SHERMAN COUNTY — Two children were injured in an accident just after 4:30 p.m. Friday in Sherman County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Chevy Silverado driven by Gerardo Romero, 34, Goodland was eastbound on County Road 65, one mile west of Goodland.
The vehicle left roadway to the right, hit a cement block and came to rest wedged in a cattle fence.
Two passengers — ages 11 and 12, both of Goodland — were transported to the hospital in Goodland. The driver was not injured. All three were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an aggravated battery and asking the public for help to locate suspects.
Just before 4p.m. Thursday, police responded to a home in the 1800 Block of North Woodrow, according to officer Charley Davidson. A 47-year-old man told police that when he arrived home, he observed a black 4-door hatchback in a neighbor’s driveway.
An unknown male driver described as a white male with a beard and male passenger wearing shorts were attempting to take a television from the front porch of the home, according to Davidson.
As the 47-year-old approached the suspects, the vehicle ran over him as they drove from the scene southbound on Woodrow.
The victim was transported for treatment of non-life-threatening abrasions and lacerations. The suspects did not get away with the television.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact police.
Dance the afternoon away with your favorite girls at the 2019 Father Daughter Dance on Sunday, April 14th, sponsored by the Trego Recreation Center.
This annual event will be hosted at the site of the Trego Community High School prom, where the decorations from that night will be decorating our dance floor.
Dads or another special person may accompany the girls and the event will include snacks, dancing, and photos (2 – 4×6” included, plus other options available for purchase).
Sign up by April 5 to reserve your spot, but don’t wait! This event is very popular.
Kansas U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran is one of several Republicans who expressed concern about President Donald Trump’s declaration Friday of a national emergency to fund construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall.
Photo courtesy Rep. Roger Marshall
Both Moran and fellow Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts voted for a bipartisan appropriations bill, which prevented another partial shutdown of the federal government and passed the Senate 86-16. Democrat Sharice Davids was the only member of Kansas’ U.S. House delegation to support the measure, which passed 300-128 in the House.
We started these negotiations asking for 230 miles of border wall – Washington left us now with 55 miles. Any Kansan can tell you that’s not a compromise worth taking.
Moran told the Kansas News Service last month during the government shutdown over the wall funding that he shared Trump’s concerns about border security, but that he hoped the president wouldn’t use emergency powers to circumvent Congress.
“Throughout my time in the Congress, particularly in the Senate, I have complained about administrations taking more and more of what is constitutionally the responsibility of the United States Congress,” he said. “But I also complain that Congress allows it to happen.”
The 1976 law that gives the president authority to declare a national emergency also gives Congress the power to terminate the order.
On Friday, Trump signed the appropriations bill. The president then declared an emergency on Friday because the measure included only $1.3 billion of the $5.7 billion he wanted for the wall. Unless blocked by Congress or the courts, the declaration will allow the president to redirect money appropriated for the U.S. military and for disaster response.
In a statement, Davids called the bill a good compromise that “funds smart and effective security at our borders and many other important investments in our communities.” The congresswoman, who is serving her first term in the 3rd District seat she captured from Republican Kevin Yoder in November, also criticized the president’s emergency declaration as “dangerous to our democracy.”
The Republican House members from Kansas all opposed the funding bill.
“It is shameful that these negotiations failed to secure our border, so I understand and respect the president’s declaration (of a national emergency),” U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall said in a statement. Marshall, who represents the vast western Kansas 1st District, voted it down because it included only enough money to build 55 of the 230 miles of border wall sought by Trump.
“I’m fed up with it, and the more than 70 percent of Kansans in my district who want the wall built are sick and tired of the political games and dysfunction in Washington,” he said.
Rep. Ron Estes, a Republican from Wichita who oversees the 4th District, also said the lack of funding for the wall justified emergency declaration.
“Rather than President Trump needing to declare a national emergency to protect our country, Congress should have done its job to provide increased border security,” Estes said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Steve Watkins, a Topeka Republican serving his first term, ran as a “build the wall guy.” He said the funding bill doesn’t do what’s needed.
“Our border agents told us what it will require to secure our border and this is not it,” Watkins said on Twitter.
Jim McLean is the senior correspondent for the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks.
Junior Dean Cooper, 89, passed away February 14, 2019 at Country Living Memory Care in Larned.
Dean was born June 6, 1929 in Burdett, the son of Paris and Irene Crockett Cooper. He was a farmer and rancher.
Dean was of the Christian faith, he belonged to the Burdett Pinochle Club, Brown’s Grove Township Board, Monday Night Bowling League and drove a school bus for many years. He was a dog lover, avid hunter and loved sports, especially baseball and basketball.
He married Lenora Jane Troutman in Kinsley on December 26, 1951, she survives.
Other survivors include: sons Ron (LaRue) Cooper, Burdett, and Terry (Haydee) Cooper, South Korea; daughters Linda Best, Larned, and Nada (Kirk) Wells, Alexander; twelve grandchildren and thirteen great grandchildren.
Dean was preceded in death by his parents, a son Gary Alan Cooper; two step-sisters, Ina Mae Selfridge and Alice Chaffee, step-father Lewis Eakin, and one grandson, Ethan Cooper.
Funeral will be 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, February 20, 2019, at Beckwith Mortuary Chapel, with Carolyn Tarman presiding. Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, with family present from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Interment will be at Brown’s Grove Cemetery, Burdett.
Memorials may be given to Pawnee County Humane Society or Burdett EMS, in care of Beckwith Mortuary, P.O. Box 477, Larned, KS 67550.
Bernard “Ben” Joseph Donovan, beloved son of Leo and Helen (O’Conner) Donovan, was born in Norton, Kansas on March 27, 1924, and peacefully passed away at his home in Norton on February 14, 2019, at the age of 94.
Ben grew up in the Norton community and graduated from Norton Community High School. On May 12, 1944, Ben married the love of his life Wava Shaw in Norton. They made their home in Norton where he made his living as a farmer and stockman.
Ben was a member of the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church and also a member of the Knights of Columbus. Farming and family was his life. He loved spending time with his children, especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Survivors include: one son, Patrick, and wife, Linda Donovan, Norton; one daughter, Carol, and husband, David Leighton, Wichita, KS; one sister, Mary Jean, and husband, Larry Mueller, Greeley, CO; six grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; his caregiver and friend of 9 years, Bobbie Stewart; several other relatives and friends.
Ben was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Wava; one son, Capt. Michael L. Donovan; one infant daughter, Martha Donovan; two sisters, Anna Lee Forgy and Patricia McLean; one brother, James Donovan; one great-grandchild, Elliot Conard.
MASS OF THE CHRISTIAN BURIAL – Wednesday, February 20, 2019 – 10:30 AM
PLACE – St. Francis of Assist Catholic Church – Norton, Kansas
VISITATION – Tuesday, February 19, 2019 from 6:00 PM until 7:00 PM at Enfield Funeral Home in Norton
ROSARY – Tuesday, February 19, 2019 – 7 PM at Enfield Funeral Home
MEMORIALS – In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to Norton Senior Center
Norman G. Seller, 87, passed away Feb. 14, 2019, at Medicalodges of Great Bend. He was born Nov. 1, 1931 to Elmer and Myrtle (Schneider) Seller. Norman married Edna (Lively) and were later divorced.
A Great Bend resident, coming from Liberal in 2014, Norman was a driller in the oilfield and a lifetime member of the V.F.W Post 9139 in Ellis County. He was stationed in Germany during the Korean Conflict with the United States Army, earning the rank of PFC (T). He also was an avid gardener, planted tomatoes that grew to 13 feet and Oklahoma sugar cane that he used for shade and wind block for his garden and house.
Survivors include, one son, Bill Seller and wife Sara of Oberlin; one daughter Dianna Gosselin of Plainville; six grandchildren; twelve great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, and infant brother, Carl H. Seller.
Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019, at Bryant Funeral Home, with family receiving friends from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Graveside Service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, at the Wildmead Cemetery in Nickerson, with Larry Schumacher presiding. Military rites will be conducted by the Ft. Riley Honor Guard. Memorials have been suggested to the Wildmead Cemetery, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
NEW YORK (AP) — Paylesss ShoeSource is shuttering all of its 2,100 remaining stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, joining a list of iconic names like Toys R Us and Bon-Ton that have been shuttered in the last year.
The Topeka, Kansas-based chain said Friday it will hold liquidation sales starting Sunday and wind down its e-commerce operations. All stores will remain open until at least the end of March and the majority will remain open until May.
The debt-burdened chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April 2017, closing hundreds of stores as part of its reorganization.
At the time, it had over 4,400 stores in more than 30 countries. It remerged from restructuring four months later with about 3,500 stores and eliminated more than $435 million in debt.
The fourth-ranked women’s basketball team looks to continue its winning ways Saturday (Feb. 16) when the Tigers host Lincoln University. First tip is set for 2 p.m. from Gross Memorial Coliseum.
A win Saturday would be the team’s 20th consecutive home win, good for the seventh longest active streak in Division II.
The Tigers (22-1, 13-1) currently sit two games clear of second place in the MIAA standings with just five games to go in the regular season. Lincoln, meanwhile, sits in 13th, two games back of clinching a trip to Kansas City.
Fort Hays State owns an 11-1 lead in the all-time series with Lincoln, including wins in eight straight meetings. The Tigers have never lost to their Blue brethren away from Gross Memorial Coliseum, with Lincoln’s lone win over FHSU coming in overtime in Hays seven years ago (1/21/12). Fort Hays State is 5-1 against the Blue Tigers in Hays. All 12 meetings with Lincoln have come under head coach Tony Hobson.
Lanie Page led the Tigers in scoring for a team-best seventh time Thursday, scoring 19 points in a big win over No. 25 Lindenwood. Page is one of seven Tigers to lead the team in scoring at least once this season.
The Blue Tigers bring a 10-13 overall record with them to Hays, including a 2-12 mark in MIAA play. LU has just one win in 12 outings since the start of 2019. The Blue Tigers are in the middle of the pack in the MIAA in scoring, ranking eighth in points for (67.9 ppg) and ninth in points against (63.9 ppg). They are the worst three-point shooting team in the conference, hitting 28.1 percent from deep on the year. Zhanesha Dickerson ranks second in the league in scoring and third in rebounding, posting 16.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest.
Promotions
Game Sponsor: KSU Watersheds/City of Hays
National Anthem: Terry & Joan Crull/O’Loughlin Elementary
Student Section Theme: Poncho Night (Rain Gear)
Academic Night: FHSU recognizes student-athletes who achieved 3.0 GPA or better.
SAAC Silent Auction: Bid on FHSU team gear throughout the night.
20 year donor recognition: FHSU recognizes all donors who have supported FHSU for 20 years or more.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has three words for workers at the state’s most crowded maximum-security prison: “Please don’t quit.”
Gov. Kelly speaking this week to employees at the El Dorado Correctional Facility -photo courtesy KDOC
Kelly spoke to more than 100 employees at El Dorado Correctional Facility on Thursday, two days after the Kansas Department of Corrections declared an emergency there. She says to “Trust that we will work this out as fast as we can.”
The prison has 95 vacant staff positions while also housing 74 inmates over its limit. It’s had multiple inmate disturbances over the past two years. Several staff members raised issues of working long hours of overtime, sometimes with few breaks, and years of no pay raises.
Interim Corrections Secretary Roger Werholtz told prison employees that “What’s happening here right now is not sustainable.”
The Russell Regional Hospital board has released CEO Rob Nahmensen from his contract.
Nahmensen had only been with the hospital since November 2017. Nahmensen came from Stanton County Hospital in Johnson, where he was the COO and CFO.
He said via email Friday, “The end of my employment with Russell Regional Hospital came as a complete surprise to me. The board released me from my contract without cause or warning. I felt the hospital was moving in the right direction and we were making positive changes aimed at the long-term successes of the facility. My wife and I have enjoyed our times in Russell, and we loved being part of the Russell community. I wish Russell Regional Hospital the best in their future endeavors.”
The hospital Thursday confirmed Nahmensen was no longer employed by the hospital, but no further information was released at that time.
Russell Regional Hospital is a 25-bed nonprofit critical access hospital. It recently completed a $3.5 million infrastructure campaign, including the construction of a new physicians clinic.
The hospital is county-owned. An elected board of Russell County residents manages the hospital. The day-to-day operations of the hospital were subleased in 1997 to West Central Kansas Association Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Phifer -photo from an Oct. 2018 arrest in Norton CountyDECATUR COUNTY — The suspect wanted in connection with a stolen vehicle in Thomas County has been apprehended.
According to the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect believed to have stolen a Ford pickup from a homestead east of Levant on Thursday allegedly stole a second vehicle in Colby before a pursuit in Decatur County.
The pickup was spotted Friday in Atwood and law enforcement was contacted. A pursuit began in Decatur County involving the Decautr County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Highway Patrol, ending when the suspect crashed the pickup before fleeing on foot. The suspect — identified in a social media posting as RJ Phifer — was then apprehended at approximately 11 a.m. Friday by the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office.
Phifer has a previous conviction for aggravated battery, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
SEDGWICK COUNTY— Police presented the results of the investigation in the death of 9-year-old Roy’Ale Spencer on Thursday afternoon, according to a statement from the Sedgwick County Attorney.
Family have established a GoFundMe page after the death of Royale Spencer
Spencer 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, according to officer Charley Davidson.
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 after the adults in the home left for work, leaving three teens in charge. Students in Wichita public schools were out of class 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.
The District Attorney’s office reported Thursday that Marc Bennett is reviewing the matter before making a final decision.
