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Month: January 2019

Troopers find 50-pounds of pot in car’s trunk during traffic stop

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LINCOLN COUNTY, NE — Law enforcement authorities arrested two people and seized 50 pounds of high grade marijuana during a traffic stop on Interstate 80 near North Platte, according to a media release from the Nebraska State Highway Patrol.

Photos courtesy Nebraska State Patrol

Just after 1:30 p.m. Monday, a trooper observed an eastbound 2018 Chevrolet Malibu fail to signal a lane change near mile marker 181 on I-80. During the traffic stop, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity.

A search of the vehicle revealed 50 pounds of high grade marijuana in large garbage bags in the trunk. The marijuana was contained in vacuum sealed bags.

The driver, Thanh Ho, 51, and passenger, Joe Nguyen, 56, both of Westminster, Colorado, were arrested for possession of marijuana – more than one pound, possession with intent to deliver, and no drug tax stamp.

Both suspects remain in custody in Lincoln County, according to online jail records.

Edward Dolton Robey

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Edward Dolton Robey died Tuesday, January 22, 2019. He was born November 19, 1928, in Graves, Kentucky, the son of George Edward and Anna Lucille (Williams) Robey. Dolton was the son of a Baptist pastor and moved to different locations during his childhood.

He graduated from Protection High School in Protection, Kansas, and moved with his family to Ulysses, Kansas, prior to entering the military. This is where he met Bennie Jean Mead and married her on December 18, 1949. They had three daughters, Cheryl Ann, Carol Beth, and Sheila Jean. Bennie Jean preceded him in death in 1998 and Carol Beth in 1966.

He enlisted in the Navy on March 21, 1949, and was a 2nd Class Aviation Mechanist Mate. He served in the Navy, during the Korean War until February 1953, at which time he returned to Ulysses to raise his family. He worked for Mobil Oil Corporation for around 35 years retiring in 1990.

On October 28, 1999, he married Ida Mae Webster Goeller, his high school sweetheart, and moved to Pratt, Kansas, where he remained until 2012, when he returned to Ulysses. She preceded him in death in 2011.

Dolton was a long-time member of the First Baptist Church in Ulysses, where he served many years as an ordained deacon and an adult Sunday School teacher. His faith never wavered through trials but became stronger and he served the Lord with gladness.

Dolton is survived by his children, Cheryl (Robey) Fowler and husband Gary, Sheila (Robey) Koop and husband Ivan all of Ulysses; two step-children, Gary Goeller and wife Deborah, and Barbara Rush all of Kanapolis; grandchildren, Gavin Fowler of Ulysses, Angela (Fowler) Merritt and husband Maurice of Owasso, Oklahoma, Erica (Koop) Boone and husband Joseph of Garden City, and Stephanie Koop of Mesa, Arizona; step-grandchildren, Casey Svoboda of Council Bluff, Iowa, Emily Svoboda of Pratt, and Christopher Svoboda of Kanopolis; along with nine great-grandchildren; sister, Phyllis Thomason; four nieces, one nephew; and Ulysses First Baptist Church family and friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents; three brothes, Jimmy, Elsie, and Carl; wife Bennie Jean; daughter, Carol Beth; and wife, Ida Mae

Funeral service will be Saturday, January 26, 2019, at 2:00 PM at First Baptist Church in Ulysses with Reverend Jay Mykytiuk and Reverend Richard Smith officiating. Interment will follow at Ulysses Cemetery with military rites by Dexter D. Harbour American Legion Post #79. Visitation will be Friday, January 25, 2019, from 2:00 PM until 8:00 PM at Garnand Funeral Home in Ulysses. Memorial contributions may be given to First Baptist Church BFF Fund in care of Garnand Funeral Home, 405 W. Grant Ave, Ulysses, KS 67880.

Choreographer, coach deny saying Kan. high school student’s skin ‘too dark’

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KANSAS CITY (AP) — The former coach and a choreographer for a Kansas high school dance team are denying they prevented a black student from performing during an event because her skin was “too dark” and clashed with the costumes.

Photo courtesy Blue Valley Northwest Dazzlers

Former student Camille Sturdivant has sued the Blue Valley School District, alleging she was discriminated against after complaining about how she was treated.

Choreographer Kevin Murakami released a statement Tuesday saying the allegation was “absolute nonsense.” He says he treated all members of the Blue Valley Northwest dancers with respect.

The lawsuit also alleges Murakami and former coach Carley Fine exchanged racist text messages about Sturdivant after she was named to the University of Missouri dance team. Fine was fired a day after the principal became aware of the messages.

Fine told WDAF-TV the accusations are “false and/or misleading.” She says her lawyers told her not to comment further.

Gun safe had been locked before deadly shooting of Kansas boy

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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say an 11-year-old boy and his 9-year-old friend managed to unlock a bedroom gun safe before the older boy fatally shot the younger child in a Wichita mobile home.

Police on the scene of the fatal shooting investigation -photo courtesy KAKE
Family have established a GoFundMe page after the death of Royale Spencer

Officer Charley Davidson said Tuesday in an email that the family who lives in the home didn’t know that the gun was loaded when Roy’Ale Spencer was killed. Davidson said the children got into the safe Monday after the adults in the home left for work, leaving three teens in charge. Students in Wichita public schools were out of class Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Inside the safe were two rifle-style BB guns and one shotgun, which had ammunition in it. After Spencer was shot, one teen attempted lifesaving efforts and called 911.

Member of the KSU basketball team has encounter with police

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Diarra -photo courtesy KSU Athletics

MANHATTAN — A member of the Kansas State men’s basketball team had an encounter with police early Tuesday.

Cartier Diarra, 20, was cited Tuesday for driving on a suspended or revoked license, In addition, the tags on the vehicle he was driving had expired, according to a report released by the Riley County Police Department.

Diarra a red-shirt sophomore from Florence, South Carolina played 8 minutes, scored one point and grabbed two rebounds in the Wildcats 58-45 win over Texas Tech Tuesday night.

 

 

RAHJES REPORT: Jan. 23

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Rep. Ken Rahjes (R-Agra), 110th District

Hello from Topeka!

Welcome to the 2019 Session. The first day was filled with pageantry and ceremony of the inauguration of Laura Kelly as the 48th Governor of Kansas along with the swearing in of all 125 members of the Kansas House of Representatives. This year I will serve as a member of the Appropriations and Taxation Committees and will be Chairman of the Higher Education Budget Committee.

Also last week, Governor Kelly delivered her first State of the State address and budget proposal. It is a one year budget that she says can be handled without a tax increase. I will work with her to craft a budget that provides for the needs of our citizens and does it is a fiscally responsible manner.

Division of the Budget Director Larry Campbell provided details on the Governor’s Budget Report (GBR) to a Joint Committee of House Appropriations and Senate Ways and Means. The GBR can be found online at budget.kansas.gov.

Some of the highlights include: A one-year budget for all state agencies, with the exception of K-12 and the biennial budgets (Fee Boards), which are budgeted for two years. The K-12 budget is actually for two years and is proposed as a standalone piece that she would like to see enacted by the end of February in order to satisfy the Kansas Supreme Court. Although many of us want to see meaningful legislation discussed and passed early in the session, it will be a heavy lift to go through all the steps by the end of next month. Not only is the K-12 budget separated out, it includes an inflation rate of 1.44 percent from FY ’19 through FY ’23. This would be an increase of $363.6 million.

The long term plan call for the ending of State Highway Fund transfers by FY ’23, but there are $238 million in transfers from the fund to the State General Fund in her proposed budget. The Governor’s Budget does not address comprehensive transportation funding. There is also money for Medicaid Expansion and the Children’s Health Insurance Program known as CHIP. The federal government is reducing its participation in the CHIP program so if we want to keep this level of coverage, this is what is will take. Another proposal is to pay of the Pooled Money Investment Board (PMIB) loan 5 years early, requiring a revenue transfer of $264.3 million SGF to fully pay off the $317.2 million loan in FY ’19. While this is a noble idea, and I would like to see it happen, we may need to stay with the original payback terms. The GBR also restores remaining FY ’17 SGF allotment to the Board of Regents in FY 2020 at a cost of $8.9 million.

One proposal has received a lot of media attention and that is the reamortization of KPERS. I have also received many emails and phone calls regarding this issue: Reamortizing the unfunded actuarial liability over a new 30-year period would cost the taxpayers of Kansas an additional $7 billion with a short-term “savings” of $145 million. This is not a partisan issue. Governor Brownback proposed this also in a previous budget and it was soundly rejected by the legislature, I assume this time around it will not be well received by members of the house and senate.

There is more to talk about, we will do that next week. It is always good to see people from the district come to the capitol. Leah David from Norton and Jaden Smith from Almena were in town for a Citizenship Day through the Career Technical Student Organizations of Kansas. These young ladies are also NWKS FFA District officers.

If you come to Topeka during the session, my office is in Room: 149-S. My phone number is 785-296- 7463 and email is: [email protected] and you can always try my cell number is 785-302-8416.

I look forward to seeing you around the 110th District. It is my honor to by your representative.

Rep. Ken Rahjes (R-Agra), is the 110th state representative and chairman of the Higher Education Budget Committee.

Mary Eileen Townsend

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Mary Eileen Townsend, 89, of Lyons, passed away January 21, 2019 at Hospital District #1 of Rice County, Lyons, Kansas.

She was born July 31, 1929 in Menlo, Kansas, the daughter of Ralph and Iva Barnhart Turner. She graduated from Menlo High School, Menlo, Kansas, with the class of 1947.

Mary has resided in Lyons since 2014, formerly of Hays, Kansas.

She was a bank teller at Citizen State Bank in Utica, Kansas from 1959 to 1979; and a grandparent at Hays USD 489 for several years. She was a member of VFW Women’s Auxiliary, Utica.

Mary is survived by her two daughters, Sandra K. Shirley and husband Jerry of Kanopolis, KS, and Shirley Sue Rimpley and husband Tony of Tulsa, OK; twelve grandchildren; and twenty-two great-grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Dole Townsend; son, Stanley Townsend; brothers, Dale and Loren Turner; and sisters, Myrtle Quinn, Rosa Wigington, Ethel Teel, Opal Teel and Esther Turner.

Graveside service will be 2:00 P.M., Saturday, January 26, 2019 at Utica Cemetery, Utica, Kansas. Memorials may be given to Rice Community Healthcare Foundation-Swing Bed Unit in care of Birzer Funeral Home, Lyons.

Alfred J. Gerstner

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Alfred J. Gerstner, 93, did Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, at Prairie Senior Living Complex, Colby.

He was born Oct. 30, 1925, in Trego County. He was a retired area manager for Great Plains Electric.

He was preceded by his wife, Kathryn “Kit”, on June 4, 2018.

Survivors include two sons, Christopher of Colby and Rex of Dallas, Texas; six daughters, Linda Stockman of Colby, Cindy Cutting of Chandler, Ariz., Diane Gerstner of Colby, Ann Siemsen of Colby, Laura Muller of Derby and Melissa Haberkorn of Beaufort, S.C.; three brothers; one sister; 15 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and one great-great grandchild.

Funeral mass will be 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 25, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Colby. Visitation will be 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, at Kersenbrock Funeral Chapel, Colby. Vigil and rosary will be 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Burial will be at Kansas Veterans Cemetery, WaKeeney, at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25.

Memorial to Sacred Heart School in care of the funeral chapel.

Condolences to kersenbrockfuneralchapel.com.

Enola I. Overholser

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Enola I. Overholser, 91, died Tuesday, January 22, 2019, at Citizens Medical Center in Colby.

Services are pending with Kersenbrock Funeral Chapel in Colby.

Jeweler claims it was trashed by Kansas competitor on Facebook

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KANSAS CITY (AP) — A lawsuit making its way through federal court alleges that a Missouri jeweler was trashed online by a Kansas competitor who used a customer’s phone to write the bad review.

Meierotto Jewelers, of Kansas City, Missouri, has sued Karats Jewelers, of Overland Park, Kansas, and its owner, Akshay Anand.

After a review described Meierotto’s as “pushy,” an employee reached out to the apparent poster. The woman said in a Facebook conversation that was submitted into evidence that she didn’t post the review but maybe someone else had. She said Anand walked away with her phone during a visit.

Anand said he was “flabbergasted” by the claim. He and his business filed a counterclaim Tuesday, alleging Karats also was wronged. Both sides are seeking damages.

Mary Lou Lambert Bell

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On Wednesday, January 16, 2019, Mary Lou Lambert Bell, loving wife and mother of four children, passed away peacefully in her home at the age of 82.

Mary Lou was born on August 10, 1936 on a farm near the redline in Graham County, Kansas, to James and LuLu (Boatman) Lambert. She was the youngest of 6 kids. On June 12, 1954, she married Verlan Leslie Bell. They had three children, Leslie, Debbie, and Diana Kay before moving to Littleton, Colorado, in 1959. Jim, their younger son, joined the family in 1970.

Mary Lou attended grade school through high school in Hill City, Kansas, graduating in 1954. She always looked forward to attending her high school reunion over Memorial Day weekend and having lunch with her classmates. She enjoyed working in her flower gardens in Colorado along with making silk flower arrangements and fans for family and friends. She was an avid book reader and enjoyed puzzles and word searches. She reminisced fondly of the many trips taken with Verlan and various other family members in their motor home, to Kansas and Texas to visit family and friends. Many memories and laughs were made on their trips including one from Colorado to Florida with many stops throughout the trip.

She was a hard-working and dedicated employee to all the various jobs she had throughout her life, but cherished most her time spent raising her children and keeping the books for the family business.
Numerous people commented on Mary Lou’s smile and compassion, remembering that no matter what she was going through she greeted them with a smile, said she was doing great and always asked how they were doing.

Mary Lou, in addition to her parents, is preceded in death by siblings, Enid and Alex McKenna, Viola and Bill Jones, James Ivan Lambert, Wilma and David Brinkmeyer, and Geneva and Willard Bell; daughter in law, Kay Bell.

She is survived by husband, Verlan Bell; children, Leslie Bell, Debra and husband Kjell Snemyr, Diana Kay and Don Missel and James Bell; grandchildren, Bobby Anderson, LeAnne (Arlo) Padilla,, Kristine (Janak) Garg, Erik Snemyr, and Stephanie Missel; great grandkids, Mirabai Garg, Kiran Garg, and Hayden Snemyr; also survived by many other nieces, nephews and extended family and friends.

Visitation will be 10 to 2 Saturday January 19, 2019 at Drinkwine Family Mortuary, Littleton, Colorado.

Lois Lee Guidry

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Lois Lee Guidry, faithful wife, loving mother, devoted servant of God, went to be with her Lord, on January 18, 2019 in Pueblo West, Colorado at the age of 85.

The oldest of two girls, Lois was born March 9, 1933 to William and Edna Bailey in Red Lodge, Montana. Along with her husband, Howard, she ministered in churches in Louisiana, Texas and Kansas for over 50 years. Lois was preceded in death by her husband, Howard in 2006, and a son, Tony, in 2011. She is survived by her children Paul (Karen) Guidry, Tim (Colleen) Guidry, Beth Guidry, Tina Guidry (Rick) Bartlett, as well as numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Wednesday, January 23, 2019 at 10:00 am at the Pueblo West Funeral Home in Pueblo West, CO. Burial will follow on Thursday, January 24, 2019 in Hill City, Kansas, where her body will be laid to rest beside her husband, Howard, and her parents.

A special thank you from the family to the staff of The Oasis Assisted Living Center in Pueblo West for their loving service in caring for Lois.

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