construction Thursday

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Hays Post

Ellis County Public Works crews will begin an asphalt overlay on West 27th Street in Hays Thursday morning.

According to Rick Rupp, Public Works administrative manager, the asphalt overlay will begin at the intersection of West 27th and Thunderbird Drive and continue west to the intersection of West 27th and the U.S. 183 Bypass.

Work is expected to be completed by the end of the day Thursday.

Motorists in the areas should use alternate routes of travel until the project is complete.

For more information, call the Ellis County Public Works Department at (785) 628-9455.

Two Kansas men charged with counterfeiting

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SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects in connection with a counterfeit cash scheme.

Detter has previous convictions for burglary, battery, driving while suspended and drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections

Corey R. Detter, 27, and Adrian N. Boeck, 32, both of Great Bend, are charged with one count of counterfeiting, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

In addition, Detter is charged with two counts of possessing counterfeit currency. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Jan. 3 and 4, 2018, in Barton County.

Upon conviction, each count carries a penalty of up to 20 years and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Secret Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.

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