TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court reappointed five people to two-year terms on the Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee.
The committee, formed in 2016 at the direction of the Kansas Legislature, reviews and oversees improvements to the juvenile justice system in the state. Membership includes representation from all three branches of government.
The Supreme Court appointees are:
• District Judge Delia York, serving in the 29th Judicial District, composed of Wyandotte County.
• District Magistrate Judge Paula Hofaker, serving in Phillips County of the 17th District, also composed of Decatur, Graham, Norton, Osborne, and Smith counties.
• Kevin Emerson, chief court services officer for the 28th Judicial District, composed of Ottawa and Saline counties.
• Lara Blake Bors, Garden City, a juvenile defense attorney.
• Amy Raymond, director of trial courts programs, Office of Judicial Administration, Kansas judicial branch.
Today
Sunny, with a high near 49. Wind chill values as low as 2 early. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 17 to 22 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 36 mph.
Tonight
Partly cloudy, with a low around 27. Light and variable wind becoming north 5 to 10 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph.
Veterans Day
A slight chance of snow before 9am, then a slight chance of rain and snow between 9am and noon, then a chance of snow after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. North northeast wind 9 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday Night
A 20 percent chance of snow before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. North wind 6 to 8 mph.
Monday
Partly sunny, with a high near 33. North wind 9 to 14 mph.
LINN COUNTY— One person died in an accident just after 7p.m. Friday in Linn County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Honda Civic driven by Autumn R. Robinett, 43, La Cygne, was westbound on Kansas 152.
The vehicle crossed the center line and struck eastbound 2015 Chrysler 200 driven by Karen K. Clemens, La Cygne head-on.
Robinett was pronounced dead at the scene. Clemens was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident and transported to Overland Park Regional Medical Center. The KHP did not report details on Robinett’s seat belt usage.
During an assembly at Hays High on Wednesday, speaker Russ Tuttle tells students how predators control their victims.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
Russ Tuttle told students at Hays High School on Wednesday he wanted to remember just one thing — cola cockroach.
Tuttle grew up in India. On one particularly hot and miserable day, he bought two Thumbs Up colas from a street vendor. He was so hot, miserable and dripping with sweat that he chugged the first cola.
To his horror, a cockroach had been bottled inside the beverage and now was stuck to the roof of his mouth.
He told HHS students he never heaved so badly in his life.
His point to the students was social media is like sweet, fizzy cola. A little of it is OK. Too much is bad for you, and there can be lurking inside cockroaches ready to take advantage of you.
In his BeAlert program, Tuttle noted human trafficking is not something that just happens in the Third World.
At least 100,000 children in America are taken of advantage of in the sex industry each year. Three of four of those young victims are trafficked online.
“I am here as an adult male to tell you guys there are people who want to harm students,” he said
Youth put on social media their dislikes and their desires everyday. Cockroaches, the bad guys, use that to take advantage of students, Tuttle said.
Tuttle acknowledged the disconnect between youth and adults. He explained that simply. Brains in humans don’t fully develop until on average a person is 25 years old. The thinking part of your brain, the prefrontal cortex, is the last part of the brain to fully develop,
HHS students fill out surveys after the Russ Tuttle presentation on Wednesday.
“You are in high school, so right now I want you to understand something, this is not a slam,” Tuttle said. “It is not a put down. It is not a derogatory comment, but right now you turn to your neighbor on the left and your right and with your best compassion and empathy, look them in the eyes and tell them, ‘You are just a half brain.’ ”
Tuttle said adults need to understand students make mistakes because they were half-brain formed decisions. He then turned back to the students.
“When you feel like no one understands you and you feel like you don’t have a trusted adult you can talk to about something, online is not the place to go,” he said.
Teens often feel lonely and isolated because they look at social media and compare their weaknesses to others strengths. Teenage suicide is up 20 percent in American in the last six years.
In Tuttle’s daughter’s high school, two students killed themselves in the same weekend. One was a boy, and the other was a girl. They were in different grades and did not know each other. Both were expressing on social media they were lonely, isolated and depressed.
“There were students in my daughter’s school that were responding to these students saying, ‘I think you should end your life,’ ” he said.
He said students need to take responsibility for their own actions and the care of others.
Tuttle said he was becoming increasingly distressed about students falling into controlling relationships as young as elementary school.
Recently during a presentation at a small Kansas school, a seventh-grade girl came up to Tuttle after his presentation and said a fifth-grade boy had started harassing her when she was in the fourth grade. He began threatening her. In the fourth grade, he convinced her that she needed to take her clothes off, take a “hot pic” and send it to him.
“She is now in seventh grade, and she comes to me and says, ‘How did you know my story?’ I don’t know your story. I don’t know you. She said, ‘Everything you just talked about unpacked for me. That is my life. How did you know?’ I said these are the patterns when people control others in a relationship,” Tuttle said.
This young girl in the seventh grade was suicidal. She was cutting herself.
“This is not a rare story for me,” he said. “She got in a controlling relationship, and now, in the seventh grade, all the images that had been taken and used against her — she had over 100 men trolling her, catfishing her, harassing her through social media.”
This kind of manipulation does not only happen to girls, Tuttle said.
“I don’t want you to live in fear,” he said. “I want you to be wise.”
Predators use video games, such as Minecraft and Fortnite to prey on boys. Twenty-three men were arrested out of Kansas who were recruiting boys using Fortnite.
Boys are getting naked pictures from who they think is a girl, but it is really coming from a predator. The predator, posing as a young girl, convinces the boy to send naked photos of himself. The predator offers to meet. The boy goes thinking he is meeting the girl, and there is the predator.
Unfortunately, once these “hot pics” are out there, they are usually passed on. If you receive a pic of a teen who is undressed, and you pass it on, by federal law, you are a child pornographer. One in five pornographic images is of a child.
“You are only a safe online as your stupidest friend,” he said.
Jesse Logan, 18, trusted her boyfriend, so when he said, “If you really love me, you would take your clothes off and send me a hot pic.”
She did, he broke up with her and started passing the image along. Her parents found her hanging dead from suicide in her room.
Eighty-eight percent of the time once these photos are sent, they go semi-viral, which means they are seen by at least 1,200 people.
If someone approaches you online and you don’t know them or they try to harass you, Tuttle said you should block that person, save the information and report it to a trusted adult. This can help police put predators in jail.
“I recently encountered a 12-year-old girl who had saved the online exploitation she had been going through,” Tuttle said. She was 12 years old. She thought she was talking to a 14-year-old boy for several months. It turned out it was a 57-year-old man in Philadelphia, who had 14 others girls he was doing the same thing with. Because she saved the information, that guy is in jail today.”
Tuttle shared the story of a young woman who became a victim of sex trafficking. At 10, she was a star softball player. At 12, she fell into a manipulative relationship through social media with who she thought was a 14-year-old boy. When she met him, he was actually a 21-year-old-man. At 12, that man raped her, and he used all the images he took of that event against her.
Three weeks before her 18th birthday, she was sold against her will. The predators used alcohol and drugs to control her. On her 22nd birthday, she was in ICU with only 5 percent heart function.
“This is the result of what her life did to her,” he said. “This is the impact of porn on real people. This is the impact of controlling relationships — to take someone to a place where they are willing to exploit a young student through social media to get them to go to the depths of horrific horror they never thought they would go to.”
“I am asking you to be half brains searching for cockroaches when you are online to keep each other safe,” Tuttle said.
Tuttle ended the presentation by leading the students in the cola cockroach chant: “Not in my life. Not in my school. Not in my future. Cola Cockroach.”
Kansas exports totaled $11.25 billion in 2017. Compared with last year’s data, exports increased by $1.07 billion, representing a 10.5 percent surge. A similar trend can be observed on the national level where U.S. exports experienced a 6.6 percent growth.
Kansas businesses are a global force, with goods and services being sought from Kansas internationally.
The annual Kansas Governor’s Exporter of the Year Award proudly celebrates the outstanding Kansas companies that excel in exporting and building relationships with companies around the world. We encourage you to nominate a successful Kansas business for the year 2019’s awards program.
Qualifications considered include:
Number and/or percentage increase in jobs due to international activities
Innovations in global marketing
Number of export destinations
Effective use of international distributors
Long-term international strategies and prospects for future growth
Commitment to the state and local community
Foreign language promotional material and general promotional activities
Trade shows and/or international expositions
Benefits of this award include:
All finalists will be invited to attend the Team Kansas Awards Banquet where top businesses from across the state are recognized and the award winning company will receive the trophy
The Governor will make a site visit to the award winning company to honor its management and workforce team
The award-winning company will receive a membership in Kansas International Trade Coordinating Council (KITCC) that selects the award finalists and winner
Recognition of export achievement which can be incorporated into marketing/advertising campaigns
Extended networking opportunities
The Nomination Process:
Any Kansas company engaged in exporting is eligible to be nominated for the 2019 Kansas Governor’s Exporter of the Year Award. Please visit https://kansascommerce.gov/GovernorsExporteroftheYear to nominate a business. Self-nomination is also welcomed. All nominations must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on January 25, 2019.
April Chiang
Nominations can be emailed to program manager April Chiang at [email protected]
KANSAS CITY (AP) – Court records say a slain woman had an order of protection against the man charged with killing her in her pocket when her body was found in Kansas City.
42-year-old Gene Birdsong of Kansas City, Kansas, was charged Thursday with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of 40-year-old Tabitha Birdsong. No attorney is listed for him in online court records.
Court records in Kansas show the couple wed in 2009 and that Gene Birdsong was twice convicted of battering her. He spent 86 days in jail earlier this year after violating his probation for not complying with a protection order.
Under questioning, he told detectives it was “self-defense” before stopping the interview and requesting an attorney. The couple has a daughter.
COWLEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with a shooting in south-central Kansas.
Law enforcement on the scene of Friday shooting and standoff -photo courtesy KWCH
Just after 9:40a.m. Friday, Deputies with the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office (CLSO) were dispatched to the 6000 block of 22nd Road, north west of Rock, Kansas, according to Sheriff Dave Faletti.
Initial information indicated that a woman identified as Elizabeth Anderson, had sustained a single gunshot wound to the leg and she was lying outside by the road.
It was relayed to law enforcement that she had been shot by her husband, Marty Anderson and that Marty had two juvenile children in the residence with him and had threatened their safety.
Elizabeth Anderson was transported by Eagle Med to Wesley Hospital in Wichita, Kansas for her injuries.
A perimeter was set up around the house and at approximately 11:15 AM the two female juveniles came out of the house and were removed from the area by law enforcement, according to Faletti.
Members of the South Central SWAT team then entered the house and arrested Marty Anderson without incident.
Marty Anderson had previously been arrested and was on bond for allegations of Rape, Criminal Sodomy, Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a child and Contributing to a Child’s Misconduct.
These cases are still under investigation and no bond has been determined for the current arrest. Criminal charges are still pending.
Fort Hays State opened their men’s basketball season at the MIAA/NSIC Challenge in Marshall, Minnesota on Friday afternoon. The Tigers opened the year with the University of Sioux Falls Cougars in a neutral court game.
Fort Hays State and Sioux Falls swapped the lead back and fourth several times over the first four minutes with the Tigers landing a 16-15 lead at the 14:15 mark. It was all Sioux Falls for the remainder of the half. The Cougars went on a separate 10-0 and 13-0 runs on their way to a 44-23 halftime lead.
Highlights
The Tigers never got closer than 18 points in the second half. Sioux Falls shot 59% from the field and made 12 of 25 three point attempts on their way to a 89-70 victory. Fort Hays State shot 45% in the game.
Coach Mark Johnson
Aaron Nicholson and Jared Vitzum each scored 11 in the game. Marcus Cooper added 10 in the loss.
The 0-1 Tigers play Southwest Minnesota State Saturday at 3:30
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 26-year-old woman pleaded guilty for her role in the killing an expectant mother and her unborn child.
Alora Mendoza -photo Johnson County
Alora Mendoza, of Kansas City, Kansas, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of reckless second-degree murder in the fatal shooting last June of 23-year-old Jocelyn Ybarra.
Ybarra was 12 weeks pregnant and her unborn child also died.
Mendoza was initially charged with two counts of first-degree felony murder and with attempted aggravated robbery.
Assistant District Attorney Darrell Smith said Friday that Mendoza helped another person who allegedly shot Ybarra during an attempted carjacking.
Mendoza will be asked to testify against her co-defendant as part of Friday’s plea agreement.
By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN FHSU University Relations and Marketing
A flashing digital billboard in a parking lot near the main campus at Fort Hays State University lit up the brisk autumn evening earlier this week.
It flashed a welcome to potential future FHSU students from Kinsley, Valley Heights, Natoma and South Central high schools, ones who have scheduled visits to campus.
Inside Picken Hall on the Quad, students from FHSU’s home county were getting a little extra TLC Monday night.
In what is believed to be a first-ever event for Ellis County students, Fort Hays State’s admissions office hosted a college information session specifically for students from the county’s four high schools – Hays High and Thomas More Prep-Marian in Hays, Victoria and Ellis.
Jon Armstrong
Jon Armstrong, interim director of admissions, said he and his staff came up with the idea of “Your Next Step” as a way to “better serve our students in Ellis County.”
“Trying something different to help our local people is very important to me and our office,” he said. “We want to try to be available to students on their time.”
Armstrong, whose youngest son is a high school junior, is quite familiar with the busy schedules of high school students.
“Students are so busy now,” he said, “and it’s harder and harder to get out of class to come down to campus. If we can slice out an hour or two here and there for the opportunity to get their questions answered, even if it’s in the evening, we want to do it.”
“Your Next Step” is just one of several events hosted by the Admissions Office during the school year and one of three new ones launched this year.
Last month, about 40 high school students from southwest Kansas were bused to campus for a day of learning more about the college application process.
Tuesday, Nov. 13, that many, and probably more, students from north central Kansas will arrive at FHSU for a similar day of college planning and campus visitation.
“This was something new we wanted to try for this area, and we were hoping to get at least 20 to 25 students,” Armstrong said. “Right now, we’re at 40.”
Before that, however, Armstrong and his staff are preparing for their largest event of the year – Tiger Day, which is Saturday, Nov. 10.
Approximately 400 students have sent in RSVPs for the day of learning about campus life. That’s the largest number since 2010.
After a welcome by FHSU administration, students and their families will have the opportunity to learn about the admissions process as well as visit the academic buildings and residence halls. The highlight of the day, Armstrong said, is the academic fair where tables from the different academic programs are set up in the Memorial Union.
“That takes a lot of work for our academic departments,” Armstrong said. “They are so supportive in really understanding the importance of recruiting.”
Making the college application process as easy as possible for students is high-priority for Armstrong.
One mother at the Ellis County night asked a question that stumped Armstrong, who chuckled, saying he gets asked that every so often.
“Is there a discount for twins?” asked Kelly Hutchison, mother of twin siblings Palmer and Mattie Hutchison, seniors at Hays High.
Armstrong said he was unaware of such a discount but did know that if the twins live in residence halls, they will both be offered the Ellis County residential hall housing reduction.
That discount, which Armstrong said a lot of people ask questions about, is $2,000 off the total cost of the yearly residential life contract every year a student from Ellis County lives on campus.
A total of 13 students took advantage of Monday night’s opportunity, but the number of people who came through was more than double that.
“Every student who came in had at least one parent with them,” Armstrong said. “And a couple of parents came on their own because their children couldn’t make it. All the parents seemed really thankful we did this.”
“We wanted it to be come-and-go, to accommodate people’s schedules,” Armstrong continued. “This is a start. I do know we had lots of questions about financial aid and the benefits of on-campus housing and the like.”
Brandon Hoffman from Hays High decided to take advantage of the opportunity despite having difficulty getting around.
Hoffman, maneuvering on a knee walker scooter with a cast on his left leg, which he fractured during football season, took one look at the large flight of stairs at the front of Picken Hall and thought, “Uh-oh.”
However, Hoffman was able to locate the elevator on the south end of the building and made his way up to the second-floor area where he was greeted with a table of all sorts of information about FHSU – and pizza.
“I was ready to hop up the stairs, though,” he said.
With that type of attitude, Armstrong said that Hoffman, who plans to major in business management, should do just fine in college.
Hoffman, the oldest of two siblings, was accompanied by his mother at the event.
“We just wanted to find out all about this process,” Marlene Hoffman said. “It’s all new to us. It’s so different than when we went to college.”
Armstrong and Kyle Stacken, admissions counselor for Ellis County, visited with the Hoffmans and talked about setting up a time for them to visit campus when Brandon could get around more easily.
Armstrong said he and his staff realize that sometimes local students don’t think about asking a lot of questions because they live here.
“We were able to visit with local students who have some difficulty getting to campus during regular hours,” he said. “We want to answer their questions, too. Of the 26-plus people we visited with, I think it made a big difference.”
Tom and Tina Albers and their daughter, Hays High senior Ady, definitely thought so.
“Ady really enjoyed the one-on-one conversation with Jon,” Tom Albers said. “He answered all of her questions and offered her some awesome advice. The entire event was very professional and comfortable and had a family feel to it. Thank you, FHSU, for this opportunity to help ease Ady’s concerns and help her answer several questions she had about the enrollment process.”
All in all, Armstrong deemed “Your Next Step” a success.
“This was a first step for us in wanting to provide more opportunities like this,” Armstrong said. “Our next step in our office is to offer an opportunity like this on the high school campuses. We’re going to try to do something like that in the spring. I’m excited.”
Today
