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Month: March 2019

House investigating voter irregularities in Kansas

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By ROXANA HEGEMAN

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Congressional investigations over voter irregularities expanded Thursday with Democratic lawmakers requesting information from state officials in Kansas and Texas.

The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform sent letters seeking communications related to the decision by Ford County, Kansas, to move the only Dodge City polling site outside of city limits for the 2018 midterm elections. It also is seeking communications about efforts in January by the Texas secretary of state’s office to purge voter rolls amid disputed claims that registered voters may not be U.S. citizens.

The four letters were signed by Rep. Elijah Cummings, chairman of the Oversight Committee, and Rep. Jamie Raskin, chairman of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

The spokeswoman for Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab said in an email they have acknowledged receipt of the request and “will respond accordingly.”

Jeff Mateer, first assistant attorney general in Texas, said in an emailed statement that they are reviewing the letter and “look forward to providing the committee with information that demonstrates our compliance with the law while ensuring free and fair elections.”

Spokespeople for Ford County Clerk Debbie Cox in Kansas and Secretary of State David Whitley in Texas did not immediately return messages seeking comment Thursday.

For about two decades, the only polling site for Dodge City’s 13,000 registered voters was the Civic Center in a mostly white part of town. Cox decided to move the site to the county Expo Center located outside of town and more than a mile from the nearest bus stop the month before the midterms. County officials have said the move was prompted by a planned construction project at the Civic Center, although work had not started by the time of the November election.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas sued Cox, arguing that moving the only polling site in Dodge City outside the city limits will make it more difficult for the city’s majority Hispanic population to vote because they tend to have less access to transportation and flexible work schedules. A federal judge refused to order the county to open a new polling location just days before the election, finding it was not in the public’s interest because it would likely create more voter confusion.

The letter to Cox from Democratic lawmakers acknowledges that Ford County recently settled a lawsuitand agreed to open additional polling sites in the city for future elections. However, it said they remained concerned that the decision to move the polling site last year may have impacted the voting ability of Dodge City residents. Their letter to Schwab seeks to determine the role of the Kansas secretary of state’s office in moving the polling site.

Texas’ bungled search for illegal voters began in January when state election officials released a deeply flawed list of 98,000 registered voters flagged as potential noncitizens. But it became almost immediately clear that the list wasn’t vetted and that the U.S. citizenship of tens of thousands of Texas voters had been wrongly questioned.

A federal judge in February called Texas’ scouring of voter rolls for noncitizens “a solution looking for a problem” and prohibited the state from removing any voters following lawsuits by civil rights groups.

Paxton had originally amplified the January announcement as a “VOTER FRAUD ALERT” in campaign fundraising emails before problems with the list emerged. President Donald Trump had also used the reports to renew his unsubstantiated claims of rampant voter fraud.

The fallout has put Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s hand-picked elections chief in jeopardy. Whitley was appointed in December but still needs confirmation in the Texas Senate, where Democrats signaled they have enough votes to reject him.

The letters from lawmakers ask that the requested communications be produced by April 11.

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FHSU informatics students bring home seven first place awards from competition

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Fort Hays State University’s Gabe Warrick, a senior from Larned, imports graphics and video content for a broadcast during the NCAA Division II Central Region Women’s Basketball Championships at Gross Memorial Coliseum.

FHSU University Relations

The Fort Hays State University Department of Informatics recently participated in the Kansas Association of Broadcasters annual spring competition earning seven first place finishes, four seconds, and two honorable mentions.

Digital media production and journalism students and their advisors will receive the awards in Lawrence on Tuesday, April 2.

“It’s always great when our students are able to get the recognition they deserve, not only in competitions against other state institutions, but also across the nation,” said Nick Schwien, director of Tiger Media Network.

“We pride ourselves on preparing students for the real world after graduation, and our students continue to excel with the hands-on learning approach we utilize. The students have been taking advantage of opportunities they are presented with to not only further their education, but also become desirable hires for future employers,” he said.

Students from FHSU have a long history of competing in the KAB radio, television, news, sports and documentary categories. The historical momentum is bolstered by Hammond Hall’s state of the art facilities.

“Seeing firsthand how much time and dedication these students put into their work, it isn’t at all surprising to see this amount of recognition. These are the kids who know they want to tell stories and make a difference in the world after they graduate, and they are well on their way to doing just that,” said Russell Heitmann, News and Sports director for TMN.

Faculty advisors Dr. Ginger Loggins, assistant professor of informatics, and Ron Rohlf, assistant professor of informatics, coordinate contest submissions and student field trips.

Undergraduate Radio KAB Awards are listed in alphabetical order.

Nathan Johns, Oakley sophomore, majoring in information networking and telecommunications, first place in Complete New Feature with “Bootcamp Nickname.”

Dakota Rowlison, Salina junior majoring in digital media production and journalism, second place in Documentary with “My Rock Bottom.”

Undergraduate Television KAB Awards are listed in alphabetical order.

Lauryn Davis, Kensington sophomore majoring in elementary education, first place with Station Website for Tiger Media Network.

Lexi Gross, McCook, Neb., junior majoring in digital media production and journalism, placed first in Undergraduate: Intern TV with “Here at Sehnert’s Barkery we are one!” Gross also placed second in Promotional Audio or Video with “Sehnert’s Bakery: No Substitute (October 2018).”

Haley Lenauer, Saint George senior majoring in digital media production and journalism, second place in Public Affairs Program with “Under The Radar,” episode five.

Sergio “Alex” Perez, Garden City senior majoring in digital media production and journalism, first place in Complete New Feature with “Long Faced Dogs Are Back,” and honorable mention in Documentary for “Hays, America: The Music Within.”

Michael Turner, Maize senior majoring in digital media production and journalism, and Brooke Burton, Hill City senior majoring in digital media production and journalism, placed first in Entertainment Program with “Live and Local,” episode seven.

Gabe Warrick, Larned senior majoring in digital media production and journalism, and Paul Kirkwood, Garfield senior majoring in digital media production and journalism, received an honorable mention in Sportscast with “FHSU Football vs Northeastern State – 11/10/18.”

Warrick and Andrew McGinnis, Hays senior majoring in digital media production and journalism, placed second in Entertainment Program with “Live and Local,” episode four.

Graduate Radio KAB Awards are listed in alphabetical order.

Caroline Rae Strickland, Jenks, Okla., graduate student, placed first in Entertainment Program with “Losing Control (Audio Short Story),” and second in Entertainment Program with “The Millennials Manifesto (Podcast): End of the World.”

Undergraduate Radio Intercollegiate Broadcasting System finalists are listed in alphabetical order.

Davis is a finalist for Best Website with KFHS/Tiger Media Network.

Perez is a finalist for Best Documentary with “Hays America: The Music Within,” and for Best Video News Report with “The Long Faced Dogs Are Back.”

Justin Sabata, Hays sophomore majoring in digital media production and journalism, is a finalist for Best Station Promotion with “Bring the Thunder, KFHS Radio,” and Best Use of Video in the Radio Station for “The Penalty Box Summer F3,” episode three.

“It was pretty surreal being recognized in such a huge market and among so many people,” said Sabata. “This wasn’t Wichita or anything like that; this was New York City.”

“It’s great to see these students receiving recognition for the quality of their work. Consistently, year in and year out, these students walk the talk. I couldn’t be more proud,” said Angela Walters, interim chair of the Department of Informatics.

FHSU’s Olliff named Counselor of the Year by state counseling association

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Olliff
FHSU University Relations

Dr. Kenton Olliff, assistant vice president for student affairs at Fort Hays State University, was named Counselor of the Year by the Kansas Counseling Association.

The award was announced at the association’s recent 2019 Spring Kansas Counseling Conference in Lawrence.
“I was humbled to just be nominated, let alone receive the award,” Olliff said.

Olliff is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, a licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor and a National Certified Counselor.

KNOLL: Where do we go from here?

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Les Knoll

Our 40th President Ronald Reagan coined the phrase “a shining city on a hill” in describing America.

To some degree, thanks to Donald J. Trump in “making America great again,” we can still be described that way, however, criminality like never before in this country’s history is making many of us think otherwise about that shining hill. Our country has for some time now, gone completely off the rails when it comes to the rule of law and equal justice.

It makes one wonder if we have become a third world country or a despotic one. It appears, in many ways, under our legal system, it’s
all about who you are, not what you do.

No, this is not conspiracy theory. No, I am not making this up and yes, a major shock we have come to this as a country.

Trump comes along and all hell breaks loose because the establishment wanted the politician’s politician Hillary, and not a non politician named Trump that rightfully muddies the waters and wants to drain the swamp.

Crimes have been committed that may be beyond repair. Pay close attention readers to see what follows, especially what happens with a new Attorney General heading up our Department of Justice, a department that has been compromised beyond belief in the past, as has the FBI.

The trail of corruption and criminality leads back to former president Obama – and Hillary, then on to our law enforcement agencies and deep, very deep into other parts of our government, our media, and the Democrat Party. Call it a total abuse of power.

Their mission was, and still is, the destruction of a Trump presidency. At first it was all about preventing Trump from even becoming president. then the scheme became a coup. In other words, the anti Trumpers want to kick Trump out of office no matter what it takes. Far too much of it is motivated by hatred for Trump.

Does our vote even count in who we want as our president or is that to be determined by the Deep State that is clearly driven ideologically by a political party to the liberal and progressive left? What about those of us who are conservatives? If our votes don’t count then goodbye to America, once known as a democratic republic.

The criminality actually, is there for all to see. There are indisputable facts to back up my claims in this writing. No! You will not get this information from CNN, MSNBC, the three networks, the New York Times, Washington Post, let alone your local newspaper. In fact, parts of our government, media, and the Democrat Party have been one and the same in many respects.

Our law enforcement agencies provided Dems and media the weapons to destroy Trump. The whole thing has been politicized. Justice be damned. Trump’s presumption of innocence be damned by Democrats and media, even following the Mueller report of no collusion evidence. The Dems and media will press on looking under every rock on the shores of these United States for something, anything to destroy our Commander in Chief.

Not only was the Trump Russia collusion the biggest hoax ever, so was this the greatest miscarriage of justice. The Mueller Special Counsel was a hoax to begin with in that it was created based on a lie known as the fake dossier. If Mueller had any integrity he would never have taken the case to begin with for the simple reason there was never any evidence of a crime, including Trump colluding with Russia.

Two things to look for as we move forward. One bad, one good. The continued hatred of Trump by Democrats and media looking obsessively to impeach our president, even continuing with the collusion delusion. And, of course, obstruction of justice, even though they will lose on that account as well. Secondly, efforts to right our ship, by bringing the criminals to justice. The tables will be turned on the Trump haters as investigations take place by Republicans and our Department of Justice.

Maybe, with prayer and help from a higher power, the Clintons, along with Obama, and others, will be brought to justice. Just to name a few – read up on Uranium One, Clinton Foundation, Hillary’s private email server, and FISA warrants to spy on Trump using a fake dossier.

In spite of the recent final Special Council report, Mr. Investigator Mueller needs to be investigated too for hiring an army of Clinton connected lawyers to take out Trump.

Les Knoll lives in Victoria and Gilbert, Ariz.

Teacher of the Month: Holy Family teacher encourages students to persevere

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Holy Family teacher Tyler Haas poses in his classroom with some jerseys that were gifts from some of the athletes he has coached.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Tyler Haas tries to teach his students persistence.

Haas was a high jumper when he was in college at Fort Hays State University. During his sophomore year, he was facing some challenges and considering quitting the team. His father encouraged him to keep working.

Not only did Haas find success in his college career, being named twice all-conference, but today he is an assistant coach for jumping events at FHSU. He has worked with several nationally and internationally ranked athletes.

He said had he quit he would have missed that opportunity. He would have missed the opportunity to travel and meet people — and he would have missed an opportunity to do a job he now loves.

“What the key to happiness is may be not always be chasing a dream of making money,” he said. “It is maybe chasing something in which you can impact the most people. In 12 years, I have been able to work with numerous students and athletes, and it has been a great experience.”

Haas, a Hoxie native, has been teaching at Holy Family for 12 years. He currently teaches math and social studies to fifth and sixth graders.

“I say I’m going to go teach. I’m going to go coach. I never say I’m going to work, because I enjoy both of them so much,” he said.

Haas was named March’s Hays Post Teacher of the Month. He was nominated by parent Shanna Koster.

Koster said in her nomination that Haas is her daughter’s favorite teacher.

“She says that he is not only a math and social studies teacher, he teaches about life. He goes above and beyond by teaching our children the right thing to do in certain situations and normal daily life.

“He is genuinely in love with his job as a teacher. He makes an effort to get to know his students and makes learning fun for them.”

Koster said Haas encouraged her to praise her daughter for her hard work in class and expressed a true passion for his work.

“I do believe that teachers have the hardest job in the world,” she said. “I believe that Mr. Haas has left a mark on my child’s life forever. As she leaves elementary school to move to junior high, I believe he has taught her things she will remember for a lifetime. For that, I will never be able to thank him enough.”

Haas started out at FHSU as a radiology major, but going into to his junior year, he switched his major to teaching.

His mother was a teacher. She died of cancer between Haas’ fifth- and sixth-grade year in school.

“I always remembered how caring she was, and she always seemed to be happy to help other people,” he said. “I wanted to do something that genuinely made me happy. It was weird, because I didn’t see myself as a teacher, but it just kind of found me and so did coaching. I didn’t think I would do either one, but it is weird how you get shoved in the direction you should probably go in.”

The small Hoxie community rallied around Haas’ family after his mother died. He said, to a great extent, he was raised by his teachers and the community.

“That’s probably another reason I became a teacher is those people that affected me so much,” he said. “When your world is kind of upside down, you are going somewhere safe every day. People show that they care about you as a person. Teachers were pretty special for me. I cant imagine as a radiologist I would be able to pay those people back. I want to thank them somehow.”

One of his high school teachers, history teacher Olive Krannawitter, particularly stood out in his mind.

“He taught us a lot of life lessons. He taught us what happens if you need to change a tire.  Things like that are still valuable to be today. Budgeting … and this was a history class, but he cared about where we would be in our 30s and down the road. The biggest thing was that we knew Mr. Krannawitter cared about us.  I would say he was the greatest teacher I ever had.”

Haas said he tries to find those teachable moments in his own class.

He said challenging a student, who may be struggling, to work through a problem is maybe more important than the answer they come up with in the end.

“Letting them know it is OK to struggle and teaching them to persevere through that [is important], because down the road in 15 years, that is the most important lesson we teach them,” he said. “They might not remember how to get the area of a kite, but if they could persevere through that problem and find a solution, even if it is not there in the first three to five minutes of work, that is probably the more lasting lesson and is more important down the road.”

Because Haas works with college students as a coach, he sees the struggles young adults go through.

“Especially in their freshman year in college, a lot of them are essentially lost because they have never had to do things on their own. I see where they end up down the road,” he said. “Everybody is afraid of failure, but it is not a final outcome, and we all have to understand it is a part of the process of growing.”

Haas said he is always growing as a teacher and a person, but he said he can’t imagine doing anything else.

“Everyday I go home, and I am pretty happy at the end of the day,” he said. “You get one life, and you should really enjoy what you choose to do. That’s how you get fulfillment. I am just happy to do what I do.”

Police: Kan. teen accused of attempted first-degree murder

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SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and have a teen suspect in custody.

Griffin -photo Sedgwick Co.

Just after 11p.m. March 22, police responded to a shooting call at a residence in the 7900 Block of East Indianapolis, according to officer Charley Davidson.

Upon arrival, offices located a 29-year-old victim with multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported for treatment and remains hospitalized, according to Davidson.

Through an investigation, police learned a disturbance took place between the suspect identified as 19-year-old Treyvaun L. Griffin and the victim at the home on Indianapolis. During the disturbance, Griffin pulled out a handgun and fired multiple shots that seriously injured the victim.

On Wednesday, police located Griffin at a residence in the 1900 Block of East 47th Street South and made an arrest. They also recovered a handgun inside residence. Griffin is being held on requested charges that include attempted first-degree murder, criminal possession of a firearm, aggravated assault and aggravated robbery, according to Davidson.

The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.

Wet, windy Friday

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Friday Rain likely with areas of drizzle before 1pm, then a chance of rain after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 42. North northeast wind 11 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Friday NightRain likely before midnight, then rain and snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 31. North wind 14 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

SaturdayA 20 percent chance of snow showers before 1pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 46. North wind 14 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.

Saturday NightMostly clear, with a low around 23. North wind 9 to 14 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.

SundaySunny, with a high near 51.

Sunday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 31.

Hays High girls’ soccer falls in OT

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By JEREMY McGUIRE
Hays Post

McPHERSON, Kan.-Maize South scored with just under two minutes remaining in overtime to take a 2-1 win over Hays High in the semifinals of the McPherson Invitational Soccer Tournament. The two teams battled all night long in the cold and the wind.

Maize South scored the first goal of the game with only 37 seconds remaining in the first half and led 1-0 at halftime. The Lady Indians would take only 25 seconds of the second half to score the equalizer as Caroline Robben found an opening to score her third goal of the season. Both teams would have opportunities throughout the remainder of regulation but could not capitalize.

The Mavericks scored the game winner off of a free kick just outside of the goalie box, the result of what was a questionable foul call against Hays High. The Lady Indians will face Andover Central, a 2-1 loser to McPherson, in the 3rd Place game at 6pm on Friday.

SILAS HIBBS INTERVIEW

 

TMP-Marian softball sweeps Holcomb

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HAYS, Kan. – The TMP-Marian softball team evened their record at 3-3 with a pair of run-rule wins over Holcomb Thursday at the TMP Field. The Monarchs took game one 12-1 in six innings then won 15-0 in three innings in the second game.

Kyleigh Allen pitched both games and allowed one run on two hits with 15 combined strikeouts and three walks. Allen struck out 10 in the opener.

Emilee Augustine drove in three while Allen and Sophia Coulter each knocked home two in the first game. Emma Pope had four RBIs and Emily Schulte three in the second game.

TMP-Marian plays a doubleheader at Abilene Friday.

FHSU track brings home seven first place finishes at Alex Francis Classic

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HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State men’s track and field team claimed four individual first place finishes in their lone home meet of the season, the Alex Francis Classic. The event, which was moved up one day due to impending weather, was held in Hays and was the second outdoor meet of the season for the men.

Courtesy FHSU Athletics / Allie Schweizer

On the day, five Tigers finished in the top position in their events. Philip Landrum, who is coming off his indoor nationals appearance, finished in first in the 200-meters with a time of 21.37. In the 800-meters, Brett Meyer earned the top spot with a time of 1:54.24. In three field events the Tigers earned their high finish. Kolt Newell won his second-straight high jump event with a height of 6 feet, 6 ¾ inches. Cameron Fouts rounded out the top finishes for FHSU with his winning javelin throw of 184 feet, 9 inches.

Besides the first place finishes, the Tigers held their own on their home track as many ran away with top-ten finishes. In the 200-meters, Malcom Gardner finishes in the runner up position at 21.51, followed in fourth place by Brayden Soza at 22.25. Shane Finegan claimed ninth in the 400-meters with a time of 52.89, and Alex Barbosa finished in eighth place in the 800-meters at 1:59.91. Barbosa also earned a fifth place finish in the 1,500-meters with his time of 4:10.10.

In the 5,000-meters, Layton Werth ended in third place at 15:14.60, with Reed Rome coming in fourth (15:19.58), Israel Barco in sixth (15:38.35) and Kaleb Crum in ninth place (15:59.05). Sabino Medrano earned a fifth place finish in the 110-meter hurdles at 15.53 and Matthew Pieper finish in the top ten in tenth place at 16.40. In the extended version of the hurdles in the 400-meters, Pieper finished in fourth with a time of 58.23, followed by Medrano in fifth place with his time of 1:01.27.

Robert Loeffler earned a fourth place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with his mark of 10:18.62, as Peter Franklin earned fifth at 10:21.34 and Christopher Nemechek finishing in seventh with a time of 10:51.92. In relay runs, the quad of Soza, Landrum, Gardner and Adrian Soto finished in second place in the 4×100 with a time of 42.72. Four groups finished in the top-ten in the 4×400 version of the relays, including a second place finish by Gardner, Soto, Pieper and Jake Faerber with a time of 3:30.22.

Moving to field events, the Tigers were able to earn strong finishes throughout the remainder of the events. In the high jump, Lucas Broxterman finished in second place with his mark of 6 feet, 2 ¾ inches and Blayne Godshall earned a sixth place finish at 5 feet, 10 ¾ inches. In the pole vault, four Tigers placed well, led by Mark Faber in second at 15 feet, 3 inches. Ryan Stanley came in fourth (14 feet, 9 inches), Jonathan Ball in sixth (14 feet, 3 ¼ inches) and Brandon Ball (13 feet, 9 ¼ inches) all achieved strong marks at home.

Broxterman added a ninth place finish in the long jump to his day after jumping a mark of 21 feet, 9 ½ inches. In the shot put, Gilbert Peters earned fifth place with a throw of 48 feet, 10 ¾ inches and Sam Garrison finished in sixth with his 48 feet, 4 inch performance. Peters added a fifth place finish in the discus with a throw of 149 feet, 10 inches, followed by Jacob Gaughan in seventh with a throw of 146 feet, 5 inches and Sam Garrison in ninth at 135 feet, 11 inches.

Rounding out the day for the Tigers was an eighth place finish in the hammer throw for Hunter DeGarmo with a distance of 152 feet, 2 inches, and a sixth place finish in the javelin by Trey Teeter with a throw of 162 feet, 4 inches.

The Tigers are back in action next Saturday (April 6) as they travel west to compete in the Colorado Invitational in Boulder, Colo.

The Tiger women capture three first place finishes
In their lone home meet of the season, the Fort Hays State women’s track and field team boasted a strong performance at the Alex Francis Classic. The event, which was moved up one day due to impending weather, was the second outdoor meet for the Tigers on the season.

Yessenia Gonzales captured first place in the 5,000-meters with a time of 18:37.37. Two Tigers claimed first in field events, with Summer Kragel earning the top finish in the high jump at 5 feet, 3 inches and Alexcia Deutscher in the javelin with her provisional and winning throw of 146 feet, 3 inches.

A handful of other Tigers performed strong on the day, finishing in the top-ten in a majority of the events. In the 100-meters, four FHSU athletes placed strong with Lindsay Shupe leading the way in second place at 12.19, Lyric Holman coming in third at 12.49, Bree Hysaw clocking in fourth at 12.54 and Peri Lange crossing the line in sixth place with a time of 12.95. Shupe, Holman and Hysaw also placed in the 200-meters, coming in second (25.50), eighth (26.55) and tenth (27.26).

Lucy Giles finished in eighth place in the 400-meters with a time of 1:04.28, and Grace Buessing placed third in the 800-meters at 2:24.45, followed closely behind by Averi Wilson in sixth with a time of 2:36.28. Wilson also placed in the 1,500-meters coming in fourth at 5:17.03.

Abigail Stewart earned a runner-up finish in the 5,000-meters with her time of 19:25.47, with Tessa Durnell clocking in fourth place at 19:49.87. In the 100-meter hurdles, Haley George captured a seventh place finish with her time of 16.32. In the longer, 400-meter hurdles, Lange finished in the runner-up position with a time of 1:07.51. Courtney Batchman finished the event in eighth place at 1:12.99 followed behind by George in ninth place at 1:18.47.

In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Rylea Oliver finished in second place at 12:47.26 and Carson Pierce clocked a third place time of 13:01.20. Three 4×400 relay teams finished in the top-five, with the quad of Holman, Hysaw, Abby Burton and Shupe coming in second with a time of 4:17.91.

Moving to field events, Cheyenne Nickelson earned a fourth place finish in the pole vault with a jump of 9 feet, 6 ¼ inches. Haley Jones finished in third place in the high jump at 5 feet, 1 inch, with Robin Ritsema coming in third as well at the same height. In the long jump, Kayla Smith earned fifth place at 18 feet, ¼ inches and Rohey Singhateh finished in seventh with a jump of 17 feet, 9 ¾ inches. Singhateh claimed second in the triple jump, earning a distance of 38 feet, 5 ½ inches. Smith followed Singhateh by coming in fourth with her jump of 37 feet, 1/5 inches.

In the discus, Laurel Haley finished in sixth place at 128 feet, ½ inches and Logan Batchman earned ninth at 110 feet, 11 inches. Julia Wagner earned fifth place in the hammer throw with her attempt of 152 feet, 10 inches. In the javelin, two other Tigers finished behind Deutscher as Kalynn Foster earned second place at 123 feet 9 inches and Kaci Vaughan captured fourth place at 114 feet, 3 inches.

The Tigers are back in action next Saturday (April 6) as they travel west to compete in the Colorado Invitational in Boulder, Colo.

Keller pitches Royals past White Sox in rainy opener

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Brad Keller pitched two-hit ball over seven shutout innings, Adalberto Mondesi tripled twice and the Kansas Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 5-3 on Thursday after the start of their season opener was delayed nearly two hours by rain.

Eloy Jimenez went 0 for 3 with an RBI in his major league debut for Chicago after signing a $43 million, six-year contract – a record high for a player under club control yet to appear in a big league game. The 22-year-old outfielder was nicked on the left toe by a pitch with the bases loaded in the ninth.

Jorge Soler drove in two runs and Whit Merrifield scored twice for the Royals. Merrifield extended his hitting streak to 21 games dating to last season and stole two bases – he led the majors with 45 steals a year ago.

Keller (1-0) struck out five and walked one to help the Royals improve to 18-33 on opening day. Brad Boxberger got one out for a save in his Kansas City debut.

Mondesi joined Tony Pena (2007) as the only Royals players to hit two triples in a season opener.

Carlos Rodon (0-1) started for the White Sox and was charged with three runs – two earned – and three hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked one.

Chicago won 14-7 in Kansas City in on opening day last year.

Kan. deputy who had sex with inmate must register as offender

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A former Douglas County sheriff’s deputy has pleaded no contest to aggravated battery as part of a plea deal that dropped a charge of engaging in sexual activity with a female inmate.

Godinez -photo Douglas Co.

47-year-old Mario Godinez entered a no contest plea to the felony charge on Wednesday. A judge ordered Godinez to immediately register as a sex offender because the crime was “sexually motivated.”

Godinez was charged in September with engaging in consensual sexual activity with a female inmate at the Douglas County Jail. An affidavit last year says Godinez admitted to having sex with the prisoner in his office at the jail and in his personal car.

Godinez was in charge of an inmate work release program at the jail. He resigned last April.

Godinez will be sentenced May 10.

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