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Month: March 2019

Tiger baseball drops series opener to Hornets

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EMPORIA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team dropped the series opener to Emporia State on Sunday, 9-3. The Tigers dip to 1-14 overall and 1-6 in the MIAA, while the Hornets moved to 8-6 overall and 5-2 in conference action.

The Tigers fell behind early to the Hornets with a 2-0 deficit after one inning of play. ESU pushed across a couple more runs in the top of the fourth inning. FHSU was able to plate a run in the home half of the fourth frame when Jake Taylor reached on a throwing error by the second baseman, scoring Ryan Stoecklein.

Emporia State was able to pick up a run in the fifth inning and another in the eighth inning. The Tigers were able to claw back with a two-run comeback in the eighth frame. Ryan Grasser was hit by pitch to start the inning, earning his second trip on the bases in the contest. Ryan Stoecklein was walked and then Marcus McDaniel pinch ran for the first baseman.

The very next batter, Taylan Mullins-Ohm was able to rope an RBI double to centerfield scoring Grasser from second base. Landon Erway kept the inning alive by producing a run from McDaniel after reaching on a fielder’s choice. The Hornets were able to score three run in the ninth frame putting the game out of reach for the Tigers.

Fort Hays State looks to earn a split in the series on Monday (Mar. 11) with a doubleheader commencing at 12 p.m. from Emporia, Kan.

Kan. Senate bill seeks to provide housing protection for domestic violence victims

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By Kate Mays
KU Statehouse News Service

TOPEKA — Another domestic violence victim protection bill was brought to committee on last week. Senate Bill 150 focuses on protecting victims from housing discrimination and making it easier for them to relocate to a safe place.

Rep. Dinah Sykes -courtesy photo

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the bill, during which domestic violence advocates testified as proponents for the bill.

The bill addresses several obstacles that domestic violence victims face when it comes to obtaining housing. Primarily, the bill would prevent landlords from denying domestic violence victims from tenancy or evicting them based on their status as a victim and because they could be in danger again. Often times, a potential landlord will see the victim had several 911 calls made to their previous address which stops them from offering tenancy to the victims.

“We have to empower these women and men and take down this barrier. They’re taking that step out of their situation, so we have to do what we can to take down those barriers for them,” bill sponsor Sen. Dinah Sykes (D-Lenexa) said.

SB150 would also allow victims to end their leases early in order to protect themselves from further violence. Without this bill, the victims are at the will of the landlords to terminate their leases, which often leads to victims being forced to continue to pay rent for housing they’re not using or having to continue to live there because they can’t afford to pay multiple rents. Additionally, SB150 would allow victims to break their lease without their abuser’s signature.

This bill is one of several introduced during this legislative session to protect domestic violence victims. HB2270, which would require law enforcement to notify victims of domestic violence the earliest date their abuser could be released on bond, was introduced in February. Sen. Oletha Faust-Gordeau (D-Wichita) also introduced a bill that would increase penalties for domestic violence abusers. Sykes speculated that the increase in legislation could be due in part because people have been more vocal on these issues since #MeToo movement gained popularity in late 2017.

“I am disappointed that more of the bills that have been introduced in Kansas have not had hearings or weren’t blessed, so they’re kind of dead at this time and I was very fortunate to get bipartisan support on this bill and hopefully it will move out of committee next week,” Sykes said.

Two of the sponsors, Sykes and Sen. Barbara Bollier (D-Mission Hills), made headlines last year for switching their party affiliations from Republican to Democrat. The other sponsors are all Republicans.

The bill was iintroduced Feb. 12, the day before the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence’s 16th Annual Advocacy Day at the Capitol.

Kate Mays is a University of Kansas senior from Lenexa majoring in journalism.

KC man sentenced for teen’s near-overdose death on carfentanil

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute carfentanil after a teenager who ingested half of one pill nearly died of an overdose.

Lankas -photo MDC

Gage Lankas, 21, pleaded guilty in October and was sentenced Friday.

Carfentanil is a synthetic drug. A dose is about 5,000 times more powerful than the same amount of heroin.

The investigation began in 2017 after a 17-year-old from Grain Valley was rushed to a hospital with an overdose. The teen survived and told police he acquired pills from Lankas. He said he snorted just half of one bill that he mistook for oxycodone.

FHSU’s Brown-Kuchera to receive best essay award from Emporia State

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Valerie Brown-Kuchera
FHSU University Relations

Valerie Brown-Kuchera, an instructor of English at Fort Hays State University, was recently awarded the 1863 Founder’s Day Award from Emporia State University.

The award, given each year on Feb. 15 to commemorate the first day classes were held at Emporia State in 1863, honors the writer of the best essay about the impact of Emporia State on the individual’s life.

Brown-Kucher’s essay, “Pollination,” focuses on her journey toward earning her Ph.D. in information science and was selected from a pool of 54 essays. Brown-Kuchera received a stipend of $1,000 and publication in a collection of past winners’ essays.

New book features untold stories of plaintiffs in Brown v. Board of Education

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KU NEWS SERVICE

LAWRENCE — The Hall Center for the Humanities at the University of Kansas and the Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research have released a new book, “Recovering Untold Stories: An Enduring Legacy of the Brown v. Board of Education Decision.”

The landmark Supreme Court decision finding segregation of public schools unconstitutional placed Topeka at the epicenter of civil rights history. Yet the full legal citation is Oliver L. Brown, et. al. vs. the Board of Education of Topeka.

The new book’s focus is on the “et. al.”: It captures the first-person narratives of individuals who were plaintiffs or descendants of plaintiffs represented in the five cases — Delaware, Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C. — that were consolidated by the U.S. Supreme Court in the decision.

In the instance of Brown v. the Board of Education, “et. al.” relegated several hundred men, women and children to what can be characterized as “legal wasteland,” rendering them largely unknown. The book uncovers and publishes some of their stories to provide a glimpse into the role of ordinary people who found themselves in the center of an extraordinary historic milestone.

Individuals involved in the cases participated in a series of in-person workshops in 2017 convened by the Brown Foundation onsite at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

The workshops were facilitated by Cheryl Brown Henderson, founding president of the Brown Foundation, and four University of Kansas scholars: Deborah Dandridge, curator of African American Experience collections, Kenneth Spencer Research Library; John Edgar Tidwell, professor of English; Darren Canady, playwright and associate professor of English, and Vincent Omni, graduate teaching assistant in the Department of English. Workshop participants were guided through the process of writing a first-person narrative.

The results of their work are contained in this collection of essays, within which each person shares personal experiences, or those of their parents, offering a better understanding of the risk, challenge and courage of blacks who refused to be denied constitutional rights in the era of “Jim Crow” laws.

In his 1994 book, “Crusaders in the Courts: How a Dedicated Band of Lawyers Fought for the Civil Rights Revolution,” Jack Greenberg, member of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s legal team in Brown, poignantly refers to the numerous individuals who are embedded within the legal shorthand “et. al.”:

“Before lawyers can win cases, there have to be clients willing to stand up for their rights. The American blacks who proved willing to fight segregation and discrimination were organized for the most part by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), in an environment hostile to change in the kind of justice afforded blacks.”

E-book layout and design were completed by Pam LeRow, digital media services, KU Libraries. KU Libraries also published the book. The project was funded in part by the Hall Center for the Humanities and the Walton Family Foundation.

The book is available online or can be obtained on demand as a print copy.

Kan. man accused of felony aggravated assault after SUV crash into house

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COWLEY COUNTY — A Kansas man arrested after he allegedly drove his vehicle into the front portion of a house during an argument made an initial court appearance Thursday

Kenemore -photo Cowley Co.

Just before 7 a.m. February 16, police responded to a residence in the 1700 block of North Eighth Street in Arkansas City after the incident was reported, according to a media release.

They determined that Kevin Lee Kenemore, 40, Winfield, had been in an argument with a 25-year-old Arkansas City woman. During the argument, he drove his 2005 Toyota Highlander into the front of the residence.

No injuries were reported as a result of the collision. Kenemore allegedly fled the scene on foot, but was located a short time later and apprehended.

Kenemore was booked on suspicion of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is due back in court April 4, according to the Cowley County Attorney’s office.

Larry R. White

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Larry R. White, age 78, passed away on Friday, March 8, 2019 at the St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City, Kansas. He was born on May 5, 1940 in Pontiac, Michigan, the son of Ray & Helen Ketchum White and was raised by his uncle and aunt, Matt & Jennie Ketchum. A resident of Scott City, Kansas since 1972 moving from Marienthal, Kansas, he owned and operated Big Valley Conditioners and worked for HRC Feed Yards before retiring from the Scott County Landfill.

He was a member of the First Christian Church in Scott City and was a former member of the Kansas Livestock Association.

On February 11, 1962 he married Reba Sadler in Dighton, Kansas. She survives.

Survivors Include his Wife – Reba White of Scott City, Kansas, Six Daughters – Debbie Barry of Garden City, Kansas, Christy & Troy Allen of Kansas City, Kansas, Becca Kliewer of Garden City, Kansas, Annette Orr of Scott City, Kansas, Melinda & Rex Harrington of Holcomb, Kansas, Kim White of Hutchinson, Kansas, One Brother – Keith & Linda White of St. Joseph, Missouri, Seventeen Grandchildren and Ten Great Grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, one sister – Janet Drennen and Uncle & Aunt – Matt & Jennie Ketchum.

Memorial services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, at the First Christian Church in Scott City, Kansas with Rev. Rodney Hopper presiding.

Memorials may be made to the Larry R. White Memorial Fund for Friends Of Scott Lake in care of Price & Sons Funeral Homes.

Inurnment will be in the Scott County Cemetery

There will be no calling times.

Anita Joyce (Glenn) Shearer

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Anita Joyce (Glenn) Shearer, beloved daughter of Floyd and Myrtle (Scarlett) Glenn, was born in Norton, Kansas on November 20, 1935, and peacefully passed away at the Norton County Hospital in Norton, Kansas on March 8, 2019, at the age of 83.

Anita grew up in Norton and graduated from Norton Community High School. On September 11, 1955, Anita married the love of her life, Gerald Shearer. They made their home in Norton where she worked as an accountant for Valley Hope.

Anita was a member of the First Church of God and also taught Sunday school. She enjoyed driving children to church camp and helping with the Vacation Bible School. Anita also enjoyed fishing and traveling in their motor home with her family. Besides her love for the Lord, her greatest love was her family, especially her husband, children, and grandchildren.

Survivors include: her loving husband, Gerald Shearer, of their home in Norton; one son, Stephen, and wife, Annie Shearer; one daughter, Stacy, and husband, John Geil; one sister, Norma, and husband, Jack Whistler; two sister-in-laws, Carol Glenn and Peggy Glenn; four grandchildren; one great-grandchild; several other relatives and friends.

Anita was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, Donald and Jerry Glenn.

FUNERAL SERVICE – Friday, March 15, 2019 – 10:30 A.M.
PLACE – First Church of God – Norton, Kansas
INTERMENT – Norton Cemetery – Norton, Kansas
MEMORIALS – First Church of God in Norton

Bobby J. Gassmann

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Bobby J. Gassmann, age 72, of Oakley, passed away on Wednesday, March 6, 2019 surrounded by her family at the Salina Regional Health Center. Bobby was born on September 22, 1946 in Norton to Archie and Bertie Brooks. She was the third of six children.

When Bobby was young, her parents moved to a farm north of Densmore. She, her brothers and sisters, worked very hard but also got into plenty of trouble. It has been said that she was the ring leader. All of that instilled a strong work ethic and orneriness that lasted throughout her life.

Bobby graduated from Densmore High School in May, 1964 and started her life long career one month later. She worked with the Kansas Department of Transportation for 51 years, retiring in April of 2015. She also started working for Jill’s Helping Hands and the Logan County Health as a caregiver. She worked as a caregiver until the time of her death.

Bobby and Martin were married on January 20, 1968 in Oakley. They spent a lot of time together in their yearly flower and vegetable gardens. They also made various pieces of jewelry which they sold at craft fairs and gave to family and friends. Also, in her spare time, she crocheted, knitted, and sewed many projects for family and friends.

Those left to cherish this wonderful lady are her husband, Martin of 51 years; her children: Dana Oster of Grand Island, Nebraska, Derek (Katie, her favorite daughter-in-law) of Silver Creek (near Columbus, Nebraska), and Darcee Gassmann of Colby; seven grandchildren she was so proud of: Jaydyn, Bailey, Winton, Braeden, Hunter, Andrew, and Addisen; her sisters: Bonnie Leidig (Riley) of Phillipsburg, Betty Morgan of Hays, and Bertha Williams (Bob) of Winthrop Harbor, Illinois; her brother, Bill (Sue) Brooks of Oakley, sisters-in-law, Deb Brooks of Salina, Margaret Bruggeman of Wichita, and Clemie Katt (Bernie) of Grainfield, and many nieces and nephews.

As we said goodbye to her, there were many family and friends waiting to greet her. Among them, her parents, Archie and Bertie Brooks, her brother, Burton Brooks, brother-in-law, Max Morgan, father and mother-in-law, Joseph and Germaine Gassmann, brothers-in-law, Joe Gassmann and Henry Gassmann, and sister-in-law, Agnes Bollig.

Funeral Mass will be at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Oakley, with burial in the St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation: Monday, March 11, 2019, from 5 – 8 p.m. at Kennedy-Koster Funeral Home, with rosary/wake service at 7:00 p.m. Memorials: American Cancer Society and Bobby Gassmann Memorial Fund in care of Kennedy-Koster Funeral Home, P.O. Box 221, Oakley, KS 67748.

Clyde ‘Bud’ Wyatt Jr.

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Clyde “Bud” Wyatt Jr. passed away on Friday, March 8, 2019 at the Redbud Village in Plainville, Kansas at the age of 86. He was born on June 11, 1932 in Dawson Springs, Kentucky to the late Clyde Sr. and Olivia (Hauptman) Wyatt. Bud received his G.E.D. in 1951 then joined the United States Navy and served for 20 years until his retirement in 1971. Bud united in marriage to Bonnie (Gosser) Wyatt on September 3, 1958 in Waukegan, Illinois and was blessed with two children, Dylan and Darci.

Bud was a former member of the VFW of Plainville and an active member of the Peace Lutheran Church in Natoma. He enjoyed greeting fellow members of the church on Sunday mornings. Since his move to Codell with Bonnie and his children in 1971, he took pride in the landscaping and made sure the town was always mowed. Bud enjoyed sports and loved to play basketball and was a talented and avid bowler. He was very close to his Schnauzers Bubba 1 and Bubba 2 and ended his days with a plush Schnauzer lovingly named Bubba 3.
A hardworking and humble man of faith, hope, and love, Bud showed us all by example that the greatest of these is love. Although he will be greatly missed, he will live forever in the hearts of those who knew him.

Bud is survived by his wife Bonnie Wyatt and children Dylan Wyatt of Codell, KS and Darci Wyatt of Plainville, KS; 6 grandchildren Jeremy Montgomery, Casey Montgomery, Aaron Wyatt, Caleb Wyatt and wife Naomi, Kelsey Wyatt, and Kristen Wyatt; 11 great-grandchildren Kaytlynn, Rowen, Brevyn, Haezin, Harley, Kindra, Khloe, Chasey, Braylon, Dalton, and Jaykob.

Preceding Bud in death are his parents, Clyde Sr. and Olivia Wyatt and sisters Agnes Stevens, Frances Wyatt, Clyda Boucher, and Bonnie Robbens.

A Funeral Service will be held at 2:00pm on Friday, March 15, 2019 at the Peace Lutheran Church in Natoma with a burial to follow at the Plainville Cemetery. Visitation will be from 1:00pm-8:00pm on Thursday, March 14, with family receiving friends from 5:00 – 8:00pm at the funeral home in Plainville.

Memorials are suggested to Peace Lutheran Church of Natoma and may be sent in care of Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, 320 SW 2nd St., Plainville, KS 67663

New Dep. Dist. Engineer for Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District

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Bryan Smith

USACE

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Kansas City District has announced Mr. Bryan Smith as the new Deputy District Engineer, Chief, Planning, Programs and Project Management.

Smith has worked for the Kansas City District for twenty years and has extensive knowledge in military programs, civil works and infrastructure operations and maintenance. As the Kansas City District’s senior civilian, Smith will oversee civil works, military construction and environmental programs for the district.

“The Kansas City District is committed to providing quality products and superior customer satisfaction around the globe and I am honored to serve the nation in a different role as the Deputy District Engineer for the Kansas City District,” said Smith. “These are exciting times in the Heartland as we have taken on new work and are executing five large-scale programs exceeding over $2 billion over the next few years. Our team of professionals are well-trained in several mission areas and am confident we will continue to deliver outstanding products while sustaining and delivering all our routine work.”

Smith believes in strong stakeholder relationships and will assist the district commander in continuing to strengthen current relationships and establish new connections in the Heartland.

“Communication is key. We have a strong history of great relationships and I plan to keep those and build upon them. A priority I have is engaging with Missouri River basin stakeholders and working together to meet the challenges of tomorrow. I will also work to sustain our relationships with our military customers in Missouri and Kansas, ensuring we are benefiting the warfighter.”

Smith is a licensed Professional Engineer and a Certified Project Management Professional.

Smith received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University and a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Kansas.

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