Western Kansas Human Resource Management Association will hold its monthly meeting from noon to 1 p.m. March 13 at the Robbins Center (Eagle Communication Hall), One Tiger Place.
Registration is from 11:15 to 11:30 a.m., with a short business meeting starting at 11:30 a.m.
The program for the March meeting will be “Legal and Regulatory Updates” presented by Michael Smoots, Qualified Plan Advisors. The program will be submitted for SHRM continuing education credits. WKHRMA members can RSVP at wkhrma.shrm.org.
The deadline to RSVP is noon on March 8. WKHRMA is an affiliate chapter of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management), a local professional organization for persons engaged in personal or human resource management. For more information on WKHRMA, visit wkhrma.shrm.org.
WICHITA, Kan. – The No. 10 ranked Fort Hays State wrestling team defeated No. 18 ranked Newman on Wednesday (Feb. 13), by a score of 26-13. The Tigers completed the dual portion of their schedule with a 3-9 overall record and finished 2-3 in conference action, while the Jets dipped to 3-7 on the year and 1-4 in the MIAA.
The Tigers got off to a strong start when freshman Broderick Green came out swinging with a commanding pin in the first period (0:42) over Jake Patch. Green earned his team-leading seventh fall of the season in the process. The tables turned over in the 133-pound bout when Braden Visnieski suffered a fall at the hands of Tyler Lawley in the first period (2:55). FHSU and Newman were tied 6-6 after the first two matches.
No. 1 ranked Brandon Ball shutout his opponent (Kevin Kissane) with a 7-0 decision, earning his 20th win of the year. This is the third-consecutive season Ball has reached the 20-win plateau. Jonathan Ball had a big test as he was facing No. 8 ranked Kameron Frame at 149 pounds. Ball suffered an 11-1 major decision defeat, giving the Jets the lead once again, this time 10-9.
In a battle of nationally ranked wrestlers, the 157-pound bout featured No. 4 ranked Efe Osaghae and No. 2 ranked Tyler Mies. Osaghae struck a takedown in the opening seconds of the first round and never looked back as he upset Mies with a 4-3 decision. Marty Verhaeghe dropped down to the 165-pound class and earned himself an 11-9 decision over Noah Perkins, giving him his 19th victory on the year.
Aryus Jones nearly defeated Nate Panagakis at 174 pounds but was edged out in the first overtime as Panagakis made a quick move at the beginning of the period, winning in a sudden victory, 7-5. Micquille Robinson, Ryan Tiers and A.J. Cooper capped off the dual with three-straight victories for the Tigers. Robinson used a 6-1 decision over Ivan Balavage to give the Tigers an 18-13 lead with two bouts to go and earning his team-leading 33rd win of the year..
Tiers used a couple of four-point near falls to separate himself from Sage Eckman, ultimately winning the bout with a 16-2 major decision. Cooper did more of the same and picked up a 13-2 major decision as well, doubling up the Jets score, 26-13.
The Tigers will now have 10 days to prepare for Regionals, which take place (Feb. 23) in St. Charles, Mo. the time for the event has yet to be determined.
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State softball swept Kansas Wesleyan in its home-opening doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers won by scores of 2-0 and 13-1 to move to 3-2 overall on the season. It was the first two games of the year for the Coyotes.
Game 1: Fort Hays State 2, Kansas Wesleyan 0
The first game of the doubleheader remained scoreless all the way until the bottom of the sixth, when a dropped fly ball off the bat of Elise Capra allowed two runs to score. That was the break the Tigers needed as Sierra Rodriguez and Hailey Chapman combined for a shutout. Chapman picked up her first win of the season in three innings of relief work.
Fly balls to right field were an adventure for the Coyotes throughout the game. After a pair of dropped fly balls by the right fielder early in the game, the center fielder opted to cut in front of the right fielder on Capra’s fly ball to right in the sixth and she dropped what would have been the third out of the inning. Sara Breckbill and Allison Jurgensen had singles earlier in the inning that set up the opportunity for Capra.
Sierra Rodriguez threw the first four innings of the game, allowing three hits without a walk. Chapman mowed through the Coyotes in three innings of relief, posting seven strikeouts. She had a run of four straight strikeouts from the last out of the fifth to the final out of the sixth. Chapman did allow a walk, her first baserunner allowed in 7.0 total innings of relief work this season.
Katie Adler was a bright spot for the Tigers offensively in the first game, going 3-for-3 at the dish and collecting half of the Tigers’ six hits in the game.
Game 2: Fort Hays State 13, Kansas Wesleyan 1
Fort Hays State pulled away early for a run-rule victory in the nightcap. The Tigers plated five runs in the first, three in the third, and five in the fourth before the run rule stopped the game after four and a half innings.
Bailey Boxberger was 2-for-2 at the plate and added a sacrifice fly to finish with a team-best three RBI in the game. Grace Philop had a 3-for-3 effort at the plate with one RBI. Sara Breckbill belted a solo home to left field in the first inning and scored a team-high three runs in the game. Elise Capra tattooed a ball over the left center field wall for a three-run home run in the third. Capra was 1-for-1 at the dish, though she reached base in her other two plate appearances on a hit-by-pitch and walk. Katie Adler and Megan Feiner also picked up one RBI each.
Megan Jamison threw three scoreless innings in her first start of the season in the pitching circle before finally surrendering Kansas Wesleyan’s only run of the day in the fourth. She scattered five hits before turning the ball over to Michaelanne Nelson with one out in the fourth. Nelson threw the final 1.2 innings for FHSU, getting four of her five outs by strikeout. Jamison qualified for the win since the game ended in the fifth.
The Tigers now prep for four games this weekend (Feb. 16-17) in Conway, Arkansas. Originally, FHSU was supposed to play in Bentonville, Arkansas this weekend, but that tournament was canceled.
Tiger Notes
-Katie Adler went 4-for-6 at the plate for the day and took over the team lead in batting average, now at .533 through five games.
-Hailey Chapman has thrown 7.0 innings of no-hit ball in relief this year, allowing just one walk with 10 strikeouts in three relief appearances.
-Sierra Rodriguez and Megan Jamison saw their first action of the season in the pitching circle on Wednesday afternoon.
-FHSU is batting .346 as a team through 5 games, which is second best in the MIAA to this point.
-Fort Hays State’s team pitching ERA is 2.48, which ranks 4th in the MIAA to this point.
-Katie Adler, Grace Philop, and Sara Breckbill all collected at least 3 hits on the day.
-All 11 strikeouts recorded by the Tigers in the doubleheader were by relievers Hailey Chapman and Michaelanne Nelson.
HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team struck first on Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 13), but two late runs from Wayne State pushed the Wildcats over the top, 5-4. The Tigers are now 0-6 on the year while Wayne State improves to 3-1 overall.
The Tigers wasted no time getting things going, scoring the first run of the contest just two batters into the bottom half of the first inning. Tim Fitzgerald sent a double to right center before coming around to score on a Ryan Grasser RBI single, putting the Tigers in front 1-0.
After the Wildcats tied the score in the top of the third, Fort Hays State answered with another run of their own in the home half. Grasser opened the inning with another single before promptly swiping second, allowing the senior to score on a base knock from Ryan Stoecklein.
Wayne State tied things up in the fourth inning before both sides added a tally in the sixth, with the Tigers tying things after Marcus Altman reached on an error to lead things off. The Hays native later came around to score on an RBI sacrifice bunt from pinch hitter Marcus McDaniel, allowing Fort Hays State to tie the score at 3-3.
The Wildcats added a pair of runs over the next two innings to take the lead for good. Jared Maneth and Ryan Grasser both doubled in the bottom of the ninth to put the tying run on second base, but WSC closed things out with a strikeout.
Grasser reached base five times on the day, finishing 4-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and one run. Stoecklein, Maneth and Landon Erway all added two hits each.
Ethan Booe made his first collegiate start, striking out four batters over 6.0 innings of work. The freshman allowed three runs on six hits and just one walk. Ryan Ruder (0-1) took the loss after giving up a pair of runs in one-plus innings on the bump. Jake Steinbring finished the game for the Tigers, allowing just one hit over two scoreless frames.
The teams will wrap up a three-game series with a doubleheader on Thursday (Feb. 14). First pitch from Larks Park is scheduled for noon.
Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. Breezy, with a north northwest wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday Night A 20 percent chance of snow after 1am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 20. North wind 9 to 15 mph becoming east northeast after midnight.
Friday A 50 percent chance of snow, mainly between 7am and 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 26. East wind 8 to 10 mph. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
Friday NightA 20 percent chance of snow before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 15. East wind around 8 mph.
Saturday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 31.
Saturday NightA slight chance of snow between 7pm and 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
LINCOLN COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged stalking.
Howe photo Lincoln County
On February 6, detectives with the Lincoln County Missouri Sheriff’s Office began investigating a criminal complaint of stalking, according to a media release.
Employees with the Driver’s License and Vehicle Registration Office, in Troy, reported 34-year-old Timothy Howe, of Troy, frequents the office often asking for duplicate titles, abandoned vehicle forms and other vehicle registration related items.
Over a period of a few months, the victims said Howe would buy them pizzas anonymously and contacting them through social media under a false name. The victims said Howe’s vehicle is spotted driving through parking lot at all times of the day. One victim asked Howe not to buy her pizzas anymore so he bought them for everyone in the office, except for her.
In November 2018, Howe left a large amount of cash on the countertop saying, “Go get yourself a manicure or pedicure” and walkout at the behest of the victim. The office manager reported the incident to the Compliance Investigation Bureau (CIB). The CIB informed Howe he could no longer use the Troy License Office.
Shortly after, Howe was able to obtain one of the victim’s cell number and he sent her a Merry Christmas text and other odd text messages. One victim stated Howe drove past her twice while she gassed her vehicle and felt unsafe around him.
Detectives observed Howe driving his vehicle near the Troy License Office and took him into custody. Howe is currently charged with First Degree Stalking and three counts of First Degree Harassment. Howe is currently housed in the Lincoln County Jail under a $20,000 cash only bond with no contact with the victims, GPS monitoring if released and no entry or staying on premises of 850 East Cherry St., Troy, MO. Other conditions of bond may apply.
COWLEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on drug and weapons charges.
Just before 8:30 p.m. February 9, police executed a search warrant at a residence at 117 N. Fourth Street in Arkansas City, according to a media release.
They made contact with two men, one a convicted felon, who live at the home which is less than a block south of Frances Willard Elementary School.
A search of the residence turned up 40 grams of a substance thought to be marijuana, pills with Bitcoin emblems suspected to be Ecstasy and some other pills, thought to be oxycodone.
Police also found $1,200 in cash, digital scales, an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle and more than 80 live rounds of ammunition.
Police arrested Ziad Muhammad Altiti, 20, on suspicion of one felony count each of criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, no drug tax stamp for a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school, possession with intent to distribute narcotics within 1,000 feet of a school and unlawful selling of a prescription drug, as well as a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to and booked into the Cowley County Jail in Winfield in lieu of $29,000 bond through Cowley County District Court in Arkansas City.
They also arrested Kenneth Jerrod Nesbitt Jr., 21, on suspicion of one felony count each of no drug tax stamp for a controlled substance and possession with intent to distribute marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school, as well as a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to and booked into the county jail in lieu of $10,000 bond through Arkansas City district court.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs – today cosponsored the VA Provider Accountability Act, bipartisan legislation that would bring much-needed accountability to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
“It is critical that those on the front lines of caring for our veterans are held to the highest level of accountability,” said Sen. Moran. “I am introducing this legislation to make certain no adverse medical outcome impacting a former servicemember is swept under the rug. Our veterans deserve a VA that is worthy of their service and sacrifice, and holding providers accountable is an important step to restoring trust in the VA.”
A troubling 2017 GAO report revealed an unacceptable trend of VA facilities failing to report providers who made major medical errors to the National Practitioner Data Bank and the relevant state licensing boards responsible for tracking dangerous practitioners. As a result, these practitioners can go into private practice or move across state lines without disclosing prior mistakes to patients or state regulators. A 2017 USA Today story uncovered specific, horrific medical care failures and mistakes that the VA concealed and allowed to continue.
The VA Provider Accountability Act would require the VA to inform the National Practitioner Data Bank and state licensing boards of major adverse actions committed by medical providers at the VA. Additionally, it would prevent the VA from signing settlements with fired employees to hide major medical mistakes in their personnel files.
The VA Provider Accountability Act was authored by U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A recently unsealed court document says a former contestant on both “American Idol” and “Fear Factor” worked as a courier for a drug ring and was trying to deliver nearly 2 pounds of fentanyl when she was arrested last year.
Barba -photo courtesy Western Tidewater Regional Jail
32-year-old Antonella Barba was back in custody Monday, following a federal indictment charging her with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin and fentanyl. Barba was originally arrested last October in Norfolk Virginia.
She was previously charged with shoplifting in New York and has a felony marijuana case pending in Kansas.
Barba, of New Jersey, reached the top 16 on “American Idol” in 2007, the year Jordin Sparks won. She competed on “Fear Factor” in 2012.
Her public defender didn’t immediately respond to the newspaper’s request for comment.
SEWARD COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after a drug bust in southwest Kansas.
Items collected during the investigation photo courtesy Liberal Police
Just after 4:30p.m.Tuesday, police checked a residence in the 200 block of S. Clay Street in Liberal after receiving reports that the narcotics were being sold there, according to Captain Robert Rogers. The 25-year-old resident also had warrants for his arrest. Police found him at the home.
The police department’s K9 was deployed and indicated the presence of narcotics in the suspect’s vehicle.
Officers searched the vehicle and his residence and located over 300 grams of suspected marijuana, marijuana wax, and marijuana oil were found. Several other items indicating the sale of illegal narcotics were also found.
The suspect was arrested for possession of marijuana with the intent to sell, possession of marijuana wax with the intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia, no drug tax stamp, and criminal use of weapons. He remains in jail.
An affidavit was forwarded to the Seward County Attorney’s Office seeking formal charges. Rogers did not release the suspect’s name.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A much-criticized national database that checks if voters are registered in multiple states wasn’t used last year in Kansas, the state that administers it, the official overseeing the state’s elections told lawmakers.
In 2017 Kris Kobach the Kansas Sec. of State attending a meeting of President Trump’s commission on election fraud -photo courtesy Kris Kobach
Kansas Elections Director Bryan Caskey said his office under former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach also chose not to make $20,000 in security upgrades to the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program. It didn’t use the program during last year’s election cycle and likely won’t again this year after a Homeland Security audit discovered vulnerabilities.
Twenty-eight states exchanged 98 million registration records when Crosscheck was last used in 2017.
Kobach, a longtime champion of strict voter registration laws, was vice chairman of President Donald Trump’s now-disbanded commission on election fraud. Kansas voters elected Scott Schwab, also a Republican, to replace him after Kobach ran for governor and lost to Democrat Laura Kelly.
Caskey told the House Elections Committee that Schwab has ordered a review of Crosscheck to determine whether to entirely abandon the program.
Crosscheck compares voter registration lists among participating states to look for duplicates. The program is aimed at cleaning voter records and preventing voter fraud, but it has drawn criticism for a high error rate and lax security.
Crosscheck compares registration lists and analyzes voters’ first and last names and date of birth to determine whether a person is registered in multiple states, but critics say most of the hits are false matches.
The program identified 141,250 possible duplicate voter registrations in Kansas in 2017, but it is unclear how many were purged because the system doesn’t track that data, Caskey said.
“I acknowledge that, yes, there are some false positives,” he said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas alleged in a lawsuit filed last year that “reckless maintenance” of the program has exposed sensitive voter information. Kobach has called that lawsuit “baseless,” citing the U.S. Supreme Court last year in an Ohio case dealing with maintenance of voter rolls.
A federal judge earlier this month rejected the state’s argument that the lawsuit should be dismissed because voters have no right to privacy for the information in their registration record.
U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree ruled he was rejecting that argument “because its basic premise is wrong.”
Caskey told lawmakers that Kansas could use some of the $2 million in federal funds untouched by Kobach to instead access the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC as it is better known. The initial cost to use ERIC would be $25,000. It uses encrypted voter information along with Social Security Administration death records, driver license information and U.S. Postal Service change-of-address data.
Twenty-six states now use the ERIC system, according to its website. ERIC, based in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit corporation governed by a board of directors made up of member states.
Voting rights activist Davis Hammet said it should be a no-brainer to switch from Crosscheck to ERIC, which was developed by the Pew Charitable Trust with data scientists.
“If we are going to try to do this to clean our rolls, everyone seems to be in agreement that this is the way to do it,” Hammet said.
BROWN COUNTY — Authorities have identified the officer found unresponsive in his patrol vehicle Wednesday morning as 43-year-old Kirby Robidoux of Falls City, Nebraska, according to Brown Sheriff John Merchant.
“The cause of death is unknown and an autopsy will be performed. There was no foul play suspected. Kirby was a very dedicated officer for the Sac and Fox Police department who always had a kind word for everyone he met.”
————-
BROWN COUNTY– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating the death of a law enforcement officer who was discovered in northern Brown County, early Wednesday morning.
According to a KBI media release, just before 6 a.m., a member of the Iowa Tribal Police Department discovered a patrol officer from the Sac and Fox Police Department deceased in his patrol vehicle. At this time, foul play is not suspected, but a full investigation is being conducted.
The officer will be identified once all next of kin are notified. The investigation is ongoing. No further information will be released at this time.
Farmers, come and join us for a “Weed Control Update for Field Crops” program featuring K-State Research & Extension Weed Control specialists Dallas Peterson and Vipan Kumar on Tuesday, February 19 in Hays at the K-State Agriculture Research Center, 1232 240th Ave.
Topics of discussion will be weed research in western Kansas, herbicide resistant weed management, and weed control updates for field crops. As always, there will be time for your questions and answers.
Continuing education units for Certified Crop Advisors & Commercial Applicators are available.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. with the program kicking off at 9 a.m. and concluding at 12 noon with a complimentary lunch.
RSVP is requested for the meal count by Friday, February 15. Call the Cottonwood Extension Office in Hays at 785-628-9430 or email Theresa [email protected].
Western Kansas Human Resource Management Association will hold its monthly meeting from noon to 1 p.m. March 13 at the Robbins Center (Eagle Communication Hall), One Tiger Place.
