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Month: March 2019

Update: Kansas governor concedes pension proposal unlikely to pass

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f=”https://www.apnews.com/447fec23322240d89089f9e2395de232″>her proposal to reduce Kansas’ annual contributions to its public pension system probably won’t pass the Republican-controlled Legislature this year.

Gov. Kelly signed a bill for an immediate, $115 million payment to KPERS.

But Kelly said Friday that the state “absolutely” must revise its schedule of payments to the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System.

She added, “I think the Legislature knows that.”

Republicans have said her plan is unwise. The House rejected it last month.

By law, the state must ramp up contributions to close a long-term KPERS funding gap by 2035. Kelly proposed giving the state an extra 15 years to create budget breathing room.

Kelly’s comments Friday came after she signed a bill for an immediate, $115 million payment to KPERS. It repays with interest a contribution skipped in 2016 because of budget problems.

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TOPEKA—Kansas Governor Laura Kelly held her first bill signing ceremony Friday morning.

The following remarks are from the Governor at he bill signing ceremony for Senate Bill 9. The legislation that fixes past mistakes by repaying part of the debt to the state
retirement system.

I’m delighted to be joined by friends and former colleagues, Senator Carolyn McGinn and Senator Tom Hawk, our Republican and Democratic leaders from the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

We invited House Appropriations Chairman Troy Waymaster and ranking member Rep. Kathy Wolf Moore, who we know worked hard on this legislation. They were unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict.

I want to thank all four of these legislators for their leadership on this bill and for their work on the challenging process of shepherding a state budget through the Kansas Legislature.

I’d also like to welcome some very special people – retired state employees and KPERS beneficiaries.

Kansas is what it is in large part thanks to our public employees. Working as firefighters, teachers, engineers and so much more – our state retirees made their own special contribution to Kansas throughout the course of their professional lives.

In exchange for their dedicated service, the state committed to provide a stable retirement system. The retirees upheld their end of the deal, but the state did not. KPERS payments have been delayed, layered, or eliminated 15 times in the last 9 years.

Senate Bill 9 is an effort to right that wrong. It will pay $115 million for a previously skipped payment with interest.

While Senate Bill 9 was not my proposal, I very much support it. It is a step in the right direction. And I am encouraged that lawmakers are now committed to improving the long-term stability and sustainability of our KPERS pension system.

But this is just the first step in what will be a long road to recovery.

And as we look down that road – we see KPERS payments balloon. They will nearly double in the next 10 years – climbing to almost $1 billion per year. That is not sustainable. And we will have to find a solution together.

As a budget wonk, I’m thrilled that my first bill to sign as governor pays down debt. But we have much more to do to fix the damage of the last several years.

Republicans and Democrats must work together. We must put politics aside and make wise choices about how we can protect retirees and their benefits – while also putting our pension system on a sustainable path.

Hays couple logs thousands of miles to watch granddaughter play Division I basketball

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From left are: Dennis, Whitney, Kaylee, Maddie, Brenda and Lauren Cox. Courtesy photo

By RANDY GONZALES
For Hays Post

Big things are happening for the family of a local former star basketball player – which shouldn’t seem out of the ordinary, since her family grows like Redwood trees.

Brenda (Bruggeman) Cox, a 1987 graduate of Hays High School and the star center on the Indian girls’ basketball team during her high school days, was a 6-foot-2 mountain in the middle for HHS. A three-year starter for the Indians, Brenda led her team to a third-place finish at state her senior year.

Brenda, now the mom of four tall, athletic daughters, is getting ready to watch her oldest play in the Big 12 basketball tournament, which begins today in Oklahoma City. Lauren Cox, a 6-4 junior forward, starts for the Baylor Bears.

Brenda’s parents – Mel and Karen Bruggeman from Hays – also will make the trip south to watch their granddaughter play.

Baylor (28-1 overall, 18-0 Big 12) is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the latest Associated Press poll. The Bears are on a 20-game winning streak and are one of only two teams to defeat national power Connecticut this season.

Baylor is the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 tourney and will play its first game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, vs. the winner of today’s game between Oklahoma and Texas Tech. Saturday’s game will be televised on FSN. The semifinals are Sunday, with the championship game Monday night. The semifinals and title game will be shown on FS1.

Lauren Cox with the Big 12 trophy after Baylor won the regular-season title this year. Courtesy photo

Brenda said her family will attend Laura’s games in person starting Sunday. On Saturday, they will be watching one of her other siblings play in a volleyball tournament.

Lauren’s younger sisters are: Whitney, a 6-0 forward and a high school senior who has committed to play at Lubbock Christian next year; Kaylee, a 6-1 sophomore whose volleyball team won the Texas Class 6A state title; and Maddie, a 6-1 eighth-grader who plays both basketball and volleyball.

Brenda’s husband, Dennis, is 6-4; he also played basketball in college, at Central Methodist in Missouri.

Brenda followed in her father’s footsteps in taking her talents to the college level. Mel played basketball for St. Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City. Brenda played at Dodge City Community College for two years, then transferred to Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

She met her husband, a software developer, in Dallas after her playing days at SMU. These days, Brenda is a stay-at-home mom who stays busy keeping up with her daughters’ athletic events.

Watching Lauren play on a national stage has been a treat for the family.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Brenda said. “It’s kind of unbelievable. When you have a child you think they will play sports, but she’s kind of a special athlete, a lot of God-given talent.”

Lauren was the nation’s No. 1-ranked player coming out of high school her senior year. She narrowed her college choices to Connecticut, Tennessee, Louisville, Notre Dame and Baylor.

“She pretty much had the option to go wherever she wanted,” Brenda said. “Those programs are all class acts, great coaches. I think it really came down to (playing) close to home.”

The drive to Waco for the Coxes to catch Lauren’s home games is about an hour and 45 minutes. Brenda and her husband also travel back to Kansas to watch Lauren’s games when Baylor plays at Kansas State and the University of Kansas.

The Bruggemans are diehard Baylor fans. They traded in their Buick Enclave with more than 200,000 miles on it for a 2017 model that already has traveled 40,000 miles to basketball games.

It’s no surprise that Brenda’s children are tall. The family tree has long limbs. Her dad, who played basketball at St. Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City, is 6-4, and her mom is 5-11. Brenda is the youngest of three Bruggeman children. Her older sister, Rhonda, is 6-0, and her brother, Mark, is 6-4.

“I really feel short with (Brenda’s) girls so tall,” Karen said with a laugh. “It’s been wonderful (watching Lauren play). It keeps us young.”

The Bruggemans are used to hitting the road to watch women’s college basketball. It was a relatively short drive when Brenda was playing for DCCC. But when she went to SMU, the couple would leave Hays after work on Friday, drive eight hours to Dallas for a game Saturday night, then drive back to Kansas on Sunday.

Laura (Flax) Hertel, a senior on the Hays High girls’ basketball team in 1985 when Brenda was a sophomore, is part of a group of former teammates and friends who gather in Manhattan when Baylor plays at Kansas State.

“She has quite the little following at those games,” Hertel said.

Hertel also remembers how dominating Brenda was inside the paint for the Indians.

“She was just a huge presence inside,” Hertel said. “By the time she got to be a senior, she was just amazing.”

Lauren has had an amazing first three years at Baylor. She is averaging 12.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.4 blocks per game for the Bears. In Monday’s 63-57 win at West Virginia which capped an undefeated Big 12 regular season, Lauren recorded her 24th career double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes.

“Lauren played her heart out,” said Karen, who watched the game on television. “She doesn’t like to lose.”

Lauren was an honorable mention AP All-American in 2018. She was selected to the Big 12 first team, was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and made the Academic All-Big 12 First Team.

Lauren has excelled in sports despite being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 7 years old. Daily insulin injections became part of her regimen as she managed the disease. At Baylor, the trainers have helped her manage the disease, and Bears coach Kim Mulkey recommended Lauren use her diabetes as a platform to inspire others. Lauren helps out with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and Brenda said it is not unusual for Lauren and her family to hear from young athletes with diabetes from all across the country.

“She has really become a role model for young type 1 diabetics,” Brenda said, adding that her daughter’s name often comes up in search results on the Internet about athletes with diabetes.

This weekend, Lauren and her Baylor teammates will be searching for a Big 12 championship.

🎥 Special assessment for park riles some Hays homeowners

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Jeremy Green, 4112 Covenant Drive, objects to a special assessment for a new park in King’s Gate First Addition. Green said he and his neighbors were never notified by developer Covenant Builders of the upcoming fee.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Some homeowners in King’s Gate First Addition in northwest Hays are unhappy with the neighborhood’s local developer, Covenant Builders, and its president Katherine Burnett.

Jeremy Green, 4112 Covenant Drive, told Hays city commissioners Thursday night he and his neighbors were “blindsided” by a recent notice from the city about assessments the 52 property owners are liable for now that a park improvement district previously created in the city is completed.

Green, who built his house in January 2013, said “from day one, we were all told that Covenant Builders would pay for that park. That was stated by Burnett and several of her workers. We were under the understanding that this came under the current curb and guttering specials and that Covenant would take care of it.”

He gave the commission a number of signatures of his neighbors and said he would be getting more.

Efforts to contact Burnett were unsuccessful Friday morning.

King’s Gate Addition was platted and began development in 2010. In 2012, the developer petitioned the city for establishment of a benefit district to fund improvements to King’s Gate Park, a small neighborhood park at the north end of the development. A resolution was approved by the city commission allowing for special assessment of the park improvements.

There was no public notice of the petition in 2012.

“At the time, Covenant Builders owned the majority of the lots. There were maybe 4 or 5 that were sold,” recalled City Manager Toby Dougherty. “Burnett received signatures that were affixed to the petition which requested a waiver of public notice because of that.”

King’s Gate Park

Covenant Builders was awarded the low bid of $75,000 for the park construction project on June 28.

Design engineering, bond issuance and interest brought the total cost to $82,163.49, Finance Director Kim Rupp told the commissioners.  The assessment is for 10 years split equally per square foot within the improvement district.

The neighborhood wants the park, according to Green, who added he has “no problem with paying taxes, but tell me I’m going to be paying taxes.”

“It’s only a few thousand dollars per house, but it’s the principal behind it.”

Information provided by Rupp shows the highest assessment in the district is $2,322.75; the lowest assessment is $810.27.

Rupp told the commission several of the affected homeowners had already talked to him and City Clerk Brenda Kitchen about the matter.

Mayor Henry Schwaller pointed out the city has a policy that “every development will have green space to be paid for by the developer or through specials, or the developer will give the city some money.”

“The validity of the proceedings is, I don’t think, questionable,” said John Bird, city attorney. “The fact of the matter is the city followed the rules, which include that public notice is given various times. What usually happens in these things, I think, is the developer because they have total control over the project at first, they’ll sign off on things that bind those lots later. But that’s really between the developer and the people that purchase the lots later.

“It sounds like you definitely didn’t have very good communication with each other. .. You weren’t blindsided by us,” Bird concluded.

“I get that,” Green agreed.

Bird told Green he and his neighbors “probably have a remedy. It’s just not here.”

According to Rupp, there is a state statute requiring a seller to notify the buyer of any special assessment, even if it’s pending.

Green also said there are several lawsuits underway regarding flooding in King’s Gate First Addition.

“You can’t just keep giving, giving and giving to this builder when there’s issues. They need to be addressed. Something’s got to be done,” he said.

Commissioners thanked Green for bringing attention to the issue.

“It is important to note that we do use the general bonding authority of the city in order to make these developments happen,” commissioner James Meier said. “Even though it’s special assessed to the properties, it’s still a general obligation bond. I think we do need to be aware of when these sorts of things happen. We’re under no requirement to bond for developers. I think this is a good discussion and good information for us to have.”

A public hearing will be held March 14 during a regular commission meeting to consider an ordinance levying the special assessments.

A second public hearing will consider the Heart of America Second Addition (Resolution No. 2016-010) for water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer and street improvements included in the extension of Ninth Street east to Commerce Parkway.

Heart of America Second Addition will have a 15-year assessment of $277,836.51 spread against each lot.

Kansas Wetlands Education Center to host spring break activities

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FHSU University Relations

GREAT BEND — Fort Hays State University’s Kansas Wetlands Education Center will be hosting free STEM activities each day over spring break for visitors of all ages.

“Bugapalooza” will be Saturday, March 9, and Wednesday, March 13. Alonso Barragan-Martinez, FHSU graduate student, will help individuals explore what makes the bugs around the wetlands center so durable and why they are important. Learn about their life cycles, how they survive the winter, and the differences between bugs, beetles, flies, bees and butterflies. Pinned insects will be on display, and microscopes will be available for a more up-close experience.

“Birds of Columbia,” at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 10, is a photographic journey with professional photographer Bob Gress to one of the three most diverse countries for birds.

This program is a collaboration with the Shafter Art Gallery’s show “The Connected World: Biodiversity in the Art of Carel Pieter Brest van Kempen,” from March 8 through April 20. The gallery is located on Barton Community College’s Campus in Great Bend.

In “Feather Fun,” on Sunday, March 10, and Tuesday, March 12, Katya Frank, FHSU graduate student, will help visitors discover the various types and purposes of feathers. Activities include using and coloring in bird keys and matching stray feathers to the correct species of bird. Participants will also learn how to properly use binoculars for their own backyard bird identification experience.

Visitors to “Geotrooping” on Monday, March 11, will use field guides to decipher clues to the location of hidden treasure boxes on the nature trail. Mandy Kern, program specialist, will show how to find the boxes using Global Positioning Systems technology.

Treasure boxes will highlight what makes Cheyenne Bottoms special. Visitors will receive a field home guide to identify plant and animal species any time. Weather appropriate clothing is encouraged because the activity is outside.

“Have a Batacular Day” is on Thursday, March 14, and Sunday, March 17. Visitors can hang out at KWEC with Kristen Granstrom-Arndt, FHSU graduate student, and read some neat bat facts, see real bat skins, and participate in fun activities that show the unique role bats play in the world.

“Plants on your Plate,” will be Friday, March 15, and Saturday, March 16. Visitors will join Chelsea Hanson, FHSU graduate student, for snactivity time and learn what vegetables and fruits belong to different parts of a plant.

All activities are free.

The KWEC is located 10 miles northeast of Great Bend along K-156 Highway at Cheyenne Bottoms. Hours over Spring Break are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information, visit wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu or call 877-243-9268.

Venus M. Gropp

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Venus M. Gropp, age 97, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 5, 2019 at the Park Lane Nursing Home in Scott City, Kansas.

She was born on September 6, 1921, on the family farm North of Coolidge, Kansas, the daughter of George Washington and Edith Ellen Webster McClary Herren. A resident of Scott City, Kansas since 2011 moving from Syracuse, Kansas, she was a school lunch worker for USD #494 in Syracuse, Kansas for several years.

She was a member of the Syracuse Wesleyan Church in Syracuse, Kansas.

On February 5, 1939, she married Fred O. Gropp in Syracuse, Kansas. He passed away on September 30, 1988, in Garden City, Kansas.

Survivors Include her One Son – Terry & Caecilia Gropp of Scott City, Kansas, One Daughter – Mary & Galen McCrary of Tecumseh, Kansas, Three Grandchildren – Kelly & Cathy McCrary of Springfield, Missouri, Gail & Dennis Lyda of Topeka, Kansas, Troy & Cindy McCrary of Topeka, Kansas, Nine Great Grandchildren and Eighteen Great Great Grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband – Fred, Eleven Brothers and Sisters.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, March 11, 2019, at the First Christian Church in Scott City, Kansas with Rev. Rodney Hopper presiding.

Memorials In Lieu Of Flowers may be made to the First Christian Church in care of Price & Sons Funeral Homes.

Graveside services will be at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, March 11, 2019 at the Kendall Cemetery in Kendall, Kansas.

Visitation will be from 2:00 p.m until 8:00 p.m. Saturday and 1:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Sunday at Price & Sons Funeral Home in Scott City, Kansas.

Kansas doctor sentenced to life for unlawfully distributing prescription drugs

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WICHITA, KAN. – Wichita physician Steven R. Henson was sentenced today to life in federal prison for unlawfully distributing prescription drugs, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Henson-photo Sedgwick Co.

“I want this case to send a message to physicians and the health care community,” McAllister said. “Unlawfully distributing opioids and other controlled substances is a federal crime that could end a medical career and send an offender to prison.”

McAllister continued: “We are dealing with an epidemic. Nationwide, more than 70,000 Americans died in 2017 from drug overdoses. That is more than all the American casualties during the war in Vietnam.”

Henson, 57, operated the Kansas Men’s Clinic at 3636 N. Ridge Road in Wichita, stood trial in October and was convicted on the following counts:Conspiracy to distribute prescription drugs outside the course of medical practice (Counts 1 and 2). Unlawfully distributing oxycodone (Counts 3 through 14). Unlawfully distributing oxycodone, methadone and alprazolam (Count 16). Unlawfully distributing methadone and alprazolam, the use of which resulted in the death of a victim on July 24, 2015, identified in court records as N.M. (Count 17)
Presenting false patient records to investigators (Count 19). Obstruction of justice (Count 20) Money laundering (Counts 26 through 31).

Evidence at trial showed Henson was giving dangerous, maximum strength opioid prescriptions to people who did not need them.

Henson was registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration to dispense prescription controlled substances. His registered addresses included the Wichita Men’s Clinic and a location at 1861 N. Rock Road, Suite 201.

During trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Henson: Wrote prescriptions without a medical need. Wrote prescriptions in return for cash. Post-dated prescriptions.Wrote prescriptions without a legitimate medical exam and wrote prescriptions for people other than the ones who came to see him.

U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten wrote in an order denying the defendant’s motion for acquittal: “The defendant kept no medical records, performed no physical examinations or physical tests, gave massive amounts of opioids to patients with little demonstrated need, wrote unneeded, non-controlled prescriptions in order to defeat pharmacy limits on controlled substances, and knew that patients were traveling improbably long distances to receive opioids. There was ample evidence that Henson was prescribing opioid medications in amounts likely to lead to addiction, and in amounts so expensive that the patients would likely be forced by economic circumstances to support their addiction by selling some of the drugs to others.”

The judge criticized Henson for deliberately not confronting the fact his patients were addicts. He had a uniform, scripted colloquy with patients in which he asked them if they had pain, they said yes and then he gave them prescriptions. In that way, he avoided asking more questions or ordering more tests. Marten called it, “a pantomime of a genuine doctor-patient relationship (that) demonstrated a consistent policy of avoiding the truth.”

Evidence presented at trial showed Henson prescribed opioid medications in amounts likely to lead to addiction and ignored the risk that his patients would pay for their drugs by selling some of the drugs to other people.

McAllister said: “The prosecution of cases involving a health professional’s misuse of medical expertise and authority is extremely important to fight the opioid epidemic. The vast majority of health care providers are people of integrity who follow their oath to help others, abide by the law, and do all they can to protect patients from becoming addicted. The evidence showed that is not what Dr. Henson did in this case.”

“For any doctors, pharmacists or nurses who disregard their oath and distribute powerful drugs illegally to enrich themselves, the message today is that they will be prosecuted to the full extent allowed by federal law.”

Tigers rally comes up short in MIAA Tourney quarterfinals

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Courtesy FHSU Athletics / Ryan Prickett

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Aaron Nicholson broke out of his shooting slump hitting four 3-pointers and scored 18 points but it wasn’t enough as Fort Hays State could not overcome a five-plus minute scoring drought and lost 74-69 to Lincoln in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Tournament at Municipal Auditorium.

The Tigers, who had won four of their last five to close out the regular season finish 18-11. The Blue Tigers (18-11) advance to the conference semifinals for the first time in their programs history where they will play unbeaten Northwest Missouri State Saturday afternoon.

FHSU Postgame Press Conference

Game Highlights

After both teams combined to start the game 5-for-25 from the floor, Lincoln hit seven straight shots and built a six-point lead with 7:10 to go in the first half.

The Tigers answered with a 13-3 run to go up 33-29 on a conventional three-point play from Marcus Cooper with 3:51 to play in the half. FHSU would miss their final five shots and three free throws and trailed 39-33 at the break.

The Blue Tigers scored the first five points of the second half and led 44-33 with 19:04 to play.

Trey O’Neil hit a three followed by a layup and helped the Tigers pull within three with 13:1`6 to play.

Down eight FHSU mounted a 9-2 run keyed by an Aaron Nicholson layup and 3-pointer. A Kyler Kinnamon layup pulled the Tigers within one at 59-58 with 7:38 to play.

Lincoln quickly built the lead back to six on two occassions, the last at 67-61 with 4:24 left.
FHSU scored five straight and pulled within one on two Marcus Cooper free throws with 3:20 to play. The Tigers then got three straight stops but missed to shots near the basket and three-pointer and could never get the lead.

Lincoln’s Terrance Smith, who averaged 16.5 points per game, hit a 3-pointer with 22 seconds to push the lead to four. The Tigers then missed a three and layup in the closing seconds before Aaron Nicholson’s three with seven seconds left.

Nicholson led the Tigers with 18 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting. Kyler Kinnamon added 12 along with five assists. Trey O’Neil was 3-for-7 from beyond the arc and scored 11 with Marcus Cooper adding 10.

Brady Werth was held to 3-of-11 shooting and scored eight but pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Tigers shot 40-percent for the game and were 11-of-27 from beyond the arc and were hurt by poor free throw shooting, hitting only 10-of-18 from the line.

Lincoln finished at 50-percent from the floor and went 12-of-27 from beyond the arc and hit 12 of 15 free throws. They were led by Grant Olsson who scored 23 including 5-for-5 from beyond the arc, all in the first half.

Ruth May Hubin

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Ruth May Hubin, 82, died on Thursday, March 7, 2019 at Lane County Hospital in Dighton. She was born on May 1, 1936 at Plainville the daughter of Chester & Julia (Reedy) Thurston. She married Lynn Dale “Dink” Hubin on October 5, 1954 at Hanston. He died on August 9, 2017.

Ruth attended early school in Natoma and graduated High School at Hotchkiss, Colorado. She then moved back to Plainville to work in a restaurant where she met her husband. They moved to Dighton in 1959 where she was a homemaker raising her family. She was a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church and the American Legion Auxiliary. Ruth enjoyed fishing, artwork, her pets and taking care of the Grandchildren. She and her husband for many years decorated the Veteran’s graves with the American Legion crosses in the Dighton Memorial Cemetery at Memorial Day. She was preceded in death by her Parents, 5 Brothers- Jim, Earl, Bill, Sandy and Norman and 2 Sisters- Julia and Corbell.

She is survived by her 3 children- Colleen (Bruce) Lewis of Dighton, Joe (Vicki) Hubin of Dighton and Pete (Diana) Hubin of Wichita, 5 Grandchildren and 2 Great-Grandchildren.

Funeral service will be at 10:30 AM Monday at the First Christian Church in Dighton with Pastor Mitch Elrod officiating. Burial will be in Dighton Memorial Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Lane County Hospital in care of Boomhower Funeral Home. Friends may call from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Boomhower Funeral Home. Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com

Struggling rural hospital near Kansas City booted from Medicare

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SWEET SPRINGS, Mo. (AP) — A rural hospital has been cut off from the federal Medicare program after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found serious deficiencies threatening patient health and safety.

The federal government has terminated I-70 Community Hospital’s Medicare contract, citing deficiencies that jeopardized patients’ safety.

The federal health agency pulled I-70 Community Hospital in Sweet Springs from its Medicare program on Thursday.

The 15-bed facility about 65 miles east of Kansas City closed and voluntarily suspended its license in February after state regulators found that it was “out of regulatory compliance.”

Oklahoma-based Cohesive Healthcare Management & Consulting was appointed by a court to take over the hospital’s operations. Cohesive Healthcare plans to appeal the federal agency’s decision.

The hospital’s interim CEO, Roland Gee, said the facility is working to address deficiencies so that it can reopen.

I-70 Community Hospital is the latest facility formerly run by North Kansas City-based EmpowerHMS to face regulatory and financial issues. Oswego Community Hospital in Oswego, Kansas, which was owned by EmpowerHMS, also shutteredin February, saying it was unable to pay its bills.

Two other hospitals formerly operated by EmpowerHMS, Hillsboro Community Hospital in Hillsboro, Kansas, and Fulton Medical Center in Fulton, Missouri, were placed under new management after struggling to pay employees and meet other financial obligations.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid also cited Hillsboro Community Hospital for serious deficiencies that included a failure to follow chest-pain procedures for three patients with cardiac complaints and two patients for suicidal thoughts.

The hospital’s CEO didn’t return a request for comment.

Carolyn Gail Gardner

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SMITH CENTER – Carolyn Gail Gardner, age 62, passed away Monday March 4, 2019, at her home in Smith Center, KS.

She was born the daughter of JW Alford and Geraldine Jumpin Jerry McCarty in Odessa, Texas, on August 2, 1956.

Click HERE for service details.

With Salvy down, Royals sign Maldonado to $2.5M deal for ’19

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By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer

SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Kansas City Royals agreed to a $2.5 million, one-year deal with Martin Maldonado on Saturday, giving them a veteran catcher after losing Salvador Perez to a season-ending injury.

The deal includes up to $1.4 million in incentives for games caught, according to a person familiar with the terms, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Maldonado still must pass a physical for the contract to become official.

Maldonado spent last season with the Angels and Astros, hitting .225 with nine homers and 44 RBIs in 119 games. But his biggest strength has been his ability to frame pitches and play defense, and his experience should help what is expected to be a young Royals team this season.

In fact, Maldonado’s Gold Glove in 2017 broke Perez’s streak of four straight.

Perez underwent Tommy John surgery last week after tearing a ligament in his throwing arm during a spring training workout. Perez is expected to remain with the club while rehabbing this season, and the hope is that the six-time All-Star will be ready by next spring.

“We move on. That’s the way it is,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Salvy is going to be with us all year long, he’s going to be there doing his rehab — the rehab is a difficult process. But we have to continue to move forward.”

Perez’s injury meant the Royals were poised to enter the season with Cam Gallagher, a defensive-minded career backup, and 22-year-old Meibrys Viloria, who has had just 22 big league at-bats.

They had also been mulling the use of Frank Schwindel, a college catcher now at first base.

But general manager Dayton Moore said he would seek a veteran backstop, whether it was through free agency or a trade. And speculation quickly settled upon the 32-year-old Maldonado, mainly because he was the only veteran that wasn’t already in a major league camp.

He broke into the majors with Milwaukee in 2011 and spent his first six years there, before a season-plus with the Angeles. Los Angeles traded him to the Astros last July, and Maldonado helped the club reach the AL Championship Series before losing to the Boston Red Sox.

He will have a quick turnaround before opening day.

The Royals played the Diamondbacks on Saturday and face the Padres on Sunday, then have split-squad games against the Mariners and Rangers on Monday. But after that, they have just 14 more games before the start of the regular season, including split-squad games next weekend.

Kansas City opens the regular season March 28 against the White Sox.

Update: Suspect arrested in Christmas week death of Kan. teen

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POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities have made an arrest in the homicide of 19-year-old Jacob Bouck whose body was found Christmas Eve approximately one mile West of Wamego on the Kansas River.

Lamia-Beck -photo Pottawatomie Co.
Jacob Bouck’s body was found on Christmas Eve- photo courtesy Pottawatomie Co. Sheriff

Detectives with the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office have arrested 23-year-old Cody Lamia-Beck of Wamego, according to Sheriff Greg Riat.

He was taken into custody Wednesday on requested charges of 2nd degree murder and is currently being held at the Pottawatomie County Jail in Westmoreland. No bond has not been set, according to Riat.

The investigation into this homicide continues. The Sheriff’s Office urges anyone who has information about this crime to contact the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office at 785-457-3353 or ptsheriff.com

Great Bend man finally finds missing piece of family puzzle

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Ron Mason’s biological parents, Margaret Eloise Jordan and William Richard Stewart.

By KAREN LAPIERRE
For Great Bend Post

GREAT BEND — Things are good for Ron Mason in Great Bend with a wife, children, grandchildren, and his wife’s side of the family. Still, he was missing a piece of the puzzle in his own life for more than four decades.

He had no family medical information and no known biological siblings or cousins and was curious about both.

Mason grew up in picturesque Monroe, La. hunting and fishing on the bayou, making wonderful memories with a group of boyhood friends. He was the only child of Earl and Peggy Mason.

“It was fantastic. I had a great childhood,” Mason said. “I was an only child and spoiled rotten.”

Mason’s father died when he was four and unfortunately, he has few memories of him.

When Mason was 12 years old, his mother told him he was adopted as a baby. His parents could not have children of their own.

Peggy took him to show him Sellers Baptist Children’s Home in New Orleans, La., where he was adopted from.

In the 1980s, Mason began the search that has lasted most of his life. He and Tammy would look in telephone books or in libraries for the family name.

Internet was not available at that time, nor was there fast Internet in the 1990s.

In 2000, Mason was in Louisiana for a funeral. He contacted the children’s home only to be told the records had been moved from New Orleans to Monroe Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home.

Mason stopped by, and after some persuasion, the director gave Mason a copy of the file.

Mason learned his birth father went to the U.S. Naval Academy and was a University of Alabama graduate, and his birth mothers’ date and location of birth and name, Margaret Eloise Jordan.

“I’m going to try and find them,” Mason told the director. He and Tammy continued looking through old paper records without results.

In the last couple of years, Mason saw ancestry shows on television where people found relatives through DNA analysis. In October 2017, Mason had a DNA analysis on Ancestry.

On Dec. 27, Mason got his results by email, and found that he was Irish, English and Scandinavian.

To find relatives on Ancestry, one must join. Mason took the plunge and joined, and found three people who were related by blood. They were second cousins from both sides of his birth family.

He sent those people a message through Ancestry and waited for them to contact him. On his way to a basketball game, one called.

In February 2018, they hit the jackpot. His second cousin, Bridgette, helped Mason find Margaret Eloise Jordan’s burial place in Montgomery, Ala. They contacted the cemetery for information on who had placed the plaque.

“The connection hit,” Mason said. He was given the phone number of his youngest half-brother, Richard Smith, whom Mason called right away.

Mason said that there is no easy way to tell Smith but to clearly state that he thought he was related to him.

“He’s in shock,” Mason said, after verifying their mother’s name and DOB were indeed the same.

Smith said there were 10 children on his birth mother’s side.

“That’s when we got shocked,” Tammy said, as this was on Mason’s mother’s side only.

Slowly, several of the siblings began calling. Ron’s older half-sister, Bunny, had met William Richard Stewart, Ron’s biological father, much to everyone’s surprise.

There were even pictures of Mason’s biological parents together. The couple had dated for a few years and then split up.

“We’re putting all of these puzzle pieces together and everything starts to fit,” Tammy said.

The Masons found biological father William Stewart’s obituary and saw that there were siblings on his biological dad’s side too.

On May 1, 2018, Mason received a phone call from his half-brother, Bill, Jr. on his dad’s side. They talked for an hour-and-a-half. Bill told Mason that they had never known they had another half-brother, and was certain their father had never known about Mason.

There were two siblings on his dad’s side, Bill and a half-sister, bringing the total to 12 siblings.

The Masons decided they were going to Montgomery, Ala. to meet all of the family in June, 2018.

“Everybody looked at me because I look just like my birth father,” Mason said.

Mason has visited both of his birth parent’s grave sites and saw the house where his mother lived, and visited the Stewart home in Greensboro, Ala. On his dad’s side, Bill and Beth played a tape of his father’s voice, so Mason heard his father speaking one time.

“After 62 years, he finds out he has got this huge family,” Tammy said. “I have to say they were so accepting and so nice.”

Finally, all of the pieces of Mason’s life’s puzzle have been put together.

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