KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A man found guilty of sexually assaulting and burglarizing victims at a Kansas City, Kansas, apartment complex has been sentenced to more than 33 years in prison.
Adalberto Mata-Deras -photo Wyandotte Co.
Wyandotte County District Attorney’s office announced 36-year-old Adalberto Mata-Deras was sentenced Friday. A judge ordered lifetime post-release supervision and registration as a sex offender for Meta-Deras
Mata-Deras was convicted last April of two counts of rape, aggravated sexual battery, three counts of aggravated burglary and interference with law enforcement.
The case stemmed from multiple sexual assaults and burglaries reported at Woodview Apartments between August 2014 and October 2016.
Prosecutors say DNA evidence linked Mata-Deras to one of the victim’s apartments.
Undergraduate researchers from Fort Hays State University will present their research projects at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 20, in Topeka as part of the Kansas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol.
Students will join other undergraduates from Kansas Board of Regents public four-year universities on the first-floor rotunda of the Capitol building.
“This prestigious event is an opportunity for our state legislators and visitors to the Capitol to see the quality of research our undergraduate students are engaged in,” said Leslie Paige, director of Fort Hays State’s Office of Scholarship and Sponsored Projects.
Paige
Brief poster presentations will be given to students, faculty, KBOR members, state lawmakers, and members of the public from across the state. The event is intended to raise awareness of research being conducted by undergraduate students.
This event also highlights the importance of transformational educational opportunities available to students at these institutions.
“This event showcases the significance of undergraduate discovery and research activities at FHSU, and provides a sample of our contributions to Kansas communities and academic disciplines,” said Paige.
Students presenting are listed in alphabetical order.
Brittany Duer, Chapman senior majoring in agriculture, will present on “Analyzing Soil Health under Cover Crops and No Cover Crops in Western Kansas Dryland Farming.” Cordell Cyr, Clyde junior majoring in agricultural business, and Kinzie Bangerter, Leoti junior majoring in agriculture, were co-investigators. The team was mentored by Dr. Ammar Bhandari, assistant professor of agriculture.
Kiley Heine, Great Bend senior majoring in sociology, will present “Attitudes about Municipal Water Conservation and Participation in City-Sponsored Conservation Initiatives.” Heine’s co-investigator was Diane Hernandez-Ramirez, Kansas City senior majoring in organizational leadership. Dr. Amanda Buday, assistant professor of sociology, served as the research mentor.
Zoey Wallis, Littleton, Colo., junior majoring in biology, will present on “PCR Assay to detect Porcine Endogenous Retroviruses (PERV) A, B, and C.” Dr. Eric Gillock, professor of biological sciences, served as the research mentor.
Jacob Lutgen, Basehor senior majoring in chemistry, will present “RNA Interference of X-Box Binding Protein in ‘Acyrthosiphon pisum’.” Lutgen’s research mentor was Dr. James Balthazor, assistant professor of chemistry.
Haley Jones, Clay Center junior majoring in psychology, will present “Military Troops: Protecting the Mental Health of Those That Protect Us.” Brooke Mann, instructor of psychology, served as the research mentor.
The public is invited to view the posters and talk to the student researchers.
Arrivalist CEO Cree Lawson, Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Melissa Dixon, Hays CVB Convention Sales Manager Janet Kuhn, Arrivalist Marketing Director Matt Clement
CVB
Gella’s Diner and Lb. Brewing Co. received an award for being one of the most-visited places in Kansas from Arrivalist, a visitation-intelligence company, and the Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks and Tourism (KDWPT).
At the annual Travel Industry Association of Kansas’ (TIAK) legislative day in Topeka, Gella’s Diner and Lb. Brewing Co. was the winner of the “Breweries, Distilleries, & Wineries” category for having more visitors than any other competitor in the state.
At this event – known as “Destination Statehouse” – TIAK members have the opportunity to network with legislators directly to advocate for Kansas tourism, observe House and Senate Legislative Sessions, and showcase the unique assets that Kansas has to offer visitors.
This year, KDWPT and Arrivalist handed out ArrivaLIST visitation awards. The Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is a member of TIAK, and CVB staff were on hand to accept the award on Gella’s behalf.
Arrivalist provides marketers with tools to evaluate the travel habits of a visitor in order to effectively measure creative messaging, targeting, and budgets to determine return on investment.
“Arrivalist’s unique data-location technology provides the most precise visitation tracking information in the travel industry,” according to Arrivalist CEO Cree Lawson.
Arrivalist defines a visitor as someone who travels at least 50 miles, stays at the destination for at least 30 minutes, and doesn’t go to that same location more than once in a two-week timeframe.
In 2014, KDWPT was the first state agency to partner with Arrivalist to track visitors who research the state online and then enter Kansas.
“Historically, out-of-state visitor information relied on self-reporting, providing KDWPT with a fraction of the data necessary to accurately understand visitation behavior,” said Colby Terry, fiscal manager, KDWPT. “Arrivalist uses concrete data to report actual, real-time foot traffic, and only captures unique visitors at each attraction once per trip for the most precise visitation behavior analysis. Using Arrivalist data, we can measure and evaluate our digital media buys to ensure we’re making effective use of every dollar spent on tourism marketing.”
Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. is an award-winning microbrewery and restaurant in the historic Chestnut Street District of downtown Hays. Named Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year at the 2013 Great American Beer Festival, it is the only Kansas brewery to hold this prestigious honor.
Alicia BoorThe Kansas Department of Agriculture, K-State Research and Extension and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment will host a regional workshop in Hays on Friday, Feb. 22, at the K-State Agricultural Research Center.
This is one of six regional workshops which are being held this winter to assist farmers’ market vendors and managers. Kansas farmers’ markets not only provide a fresh food source, but also stimulate the local economy. In 2018, 95 farmers’ markets were registered with KDA’s Central Registration of Farmers’ Markets.
“Farmers’ markets provide growers a wonderful opportunity to have real interaction with consumers, and a chance to tell their farm’s story,” said Londa Nwadike, consumer food safety specialist with
K-State Research and Extension and the University of Missouri. “It’s also important for farmers to understand certain legal, safety and financial parameters before choosing to sell at a farmers’ market.”
A keynote presentation will feature tips on marketing and making a profit, and a panel will provide information selling to institutions such as restaurants, groceries and schools. KDA’s weights and measures program will also offer free scale certification for attendees. Workshop topics will include:
Pest Control Methods, Cover Crops and Soil Health
Regulations for Selling Meat, Eggs and Poultry
SNAP Program and Sales Tax for Vendors
Specialty Crops and Produce Safety
Kansas Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program Training
The workshop will be held at the K-State Agricultural Research Center, 1232 240th Ave. in Hays. Onsite registration will open at 8:30 a.m. and the workshops will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude by 3:00 p.m. Registration for this workshop is now open and is $20 per participant. Registration includes lunch; however, lunch will only be guaranteed to those participants who register by Feb. 14. Registration forms can be found at FromtheLandofKansas.com/FMWorkshop or at local extension offices.
For more information, contact Lexi Wright, KDA’s From the Land of Kansas marketing coordinator, at 785-564-6755 or [email protected]. Workshops are also being held in Olathe, Parsons, Dodge City, Wichita and Manhattan.
KDA is committed to providing an environment that enhances and encourages economic growth of the agriculture industry and the Kansas economy. The Kansas Ag Growth Strategy has identified training for small companies via workshops as a key growth outcome for the specialty crop sector, particularly in the western half of the state. The farmers’ market workshops will provide education through partnerships to help make Kansas farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses more successful.
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
Another hospital led by EmpowerHMS, the North Kansas City company that has defaulted on its bills and missed payroll at its hospitals over the last couple of months, is under new management.
Jorge Perez addresses a crowded city council chamber in Fulton, Missouri, after he was introduced as the new owner of the town’s hospital in September 2017. BRAM SABLE-SMITH / KBIA/SIDE EFFECTS PUBLIC MEDIA- via Kansas News Service
City officials said that Fulton Medical Center, a 37-bed acute-care hospital in Fulton, Missouri, is now being run by a management team led by its CEO, Mike Reece.
Bruce Hackmann, economic development director of the Callaway Chamber of Commerce, told KCUR that EmpowerHMS’ contract to run the hospital had expired and not been renewed.
“We’re now hearing very good things about how the hospital is performing and that’s the main thing to us, because we have jobs at stake and a hospital means a lot to a community our size,” Hackmann said.
In fact, Empower had not acquired the hospital. Rather, it had a contract with Leawood, Kansas,-based NueTerra, the hospital’s owner, to manage the hospital and an option to buy it. But those agreements expired sometime last year, according to Hackmann, and NueTerra did not renew them.
NueTerra officials did not return calls seeking comment.
Missed payments
Empower and other companies affiliated with Perez own around 20 rural hospitals in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and elsewhere. Since late last year, various news outlets have reported that Empower has missed payments to its hospitals’ creditors and been late in paying hospital employees.
Last month, a Kansas state judge appointed a receiver to run Hillsboro Community Hospital in Hillsboro, Kansas, about 50 miles north of Wichita, after it defaulted on a bank loan and the bank foreclosed on the hospital. Around the same time, a Tennessee state judge appointed a special master to temporarily oversee the finances of Lauderdale Community Hospital in Ripley, Tennessee.
More recently, The Kansas City Star reported that employees of Horton Community Hospital in northeast Kansas did not receive their paychecks last week and were dipping into their own pockets to pay for supplies. Other Empower hospitals in Oklahoma have experienced similar financial woes recently.
The CEO of Horton Community Hospital, Ty Compton, told the Topeka Capital-Journal this week that a clerical error caused paychecks to be deposited late. He also blamed the hospital’s woes on the problems afflicting rural hospitals nationwide.
“It’s at risk in every rural community,” Compton told the newspaper. “The facility in Fort Scott and the facility in Independence, Kansas, both closed and those are much bigger towns than Horton is. So we’d be naive to say that health care’s not in a crisis. It certainly is in a crisis. Rural America, in general, is in a crisis.”
The U.S. Government Accountability Office last year said that rural hospital closures were generally preceded and caused by financial distress. That distress, it said, was due to multiple factors, including the higher percentage of elderly residents in rural areas, the higher percentage of residents with chronic conditions, lower median household incomes, decreasing populations and slow employment growth.
Lab billing backlash
George Ross, senior marketing director at Empower, blamed Empower’s cash flow problems on insurers’ unwillingness to pay Empower’s hospitals in the wake of questions raised about lab billing arrangements at other hospitals owned by groups affiliated with Perez.
“There’s so much backlash right now that it’s real hard for him to receive his money,” Ross said. “Yet he tries to find a way to pay the bills even though he’s not receiving money.”
One of Perez’s hospitals, Putnam County Memorial Hospital in Unionville, Missouri, was the subject of a highly critical audit by Missouri State Auditor Nichole Galloway in 2017. Galloway questioned the legality of the lab billing arrangement, under which the tiny hospital billed insurers for lab tests for patients who had never set foot in the hospital.
“Based on our review of hospital accounts, the vast majority of laboratory billings are for out-of-state lab activity for individuals who are not patients of hospital physicians,” the audit stated.
Perez, through a company called Hospital Partners Inc., took over Putnam County Memorial Hospital in late 2016. At the time, the hospital was on the verge of closing. The hospital is now under different management and Hospital Partners has since sued the hospital for breach of contract and Galloway for exceeding her authority.
Ross said Perez had taken out personal loans to cover bills and payroll, all the while awaiting delayed reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid.
“See, if these hospitals are little gold mines feeding him money, or if there’s no money coming in, right? And I don’t have to tell you, if there’s no money coming in, then the guy’s going above and beyond to make it happen,” Ross said.
Ross insisted the lab billing arrangement at Putnam County Memorial Hospital was perfectly legitimate.
“He had all his hospitals send their samples to that hospital,” Ross said. “He basically invested money into lab equipment (at Putnam County Memorial Hospital) in order to be able to process what you’d normally send” to Quest Diagnostics, the giant lab testing company.
A federal judge recently declined to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that the lab billing scheme was fraudulent. The suit was brought last year by RightChoice Managed Care and dozens of Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans.
The suit charges that Hospital Partners and individual defendants, including Perez, defrauded RightChoice by billing it for blood, urine drug and other lab tests run through Putnam County Memorial Hospital, even though the tests were performed at outside labs throughout the country.
RightChoice alleges the scheme defrauded it of more than $73 million — a staggering sum for a hospital that in fiscal 2016, before it was taken over by Hospital Partners, posted operating revenues of just $7.5 million.
Dan Margolies is a senior reporter and editor in conjunction with the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter @DanMargolies.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. South wind 8 to 14 mph becoming north in the afternoon.
Tonight
A slight chance of freezing rain after midnight. Increasing clouds, with a low around 28. East northeast wind 8 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Monday
A chance of freezing rain before 9am, then a chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45. Breezy, with an east southeast wind 9 to 14 mph becoming northwest 17 to 22 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday Night
Mostly cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 23. Northwest wind 14 to 18 mph.
Tuesday
Sunny, with a high near 50. West northwest wind 9 to 14 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
Current Hays Superintendent John Thissen resigned in October, citing personal reasons. He will serve the remainder of his contract, which ends June 30.
Oak Park Medical Complex
The board will see plans Monday for renovations for the Oak Park Medical Complex.
The board purchased the property, which it plans to use to house the Early Child Connections program. The program is now housed in the former Washington school, which the district will close and has sold.
The Washington building was purchased by a developer to be renovated into low-income housing.
The school board purchased the Oak Park Complex for $2 million. It received a $1.47 million federal grant to renovate the facility. HaysMed, which was the primary owner of the complex, also donated $500,000 toward the renovation project.
The federal grant money must be used by June 30. The school district hopes to have the renovated space open for fall classes.
Driver’s education fees
The board is set to vote on a change in driver’s education fees. The program is doing well and has a significant reserve. The recommendation is to reduce the fees by $25 to $225 for district students and $275 for non-district students. Administration has recommended to keep summer school fees the same as they were last year.
In other business:
• The board is set to vote on contracts for Shanna Dinkel, assistant superintendent, and Chris Hipp, director of special education, for the 2019-20 school year.
• Thissen will share the district-wide KESA educator, student and parent survey results with the board.
• Keith Hall, interim director of finance, will share the five-year Capital Outlay Resolution with the board.
• The board will consider the approval of negotiating agents for the 2019- 20 school year contract.
PRATT – It’s never too early to begin preparation for the spring turkey season, although you may be unpopular around the house if you start practicing your calling this soon. However, now is the perfect time to find a good place to hunt, and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s (KDWPT) Special Hunts Program can help.
There are 63 different spring turkey special hunts offered this year, including nine Mentor Hunts, 25 Open Hunts, 28 Youth Hunts and one Disability Hunt. Hunters must apply online by 9 a.m. on March 4, 2019 to be drawn for a hunt.
Special hunts are designed to provide high-quality hunting opportunities on Department lands, including state parks, wildlife areas, and refuges. The hunts also occur on Walk-in Hunting Access areas; national wildlife refuges; city and county properties; and other locations where access is limited. The hunts limit the number of participants on a given property to ensure high odds for success.
Open Hunts are open to all persons with no age or experience restrictions. Youth Hunts are open to youth 16 and younger, who must be accompanied by adult mentors 18 or older (adults may not hunt). Mentor Hunts are open to youth and/or inexperienced (novice) hunters who are each supervised by a licensed adult mentor. Both the novice and mentor may hunt. Some hunts allow for additional hunters to accompany a permit holder. Hunts are listed on the webpage by category and each includes a narrative with details, including location, dates and requirements.
Successful applicants will be notified by email after the computer drawing is completed. Special Hunt permits only provide access, so hunters must purchase all necessary licenses, permits and have Hunter Education certification, unless exempt.
Another opportunity spring turkey hunters should take advantage of is the online program, iWIHA. This allows limited access hunting without an application. Hunters simply check iWIHA the night before or morning of the hunt to see if a spot is available on a particular property. If it is, hunters can log in and hunt, knowing that only a certain number of hunters will be hunting the property on that day.
The 2019 Spring Turkey Season opens April 1-16 for youth and hunters with disabilities; April 8-16 for archery only; and April 17-May 31 for the regular season. Permits and game tags are available over the counter for all turkey management units except Unit 4. A limited number of Unit 4 Spring Turkey Permits are available to residents only and applications must be made online by Feb. 8, 2019. Until April 1, hunters may purchase a Spring Turkey Combo permit, which includes a Spring Turkey Permit and Spring Turkey Game Tag at a discount compared to purchasing the permit and game tag separately.
For information on permits, regulations and other spring turkey hunting opportunities and to purchase a permit, visit ksoutdoors.com and click “Hunting,” then “Turkey Information.”
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Markis McDuffie had 25 points as Wichita State defeated Tulane 77-62 on Saturday night.
Erik Stevenson had 13 points for Wichita State (12-11, 5-6 American Athletic Conference), which won its fourth consecutive game. Samajae Haynes-Jones added 12 points.
Caleb Daniels had 17 points for the Green Wave (4-18, 0-10), whose losing streak stretched to 12 games. Connor Crabtree added 17 points. Samir Sehic had 11 points.
Wichita State plays Cincinnati on the road next Sunday. Tulane takes on Tulsa at home on Thursday.
WACO, Texas (AP) — Cartier Diarra had just hit a 3-pointer to put Kansas State back ahead at Baylor when coach Bruce Weber called a timeout.
Weber wanted to get his team reorganized defensively, telling them to get some stops and finish the last six minutes of the game right.
The Wildcats got the message and are now alone atop the Big 12 standings.
Kamau Stokes had 20 points, including his own 3 after Diarra’s that started the late 11-0 run, and K-State finally got past undermanned Baylor for a 70-63 victory Saturday night.
“We weren’t down a whole lot during the game. We knew that we had to make plays,” Stokes said. “It came down to who was going to be the tougher team, and I felt like we made the tougher plays. … Little plays changed that game for us.”
Stokes’ 3 during that run for the Wildcats (18-5, 8-2 Big 12), came after his defensive rebound.
Then down the stretch, Diarra managed to keep a ball from going out of bounds under the Baylor basket, and swiped the ball way ahead to Barry Brown for a breakaway dunk. When Baylor got within 3 in the final minute after Devonte Bandoo made a 3-pointer and two free throws, Stokes made four consecutive free throws.
“Just using my athleticism, and used a little hang time,” Diarra said of his big save and assist. “I threw it long and (Booker) ran and got it before the Baylor player. It looked really good I bet. It was a smart play.”
K-State has a littler margin in the Big 12 after No. 17 Iowa State (18-6, 7-4) lost at home to TCU earlier Saturday.
Brown, whose 3-pointer with 3:20 left wrapped up the 11-0 run for a 62-53 lead, had 13 points and six assists. Dean Wade had 12 points and Diarra 10.
Baylor (15-8, 6-4), already without two players out for the season with injuries, was missing starting senior guards Makai Mason, its leading scorer, and King McClure. Mason (bruised foot) and McClure (knee) had both played in a loss Wednesday at Texas that snapped the Bears’ six-game winning streak.
“Our effort was good enough to win, our execution wasn’t,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “As a coach, you hate it. Relating it to real life, you work really hard, you get a bad grade. You work really hard, you don’t get a paycheck. That’s how our guys feel.”
Bandoo led Baylor with 15 points. Freddie Gillespie and Jared Butler each had 13 points.
“I think they wore down at the end of the first half, and maybe the end of the second half,” Weber said. “Our experience made a difference. … They made the shots, made the plays. We executed and got stops when it counted.”
BIG PICTURE
Kansas St.: The Wildcats have won eight Big 12 games in a row, their longest conference winning streak since 11 in a row in the Big Eight in 1974. During the stretch, they did have a 65-53 loss at Texas A&M in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Baylor: Going into a week when the Bears could have gone to the top of the Big 12, they instead suffered more injuries and consecutive losses for the first time this season.
BETTER BEYOND THE ARC
After going 3-of-14 on 3-pointers before the half, K-State made 6-of-12 after the break — including three in the 11-0 run.
“I think they just made a decision they’re not going to let Dean get it,” Weber said. “They were small, they didn’t have much depth and they just protected the paint. I don’t want to say dared us to shoot the 3. I thought we moved the ball, we had some good looks.”
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Kansas State, which this week also beat instate rival and No. 13 Kansas, has a chance to get ranked for the first time since falling out of the poll Dec. 17. The Wildcats were the preseason No. 12 team and were ranked in the first six polls, falling out from No. 25 after losing consecutive games in mid-December.
UP NEXT
Kansas State plays again in the Lone Star State, at Texas on Tuesday night.
Baylor is home Monday night against Oklahoma. It’s the third time this season the Bears play two Big 12 games in three days.
TOPEKA, KAN. – A Kansas man with a felony conviction record was sentenced this week to seven years in federal prison for a firearm violation, according to U.S. Attorney Stephan McAllister.
Lucas Hall -photo KDOC
Lucas Adam Wade Hall, 32, Hutchinson, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. In his plea, he admitted that he was arrested with a Taurus 9 mm pistol, a Beretta 9 mm pistol and a Smith & Wesson .44 caliber revolver.
In April 2011, Hall was convicted in Reno County District Court of attempted kidnapping, aggravated intimidation of a witness and aggravated battery. In September 2014, he was convicted in Reno County District Court of aggravated assault.
This case was prosecuted as part of Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhood, which targets armed offenders with a record of felony convictions. Hall has eight previous convictions including aggravated assault, aggravated intimidation of a witness, aggravated battery, criminal damage to property and kidnapping, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A 51-year-old former Olathe nursing home employee pleaded guilty to stealing jewelry from a resident suffering from dementia.
Ealy -photo Johnson Co.
Tonette Raylene Ealy, of Kansas City, Kansas, pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanor count of mistreatment of a dependent adult. She also was ordered to pay restitution to the victim.
As part of the plea deal, a second count was dismissed.
Ealy was placed on probation for one year. She will serve 30 days as a condition of the probation.
She was charged last year with stealing jewelry worth less than $1,500 from two patients and selling the items at a pawn shop.
JOPLIN, Mo. – Fort Hays State was held a season-low 35-percent shooting including only 32-percent in the second half and lost 78-66 to Missouri Southern State Saturday afternoon at the Leggett and Platt Athletic Center. The Tigers (14-8, 8-5 MIAA) have now lost three of their last four on the road while MSSU (19-5, 10-4 MIAA) remains unbeaten at home.
Mark Johnson Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
The Tigers were down six at the half but a 13-0 run by the Lions pushed their lead to 21. They would lead by as many as 25 midway through the second half an 11-0 run by the Tigers to close the game.
Elijah Clark scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the second half to lead Southern. Cam Martin added 19 with nine rebounds and seven assists.
Today
