EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — Emporia police are investigating the theft of more than $51,000 from a women’s shelter.
Photo courtesy Plum Place
Police Capt. David DeVries confirmed that the Plumb Place reported a possible theft and an investigation was underway but provided no further information.
A former staff member at the Plumb Place is the focus of the investigation. That staff member has resigned.
A board member initially requested the possible discrepancy last year and the organization’s board requested a four-year audit. The results of the audit are expected in the next few weeks.
Earlier this year the United Way of the Flint Hills stopped funding Plumb Place because of the alleged theft. The shelter’s funding was restored at a meeting on Wednesday but won’t be released until more requirements have been met.
SALINA — A Kansas woman was critically injured Friday morning after a violent crash into a home in Salina.
The aftermath of the crash. Photo courtesy the Salina Police Department
Just before 2.a.m., a Toyota driven by Kaitlin Varga, 25, Salina, was eastbound on West South Street at a high rate of speed when the vehicle left the roadway, striking the brick and concrete porch and porch pillar and then the house at 822 West South Street, according toSergeant Brent Rupert.
The vehicle rolled on its side and stopped east of the porch.
The impact was such that bricks from the pillar and porch flew through the air and damaged the house next door to the east, including one brick that flew through the bedroom window of the house next door. The woman sleeping in the bedroom at the time was not injured, Rupert said. Additionally, brick debris flew over the house next door, landing on the property two houses east of the accident.
Emergency personnel had to secure the vehicle before they could extract Varga from it. She was taken to Salina Regional Health Center with critical injuries. She later was transferred to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Rupert said. She was not wearing a seatbelt, he said.
Flying bricks damaged the house next door. Photo courtesy the Salina Police Department
Rupert said that later in the morning a City of Salina building inspector checked the house that was struck and determined it was not inhabitable. Several people live in the house, he added. The damaged part of the house was temporarily shored up to prevent further damage.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, according to Rupert.
EDWARDS COUNTY — A 3-year-old Kansas boy remains in an Intensive Care Unit in stable condition at a Wichita hospital Friday morning after an accidental shooting Thursday evening at his home on East 4th Street in Kinsley, according to Sheriff Bryant Kurth.
Three-year-old Alexander Amaya was shot by his twin brother with a rifle.
A firearm was out and one of the boys somehow got a hold of it. The gun went off, striking Alexander, according to Kurth.
The injured boy was airlifted to the hospital suffering from significant blood loss.
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KINSLEY, Kan. (AP) — A 3-year-old boy is hospitalized hospital after an accidental shooting at his home in Kinsley.
The Edwards County Sheriff says two 3-year-old brothers were involved in the shooting Thursday night.
Sheriff Bryant Kurth says one of the brothers accidentally shot the other.
The sheriff says the injured boy was airlifted to a Wichita hospital suffering from significant blood loss but his condition was not available.
On Friday morning, the sheriff’s department said they expected to released additional details later in the day.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), has issued public health warnings for some Kansas lakes for the upcoming weekend and week.
If a lake is under a public health warning for blue-green algae, activities such as boating and fishing may be safe. However, direct contact with water (i.e., wading, skiing and swimming) is strongly discouraged for people, pets and livestock. The lakes currently under a public health advisory:
Warning: Atchison Co. Park Lake, Atchison County Warning: Hodgeman County SFL, Hodgeman County
Warning: Perry Lake, Zone B (the Slough Creek arm), Jefferson County
Warning: Marais Des Cygnes Wildlife Area Lake, Linn County
Warning: Carbondale West Lake, Osage County
Warning: Melvern Outlet Pond, Osage County
Warning: Melvern Outlet Swim Pond, Osage County Warning: Webster Lake, Rooks County
Warning: Frazier lake, Grant County
Warning: South Lake Park, Johnson County
Warning: Lake Wabaunsee, Wabaunsee County
Warning: Lake Afton, Sedgwick County
Watch: Overbrook City Lake, Osage County
Watch: Rock Garden Pond, Gage Park, Shawnee County
Watch: Mary’s Lake, Douglas County
Watches have been lifted at Rooks County State Fishing Lake in Rooks County and Central Park Lake (Pond) in Shawnee County.
Lakes under a warning are not closed. Marinas, lakeside businesses and park camping facilities are open for business. If swim beaches are closed, it will be specifically noted. Drinking water and showers at parks are safe and not affected by algae blooms. Boating and fishing are safe on lakes under a warning, but contact with the water should be avoided. Hands should also be washed with clean water after handling fish taken from an affected lake. Zoned lakes may have portions fully open for all recreation even if other portions are under a warning.
Kansans should be aware that blooms are unpredictable. They can develop rapidly and may float around the lake, requiring visitors to exercise their best judgment. If there is scum, a paint-like surface or the water is bright green, avoid contact and keep pets away. These are indications that a harmful bloom may be present. Pet owners should be aware that animals that swim in or drink water affected by a harmful algal bloom or eat dried algae along the shore may become seriously ill or die.
When a warning is issued, KDHE recommends the following precautions be taken:
Lake water is not safe to drink for pets or livestock.
Lake water, regardless of blue-green algae status, should never be consumed by humans.
Water contact should be avoided.
Fish may be eaten if they are rinsed with clean water and only the fillet portion is consumed, while all other parts are discarded.
Do not allow pets to eat dried algae.
If lake water contacts skin, wash with clean water as soon as possible.
Avoid areas of visible algae accumulation.
KDHE samples publicly-accessible bodies of water for blue-green algae when the agency receives reports of potential algae blooms in Kansas lakes. Based on sampling results, KDHE reports on potentially harmful conditions.
For information on blue-green algae and reporting potential harmful algal blooms, please visit www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/index.htm.
WELLINGTON, Kan. (AP) — A judge has reduced the bond for a 26-year-old Kansas woman charged in the death of her young daughter.
Shelby Johnson -photo Sumner County
Shelby Johnson, of Oxford, is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, child abuse and aggravated child endangerment in the death of 7-month-old Jesslinn Hulett.
During a court appearance Thursday, Johnson’s bond was lowered from $250,000 to $100,000.
Johnson’s attorney asked for the bond reduction, saying Johnson has no prior criminal history and is not a flight risk. Johnson is also 26 weeks pregnant.
A criminal complaint filed last week accuses Johnson of beating and shaking Jesslinn, causing injuries consistent with blunt force trauma.
The girl’s father took her to a hospital in Sumner County April 1. She died at a Wichita hospital four days later.
FHSU President Tisa Mason testifying before Higher Education Budget Committee.
FHSU University Relations
Invitations are being sent this week for events celebrating the inauguration of Dr. Tisa Mason as the 10th president of Fort Hays State University.
President Mason will receive the symbols of her office – the mace and the presidential medallion – in a ceremony at 10 a.m.Friday, Sept. 14, in Gross Memorial Coliseum. The inauguration will be streamed live. The link will be announced closer to the event.
“The inauguration is intended to be a community-friendly series of events to mark the change of leadership and celebrate Fort Hays State University’s place in the region, state, nation and world,” said Janette Meis, chair of the Inauguration Committee and event planner for the Office of the President.
“The inaugural event is where the past and present come together,” said Meis. “As Dr. Mason is officially installed as the university’s president, we honor the strengths of our history and traditions, and at the same time we put our focus on the future. All members of the Fort Hays State community and public are making a commitment to each other, that whatever challenges and innovations are coming, we will face them together.”
Activities begin with the opening of an exhibit of letters and certificates of congratulations in Forsyth Library. A special worship service before and a festival on the Quad afterward will bracket the inauguration ceremony on Friday. The celebration continues on Saturday with a service project event for SWIPEOut Hunger and the Tiger-Ichabod football game Saturday night.
Deadlines apply for some events:
• Faculty, staff and academic delegates who plan to march in the inaugural procession must RSVP by Aug. 24.
• The deadline for ordering regalia for the march is Aug. 20.
The appropriate forms for responding are available through the RSVP link in the sidebar of the inauguration home page at www.fhsu.edu/inauguration/.
An RSVP is also requested for persons who plan to participate in the Celebration on the Quad, which will begin at 11:30 a.m. following the inauguration ceremony. That RSVP form is also available through the RSVP link on the inauguration home page.
The inauguration home page also has links to:
• A biography of President Mason.
• A map of the campus with parking and shuttle information.
• A section on the university’s inaugural traditions, including the history of the mace and medallion.
• A link to the FHSU Alumni Association’s Send a Greeting page to offer congratulations to President Mason.
• A listing of local hotels that are participating in special block rates.
• A link to information on special inauguration deals on merchandise from the Tiger Spirit Shop, located in the university’s Memorial Union; Tiger Book Shop, 507 W. Seventh; and from Tiger Gold on Friday partners.
• The schedule of events.
The schedule of events is also presented here:
Wednesday, Sept. 12
Dr. Mason Inauguration Exhibit Opening
Forsyth Library – 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
View an exhibit of letters and certificates of congratulations, on display through Homecoming weekend (Sept. 27-29).
Friday, Sept. 14
Community Event
Worship Service, Celebration Community Church, 5790 230th Ave. Gather at 7:30 a.m.; Service at 8 a.m.
Ceremony Lineup Cunningham Hall – 9:15 a.m.
FHSU faculty and staff (current and retired) and academic delegates from other universities who are marching in the ceremony will begin lining up in Cunningham Hall, adjacent to the coliseum, at 9:15 a.m. RSVPs, through the links on the website, are required.
Inauguration Ceremony
Gross Memorial Coliseum – 10 a.m.
RSVPs are not required to attend the inauguration ceremony.
Celebration on the Quad
FHSU Quad – 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Dr. Mason’s inauguration will be celebrated with food and activities on the Quad and will include an opportunity to congratulate Dr. Mason in person. RSVPs are requested through the links on the inauguration Web page to assist in planning food quantities. Shuttle service will be available from the Coliseum, Gate 2, to the Quad.
Morning classes will be cancelled until 12:30 p.m. for FHSU students.
Inauguration Service Project: SWIPEOut Hunger Event
Forsyth Library – 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
In partnership with FHSU’s Global Leadership Project and Numana, volunteers will participate in a festive, hands-on opportunity to “roll up your sleeves and feed the hungry.”
MONTGOMERY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating six individuals for distributing illegal drugs.
Just after 10 a.m. Thursday, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation assisted the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, the Independence Police Department, and the Coffeyville Police Department executed a search warrant at 608 N. 17th St. in Independence, Kan.
Johntril Johnson -photo Montgomery Co.Dunn -photo Montgomery Co.
Authorities arrested Johntrail Johnson, 24, Independence; Christopher W. Bryant, 32, of Coffeyville; Kaysha Dunn, 21, of Independence; Trevel Armstrong, 19, of Independence; Farris Johnson, 32, of Independence; and Robert L. Hicks, 44, of Independence.
Each subject was arrested for distribution of methamphetamine, distribution of cocaine, distribution of ecstasy, distribution of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and criminal possession of a firearm. They were booked into the Montgomery County Jail, where they await formal charges.
Hicks -photo Montgomery Co.Bryant -photo KDOC
This operation represented a coordinated law enforcement effort to combat drug violence and reduce the accessibility of illegal drugs impacting southeast Kansas.
Portions of the roof were blown off, the east wall of the gymnasium was damaged, and five out of eight classrooms plus the office had significant water damage. The school was hit by what the National Weather Service calls a microburst.
Flying debris also knocked out two stained glass windows in the adjacent St. Mary’s Church and five windows in the rectory. Lumber pieces pierced several holes in the tin roof of the rectory and made a five inch hole in the church roof.
As the microburst formed and the roof of the school began to come apart, a lot of pressure was created in the school and gym causing the east wall of the gym to “blow out” to release the pressure. There is about a 3 to 4 inch gap between the wall and roof in part of the east wall.
Emergency personnel and volunteers assisted that evening to cover broken windows of the church and rectory, as well as relocate undamaged items in the school to keep from further water damage with future rain forecasted that night.
The next day there was emergency planning meeting with key members of our parish, school, city officials and some contractors to access the problems and begin initial planning. The roofing company gave us a great overview of the damage and the plan for a temporary roof to keep the inside dry. It was decided that we could probably start school as scheduled, and if necessary to rent mobile classrooms.
The roof is being temporarily fixed. This will give us several months to decide what permanent roof system to install.
Since then there has been wonderful support of our school, parish, and community to start cleaning up. There has been storage containers rented to store the undamaged supplies from the school so the major clean up can start after the engineer and inspector review the building.
The school and church do have insurance. The insurance policy we have is a “cash value” policy, which means the 30-year-old roof will be depreciated. The amount received from insurance will probably not completely cover cost of the new roof.
An engineer visited St. Mary’s School Monday and let us know that parts of the building are not structurally sound for students at this point, and we will not be able to use it for this school year.
Repairs will take some time, and so we are securing mobile classrooms for the start of school. We will know more once the architect has analyzed the building this week.
We are optimistic that school will start as scheduled on August 23. Monetary donations can be sent to Equity Bank, Attn: St. Mary’s, PO Box 255, Ellis, KS 67637.
TOPEKA – Tyler and Kassie Remington will host the August 13 Kansas Livestock Association (KLA)/Kansas State University Ranch Management Field Day at their ranch near Quinter. The Remingtons own and operate a diversified farming and cow-calf enterprise. They grow wheat, corn and forage for their cowherd on irrigated and dryland acreage. Cover crops and annual forages are used for grazing and harvested for silage.
Utilizing cover crops and annual forages to boost grazing opportunities will highlight the field day program. K-State Agronomist John Holman and a panel of western Kansas producers, including Tyler Remington, Larry Manhart of Quinter and Charlie Kraus from Hays, will share their experiences with incorporating these forages into their grazing programs. Holman has conducted 10 years of research on the viability and advisability of planting annual cover crops or forages in conjunction with conventional dryland cropping systems in western Kansas. He will discuss his findings during the presentation.
Also on the field day program will be Jami Seirer, northwest district forester with the Kansas Forest Service in Hays. Seirer will explain the process of renovating old and/or environmentally stressed windbreaks, planning and establishing new windbreaks and plant selection. She also will provide tips on managing wind and snow distribution. Options for financial assistance through federal and state cost-share programs will be discussed, including the Conservation Stewardship Program and Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which the Remingtons utilized to establish and renovate several windbreaks at their ranch headquarters.
Agra View’s Amy Roeder and Steve Vollrath will share timely information about programs provided to livestock producers through the USDA Risk Management Agency. Insurance plans to be discussed will include the Livestock Risk Protection Program, Livestock Gross Margin Program and Rainfall Index Program, which protects against the loss of precipitation in key months of pasture, rangeland and forage growth.
KLA Chief Executive Officer Matt Teagarden will provide an overview of the new cattle traceability pilot project. KLA, K-State and the Kansas Department of Agriculture launched CattleTrace June 30. The project will involve an end-to-end disease traceability system beginning with cow-calf producers and ending at the beef processing plant. The goal is to develop a system that can operate at the speed of commerce.
The August 13 field day will begin with registration at 3:00 p.m. and conclude with a free beef dinner at 6:45 p.m. All livestock producers and others involved in the business are invited to attend. Remington Ranch is located near Quinter in northeastern Gove County. From Interstate 70, take exit 107 toward Quinter and briefly travel south on Castle Rock Road. Westbound travelers will go under the interstate after exiting I-70. Immediately north of the Conoco station, turn west onto County Road Z. Go west on County Road Z two miles to ranch headquarters. Directional signs will be posted.
Russell and C.J. Blew will host the August 6 KLA/K-State ranch field day near Medicine Lodge. Loma Land & Cattle of La Cygne will be the site for the final field day August 16. Bayer Animal Health and the Farm Credit Associations of Kansas are sponsoring all three field days. For more information, go to www.kla.org or call the KLA office at (785) 273-5115.
Alicia BoorAs of Jan. 1, Kansas was the 6th top producer of beef in the nation. Most of the cattle spend a majority of their lives on grass in our native pastures.
But as a rancher, are you taking care of your grass for optimal production? Many producers practice continuous grazing for the management of their pastures. This consists of allowing the livestock to selectively choose what forage they want to eat in a large pasture over an entire growing season.
Sometimes, the struggle to ensure that your livestock have forage all winter long can be a challenge, especially in dry years. Managing your available forages throughout the year can be an issue, but there is information and practices that may help make it easier and more profitable.
On August 16th at 9:00 am, K-State Research and Extension Cottonwood District will host a Rotational Grazing in the Rangeland workshop. The workshop will consist of a tour of Greg Axman’s rotational grazing and haying operation. Keith Harmoney, KSRE Rangeland Specialist will be there to discuss the basics of managing your rangeland including stocking rates, continuous and rotational stocking along with other subjects. Augustine Obour, Associate professor of Soil Science will also attend and speak with the producers about cover crop forage production potential and grazing impacts on your soil’s health.
There will be a meal to follow the tour with the availability to discuss practices and ask questions. To RSVP for an accurate meal count, call 620-793-1910 or email [email protected]. The meal and beverages for the workshop have been sponsored by Barton County Conservation District and The Great Bend Coop.
Alicia Boor is an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent in the Cottonwood District (which includes Barton and Ellis counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact her by e-mail at [email protected] or calling 620-793-1910.
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
The farmers in Uganda are meeting to discuss farm issues. The person with whom they are meeting is a young woman from a farm family halfway around the globe in rural Kansas. Like them, she and her family are working to promote local foods and local farmers.
Rosanna Bauman is the young woman meeting with Uganda farmers. Rosanna and her family own Bauman’s Cedar Valley Farms and related agribusinesses in Anderson County, Kansas. Rosanna’s dad’s family came to Kansas in the 1960s. At a church gathering, he met the woman who he ultimately married. In 2001, they bought 160 acres and moved to the farm. They had six children of whom four were boys and two were girls, Rosanna being the oldest daughter.
“We are members of the Old German Baptist Brethren,” Rosanna said. “It’s our faith that has driven our desire to work together.”
The parents and children joined in to operate the farm from scratch. “We had the handicap – and the blessing – of not being able to say, `this is the way we’ve always done it,’” Rosanna said. They were also working with limited acreage.
“We saw large farms that were having a hard time financially, so we knew we needed to do things differently,” Rosanna said. “Organic farming and direct marketing were alternative ways that could maximize income.” Each family member pitched in and eventually took responsibility for different elements of the operation as it grew and diversified.
Over time, the Baumans rented ground, grew crops and livestock, and developed related processing and services. Today they farm 1,000 acres of non-GMO crops and raise cattle, sheep and poultry.
“We take the approach that we shouldn’t gripe that something isn’t being done if it’s within our capacity to do it,” Rosanna said. This led them to start several related businesses. They also work with neighboring farms. “Everything we do has a neighbor component,” she said.
In addition to the home place, Cedar Valley Farms, they now have ANCO Processing (for poultry), Bauman’s Butcher Block in Ottawa, Bauman’s Farm Feeds, Bauman Brothers Custom Ag Services, and Bauman Pet Products which uses animal byproducts for pet food. Other than the butcher shop with its retail outlet in Ottawa, all these businesses are based on the family farm.
Bauman’s Cedar Valley Farms is located near Cedar Valley Reservoir in a rural setting between the towns of Garnett, population 3,264, and Westphalia, population 163 people. Now, that’s rural.
The Baumans deliver their self-processed non-GMO feed to feed stores in eastern Kansas. They also aggregate grains with neighbors. Their custom planting, spraying, harvesting and trucking business has grown to cover 30,000 acres. In addition to the butcher shop in Ottawa and sales on the farm, their meat products are sold through a mobile meat market which goes to farmer’s markets.
“We were brainstorming about how to sell our meat and poultry, but carrying a bunch of ice chests to lots of farmer’s markets wasn’t practical,” Rosanna said. “So we got a 20-foot enclosed trailer where we can display our vacuum packaged meats behind glass-doored freezers, and people can walk through and pick what they want,” she said. Baumans’ custom-made brats and burgers are a specialty.
“We like to be face to face with our customers,” Rosanna said. They also belong to the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s “From the Land of Kansas” program.
In 2017, USDA Rural Development awarded a grant which supported the work of K-State’s Heather Morgan to support the growth and development of local foods in southeast Kansas. Heather points to the Bauman family businesses as examples of local food production and entrepreneurship which could be emulated and encouraged.
Two years ago, Rosanna went to an international rural conference and connected with a woman from Uganda. That has led to international exchanges about agriculture.
“We believe our small family farm in Kansas can have an impact in the state, nationally, and internationally,” Rosanna said.
It’s time to leave this farm gathering in Uganda. We salute Rosanna Bauman and all the Bauman family for making a difference in agriculture, in Kansas and around the world.
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kansas state Sen. Richard Billinger, R-Goodland, is among the 48 state leaders from across the country selected to participate in The Council of State Governments’ 2018 Henry Toll Fellowship, the nation’s premier leadership development program for state government officials.
The members of the Class of 2018 hail from 32 states and Guam and represent all three branches of state government. A committee of program alumni reviewed applications and selected the class.
“I want to learn from others in the program, to both gain insights and become a better leader, as well as have the opportunity to share my experiences from public service,” Billinger said.
The Toll Fellowship, named for CSG founder Henry Wolcott Toll, has convened a group of the nation’s top officials for this intensive six-day, five-night intellectual boot camp for more than 30 years in Lexington, Kentucky. The 2018 program will be held Aug. 24-28.
The program’s agenda includes a lineup of dynamic sessions designed to stimulate personal assessment and growth, while providing networking and relationship-building opportunities. Each year’s program is unique, but previous programs have included sessions on leadership personality assessment, media training, crisis management, appreciative inquiry and adaptive leadership.
“The CSG Toll Fellows are a remarkable group of state leaders,” CSG Executive Director/CEO David Adkins said. “We have designed the fellowship to expand their leadership capacity with a strong focus on collaboration, communication and teamwork skills. Politics today are often characterized by polarization and gridlock. Toll Fellows learn how to overcome differences to serve the common good. These dedicated public servants leave the program energized and ready to return to their states and continue to make a difference.”
Adkins was a 1993 Toll Fellow when he served as a Kansas state representative.
Toll Fellows alumni include Cheri Beasley, associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court; Oregon Gov. Kate Brown; Delaware Gov. John Carney; Idaho U.S. Attorney Bart Davis; Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey; Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap; Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett; former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell; Anne McKeig, associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court; Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin; Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill; Tennessee U.S. Attorney Doug Overbey; Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate; U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita, a former Indiana secretary of state; former U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis; and Rhonda Wood, associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court.
“The continuation of leadership training is critical for all leaders, especially state officials, because problems, solutions and the political landscape of this country are constantly changing and evolving,” Billinger said. “With that, leaders need to not only keep an open mind, but actually work on their skills as representatives of their constituents to make sure they are best serving their community, whether it is a town, county or entire state.”
About The Council of State Governments
The Council of State Governments is the nation’s only organization serving all three branches of state government. CSG is a region-based forum that fosters the exchange of insights and ideas to help state officials shape public policy. This offers unparalleled regional, national and international opportunities to network, develop leaders, collaborate and create problem-solving partnerships. For more information about CSG, visit www.csg.org.
