We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

Month: April 2019

FHSU grad who bought out Payless will appear on ‘Ellen’ show Monday

Posted on
Addy Tritt, FHSU grad, stands in the Hays Payless with some of the shoes she bought for Nebraska flood victims.

By HANNAH BRANDT
KSNT

A Kansas woman got viral attention for donating 204 pairs of shoes to Nebraska flood victims after buying all the remaining shoes at a Payless store that was closing.

On Monday, Addy Tritt will be featured on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” A show spokeswoman said that while Tritt generously gives back to her community, she is actually in debt herself with student loan and even relies on family support to buy groceries.

Tritt, a Fort Hays State graduate, said she wanted to help others because so many people have helped her in the past. When the price at a Hays store dropped to $1 per pair, Tritt negotiated with the business to buy the remaining shoes for $100.

They included 162 pairs of baby shoes, two pairs of men’s shoes, and the rest were women’s shoes.The retail price of the shoes would have been more than $6,000.

— Republished with permission

Tritt’s story, which was originally published by Hays Post, went viral, being distributed by news outlets globally.

“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” is scheduled to air at 4 p.m. Monday on Eagle Cable on CBS Chs. 10 and 610.

US authorities: Marijuana involvement imperils citizenship

Posted on

PHOENIX (AP) — Immigration authorities on Friday said that anyone with any involvement with marijuana, regardless of whether it’s legal in the state where they live, can be denied citizenship because the drug is still illegal under federal law.

Sergio Medina-Perez, an illegal immigrant was charged in federal court in Sept. 2018 for his involvement in a marijuana grow operation near Kansas City-photo Daviess Co. Sheriff

The announcement comes weeks after officials in Colorado, where recreational marijuana is legal, began warning residents that working for a dispensary or manufacturing operation could jeopardize their citizenship bids — even if those jobs are state-sanctioned.

The updated guidance from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services states that people who use marijuana or are involved with it in any way fail to have “good moral character,” a prerequisite for people who have legal permanent residence to gain American citizenship.

About two-thirds of states allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes, and 10 allow recreational use. Washington, D.C., also allows recreational use.

“U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is required to adjudicate cases based on federal law,” spokeswoman Jessica Collins said in a statement. “Individuals who commit federal controlled substance violations face potential immigration consequences under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which applies to all foreign nationals regardless of the state or jurisdiction in which they reside.”

In Colorado, immigration attorneys say at least two green-card holders were denied citizenship because they worked or had worked in marijuana-related jobs. There are probably more, they say.

Immigrants who apply for citizenship must first fill out a 20-page form known as the “N-400.” It asks about prior work, family and criminal history, but it doesn’t specifically ask if a person has used or worked with marijuana.

Julia Gelatt, a senior policy analyst for the Migration Policy Institute, said it’s not likely that most people will disclose information about pot use. But she said the new policy could make some people nervous about applying.

“Whether or not it has a real impact is whether adjudicators decide to ask about it,” Gelatt said.

Romine, Yankees shake bullpen meltdown, top Royals 10

Posted on

NEW YORK (AP) — Austin Romine drove in the winning run in the 10th inning with his third RBI single, and the New York Yankees overcame a bullpen collapse that followed another scoreless start by James Paxton to beat the Kansas City Royals 7-6 Sunday.

After adding All-Star slugger Aaron Judge to their ever-growing injury list, the Yankees escaped a couple late jams and got back over .500.

Jake Diekman (0-1) walked Mike Tauchman and Gio Urshela leading off the bottom of the 10th, and 23-year-old Thairo Estrada made his big league debut as a pinch hitter and sacrificed against Ian Kennedy.

Romine drove a fly that bounced on the center-field warning track for his first career walk-off hit.

Judge became New York’s major league-high 13th player on the injured list, a day after straining his left oblique muscle. Manager Aaron Boone called the injury “pretty significant” without giving a timeframe for the outfielder’s return.

With most of the Bronx Bombers out for repair, Clint Frazier started for the first time in the majors as a cleanup man and hit a three-run homer for a 5-0 lead in the fifth. He has six home runs and 17 RBIs in his return from a concussion that wrecked his 2017 season.

Paxton allowed three hits and became only the second Yankees pitcher to strike out 12 or more in consecutive starts. He left with a 5-0 lead but the Royals went ahead with a surprising six-run eighth. They loaded the bases against Chad Green, and Adam Ottavino gave up Adalberto Mondesi’s two-run double, Alex Gordon’s three-run homer and Hunter Dozier’s home run off the back of the right-field bullpen on the next pitch.

Tauchman doubled off Wily Peralta leading off the bottom half and tied the score 6-6 on Romine’s two-out single.

Aroldis Chapman allowed a leadoff single in the ninth to Billy Hamilton, who stole second and third but was stranded when Mondesi struck out and Alex Gordon flied out. Frazier stranded Brett Gardner at third when he struck out against Scott Barlow in the bottom of the ninth and snapped his bat over a leg in frustration.

Zack Britton (1-0) gave up a leadoff single to Dozier in the 10th and picked off speedy pinch runner Terrance Gore, causing concern when the reliever appeared to turn an ankle while applying the tag at first to end a rundown. Britton then got a pair of called third strikes, giving New York pitchers 20 strikeouts.

New York improved to 11-10, its first winning record since it was 5-4. The Yankees headed on a nine-game western trip after a 6-3 homestand.

Paxton induced 18 swings and misses plus a pair of foul tips for strike three. He fanned 12 and walked one in six-plus innings.

The 30-year-old lefty had a fastball last Tuesday that averaged 97 mph when he pitched eight innings of two-hit ball with 12 strikeouts in an 8-0 win over Boston. His heater averaged about 95 mph against the Royals, and he mixed in curveballs and sliders that bewildered batters.

New York’s only previous pitcher with 12 or more strikeouts in back-to-back starts was in the broadcast booth calling this game for the YES Network: David Cone struck out 14 against Florida on June 7, 1998, and a dozen versus Cleveland seven days later. Paxton reached double digits in strikeouts for the third time in consecutive games and the 13th time overall.

New York went ahead when DJ LeMahieu doubled leading off and scored from third on a passed by Martin Maldonado. Mike Ford hit an opposite-field double to left-center in the second, his first big league hit after an 0-for-6 start, and scored on Romine’s single.

Royals starter Jorge López allowed five runs — four earned — in seven innings.

STREAKING

Tauchman was first player whose first six hits with the Yankees all were for extra bases since Dave Kingman in 1977. The streak ended in the third when he hit a grounder that nicked first base, changed direction and went off the right foot of Lucas Duda for a single.

SHORT-STAFFED

Kansas City went with 24 players, optioning right-hander Glenn Sparkman to Triple-A Omaha after he allowed three runs and six hits in three innings Saturday.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (left shoulder impingement) allowed an unearned run and four hits over 5 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts and no walks for Northwest Arkansas against Springfield on Saturday night. He could be activated for next weekend’s home series against the Los Angeles Angeles.

Yankees: C Gary Sánchez, out since April 10 with a strained left calf, is scheduled to play a rehabilitation game Monday with Class A Charleston and could be activated Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Brad Keller (2-1) starts Monday at Tampa Bay, his first appearance since hitting Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox with a pitch after Anderson homered. Keller received a five-game suspension, which he has appealed.

Yankees: LHP J.A. Happ (0-2) starts at the Los Angeles Angels in the opener of a trip, facing RHP Matt Harvey (0-2). The former Mets ace has a 9.64 ERA.

Police: Large brawl involving mostly teenagers at Worlds of Fun

Posted on
Image courtesy Madi-Lynn McDaniel

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say officers responded to a brawl involving up to 300 teenagers at the Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri.

Kansas City police say several law enforcement agencies were called to the park Saturday night when an off-duty Clay County sheriff’s deputy reported several large fights involving mostly teenagers.

Kansas City police said Sunday that no injuries were reported and no one was arrested. But police said the Clay County Sheriff’s Office issued some citations to people at the scene.

Worlds of Fun officials said in a written statement that local and park authorities broke up the altercation and removed those involved from the park.

Kansas woman hospitalized after I-70 crash

Posted on

SHERMAN COUNTY — One person was injured in an accident just after 10a.m. Sunday in Sherman County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Honda Civic driven by Laura Jon Michelle Foster, 27, Wellington, was eastbound on Interstate 70 five miles east of Kansas 184.

The Honda left the road to the left and the driver overcorrected. The Honda left the roadway to the right and struck the culvert in the south ditch.

Foster was transported to the hospital in Goodland. She was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

Earl Bane Foundation supports SHPTV’s Literacy Program

Posted on

SHPTV

BUNKER HILL – The Earl Bane Foundation has awarded Smoky Hills Public Television with a grant for the station’s Literacy Leadership program. The $6,000 grant will provide books to children in Head Start in Saline County and support children’s programming.

“At SHPTV, we encourage a love of reading at a young age through our book distribution and our PBS KIDS programming.  The grant from the Earl Bane Foundation is what helps to ensure our mission of educating the youth in central and western Kansas, and we want to thank them for their continued support.” said Larry Calvery, Smoky Hills Public Television general manager.

The Earl Bane Foundation was established in 1994. Its giving supports primarily higher education, children, youth and social services for the educational, economic, scientific and religious benefit of Salina and Saline County.

Smoky Hills Public Television serves 71 counties in central and western Kansas and has been named the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Non-Metro Station of the Year. 

Police: Suspect fired multiple gunshots striking victims at Kansas party

Posted on

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting that injured as many as four people.

Just after 10:30 p.m. on Friday, police responded to a check shots call at a business in the 1600 block of south George Washington Boulevard in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.

Upon arrival, officers located a 27-year-old male, a 25-year-old male and a 20-year-old male with gunshot wounds to their bodies. The 27-year-old male and 20-year-old male were taken to Wesley hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The 25-year-old male refused medical treatment.

At St. Joseph hospital, officers contacted a 19-year-old female who arrived with injury from a gunshot to her leg and elbow and gunshot damage to her vehicle. She was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The investigation revealed a party was being held at the business on south George Washington Boulevard when a disturbance occurred. Two unknown suspects fired multiple shots, striking the victims.

The first suspect is described as an unknown b/m. The second suspect is described as an unknown b/m, wearing red shorts, a red Nike shirt and was armed with a silver handgun.

Investigators have encountered a lack of cooperation during this investigation which has affected them being able to thoroughly investigate, according to Davidson.

Miller appointed KDWPT Asst. Secretary

Posted on
Mike Miller

KDWPT

TOPEKA – Mike Miller has been selected to be Assistant Secretary for Wildlife, Fisheries and Boating for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT). He replaces Keith Sexson, who retired last December after more than 50 years with the department. Miller will assume his new duties on Monday, April 22, 2019.

“Mike has been an invaluable member of our team for more than three decades. He has been involved in almost every aspect of the department and has a wealth of knowledge and experience to bring to his new role,” said Brad Loveless, KDWPT Secretary. “He is a great communicator and is well-respected by all who know him. I am looking forward to working closely with him as we grow our programs and serve our constituents.”

“I am humbled and excited to be a part of Secretary Loveless’ vision for KDWPT’s future,” Miller said. “Current Wildlife, Fisheries and Boating staff are as talented and dedicated as any I’ve seen, and I look forward to working with them to carry on the amazing legacies of previous assistant secretaries.”

Miller has worked for KDWPT for more than 35 years. He grew up in Greensburg and graduated from Kansas State University with bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and Graphic Design in 1982. After a short stint with the El Dorado Times newspaper, he was selected to be the wildlife illustrator for the Kansas Fish and Game Commission and Kansas Wildlife magazine.

He went on to serve as the magazine’s associate editor, editor, and his current position of chief of the Information Production Section, overseeing production of the magazine, all hunting and fishing regulation pamphlets, atlases and brochures and social media presence. In addition to his information duties, Miller also served as a special assistant to the Assistant Secretary, managing various special programs and committees, including Pass It On, a hunter recruitment and retention program.

Miller is an avid angler and hunter. He and his wife of 37 years, Lisa, make their home in Pratt where he will continue to work in the KDWPT Pratt Operations Office.

FHSU to host annual John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activities Day

Posted on

FHSU University Relations

Students and faculty will participate in the 14th annual John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activities Day, hosted by Fort Hays State University, on Wednesday, April 24, in the Memorial Union.

The day celebrates the research, scholarly and creative work conducted by varied disciplines within the university. Special activities will include seminars, research presentations and exhibits.

The main events include poster presentations and a creative works exhibition featuring student and faculty work from the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the W.R. and Yvonne Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship, the College of Education, the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences and the Peter Werth College of Science, Technology and Mathematics.

Leslie Paige, director of the Office of Scholarship and Sponsored Projects, said the day “not only showcases the significant work being conducted by faculty and staff, but also exemplifies the opportunities FHSU students have to conduct research, engage in scholarship opportunities, and present creative works with guidance from their faculty mentors.”

Scholarly and creative activity encourages critical thinking, innovation, collaboration and leadership, she said.

The creative works exhibit will be in the Memorial Union’s Black and Gold Room from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The poster presentations, with more than 100 posters by students and faculty will be in the Memorial Union’s Fort Hays Ballroom from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Poster creators will be available from 1 to 3 p.m.

Oral presentations will be in the union’s Pioneer Room and Stouffer Lounge from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A schedule of the oral presentations can be found at www.fhsu.edu/academic/research/saca/.

Presentations by entrepreneurship faculty fellows will be in the union’s Trails Room from 10 a.m. to noon.

Awards will be given at 3 p.m. for poster presentations to undergraduate, graduate, faculty and staff for empirical and non-empirical research and scholarly work. Awards for creative works and “People’s Choice Awards” will also be given.

“FHSU supports developing new areas of excellence in all disciplines as part of its mission to advance knowledge and further the economic growth of the state,” said Paige. “Participation provides the opportunity to clarify academic and professional goals while promoting advancement in a particular field of study.”

Named after the late Dr. John Heinrichs, who championed research at FHSU, the Scholarly and Creative Activities Day is sponsored by the FHSU Scholarship Environment Committee with support from the Office of the Provost, FHSU deans, the Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science, the Graduate School and the Office of Scholarship and Sponsored Projects.

The exhibits and presentations are free and open to the public.

For more information, visit www.fhsu.edu/academic/research/saca/ or contact Paige at 785-628-4349 or email [email protected].

Art sale to highlight ribbon cutting for collaborative effort between FHSU, DSNWK

Posted on

Schmierbach
FHSU University Relations

Artwork produced from a collaborative effort among Fort Hays State University students and clients of Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas will be on display and up for sale for about a month at the Hays Public Library.

The project – started by Amy Schmierbach, FHSU professor of art and design – is based on the model of Socially Engaged Art, which seeks to create art with communities for their benefit and for the benefit of public arts.

A ribbon cutting to feature the art project is set for 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 23, at DSNWK Employment Connections, 660 Commerce Parkway, Hays. The artwork then will go on display at the library, beginning with Hays’ Spring Gallery Walk on Friday, April 26. An opening reception will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. during the gallery walk.

Schmierbach and FHSU students collaborate and create art with clients served by DSNWK, providing workshops for structured art experiences revolving around weaving, drawing and photography. The goal of the project is to expand the arts in the Hays community to reach more individuals, specifically creating more opportunities.

Completed projects are being framed for sale. Funds from the sale of the artwork will go toward the continuation of the collaborative effort between Fort Hays State and DSNWK.

Tuesday’s agenda includes a short presentation about the artwork and speakers that will include: from DSNWK, a client and administrators; and from FHSU, President Tisa Mason, Professor Karrie Simpson Voth from the Department of Art and Design and students who helped with the project.

The Collaborative Art Project is funded by Kansas Creative Industries Commission Arts Integration Program-Innovative Partnerships, the National Endowment for the Arts, DSNWK and FHSU Undergraduate Research Grant.

2 hospitalized after van rear-ends tractor pulling an implement

Posted on

JACKSON COUNTY — Two people were injured in an accident just before 10:30p.m. Saturday in Jackson County.

Photo courtesy Jackson Co. Sheriff

A 2005 Chrysler Town and Country van was westbound on Kansas 16 just east of B Road approximately a mile from the Pottawatomie County line, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

The van rear-ended a farm tractor pulling an implement.  Life Star Ambulance flew the van driver who sustained life threatening injuries to Stormont Vail in Topeka, according to Morse. Jackson County EMS transported a front seat passenger to Stormont Vail. A third occupant in the van was not injured.

The names of the victims, both residents of Corning, Kansas, have not been released.

The accident remains under investigation, according to Morse.

First Five: Journalists may be stuck with Assange’s First Amendment defense

Posted on

Gene Policinski
First Amendment advocates may well be stuck sometime down the road with Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks defense — even if it sticks in some throats.

Assange currently faces extradition to the U.S. for prosecution on computer hacking charges related to WikiLeaks obtaining and posting classified military data, memos and such in 2010 from then-U.S. Army soldier Chelsea Manning. The specific charge sidesteps for now a collision with the First Amendment, which does not protect anyone from prosecution for criminal acts, such as breaking into government computers.

But as the Assange saga unfolds, a number of news outlets report that U.S. prosecutors may bring additional charges ranging from how Assange dealt with his sources to the dissemination — Assange would say “publishing” — of that stolen material. That’s where it will get sticky for journalists.

Those added charges likely would threaten legal protections afforded those who report confidential information obtained by others. One, known informally as the “over the transom” or “innocent third party” defense, protects those receiving and reporting information who are not involved in the act of obtaining it. A transom is a small window above a door that can be tilted open while the door below remains shut — hence, information dropped into a room “over the transom,” shields the party delivering it.

A 2001 Supreme Court decision in Bartnicki v. Vopper involved illegally intercepted telephone conversations. The 6-3 decision said that while the government certainly could charge persons who intercepted the calls, it could not successfully prosecute the radio host who was given a recording and played portions of those conversations over the air. The court noted the privacy aspects of the case gave way to reporting on matters of high public interest.

In the years since, journalists have relied on that ruling in reporting national security secrets and confidential city records. In turn, authorities have for various reasons focused on prosecuting the “leakers” rather than those who published the information. However, Bartnicki has not been directly tested in a national security setting — it was a civil lawsuit, not a criminal case.

At least one Justice Department prosecution came close to charging a journalist who received classified information. In 2013, Fox News reporter James Rosen was declared an unindicted co-conspirator under the Espionage Act during an investigation of a State Department employee who leaked information to him involving North Korean missile tests. The official was convicted under the Espionage Act, but Rosen was never prosecuted.

Assange, an Australian computer programmer and social activist at an early age, now loudly proclaims himself a journalist and that WikiLeaks is a news organization. But leading First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams has written a well-founded repudiation — WikiLeaks does no real reporting, adds no analysis or context and seemingly fails to consider the harm its “data dumps” of state secrets may cause others.

Others raise a pragmatic point — Assange’s release of state secrets has proven to be a major factor in discouraging Congress from enacting a proposed federal “shield law” that would (with no small amount of irony here) largely protect journalists from federal courts and grand juries demanding to know confidential sources.

But the American Civil Liberties Union, Committee to Protect Journalists and Assange’s lawyer Jennifer Robinson all said extraditing and prosecuting Assange sets a dangerous precedent for U.S. journalists who could to face similar charges brought by repressive foreign governments for publishing truthful information.

Some journalists and activists see a lack of support among U.S. editors and reporters as something more sinister, some writing that failing to back Assange exposes those journalists as unwilling to challenge government propaganda or power, even being “tools of the Empire.”

I’m for parsing things this way — consider Assange a political player who actively encourages information leaks and uses a journalist’s tools to influence political policy disputes, debates and decisions. Let him argue “free speech” rather than “free press.” There is an argument that even under the Espionage Act there is a defense of sorts — intent was in the public interest rather than in bringing harm to the United States. Chalk the unwillingness of many journalists in the U.S. to back Assange to something more pragmatic than philosophical. A friend and longtime journalist put it this way: “It’s how cops view someone who puts on a stolen uniform and badge.”

The U.S. government’s prosecution ultimately may rest on showing how — and to what degree — Assange cultivated Manning as a source. If he is found to have conspired with Manning on the theft, there’s no First Amendment or Bartnicki defense. Even there, though, the impact on journalists is concerning — the public is not served by restricting national security reporters to sitting in offices waiting for materials to land in their collective laps.

Any additional charges brought against Assange should be considered in the context that it is in the public interest that reporters be able to reach out to experts working on national security matters to discuss policy and even have conversations about how information might influence public views if disclosed.

Yes, that may well mean drawing a fine legal line between “cultivating” sources and conspiring with them. But we have all been well-served by disclosures in the public interest of secret or confidential government documents and information — from the Pentagon Papers to undisclosed telephone and internet surveillance programs to information that properly armored vehicles were not reaching U.S. troops overseas, causing unnecessary deaths.

Journalists are the watchdogs by which we all can know information improperly classified, withheld for political gain or around which legitimate debate should occur — a process that could also be described to operate in the interest of national security.

Gene Policinski is president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute. He can be reached at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter at @genefac.

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File