UPDATE: 5:00 p.m. Thursday
James D. Pfaff, has been located and is in the custody of the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department, according to Undersheriff Scott Braun.
James D. Pfaff
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By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT Hays Post
Area law enforcement officials are on the lookout for a suspect who fled a traffic stop early Wednesday morning in Ellis County and are asking the public’s helping in locating the suspect.
According to Ellis County Undersheriff Scott Braun, at approximately 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, an Ellis County Sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop at mile marker 172 on Interstate 70 on a car driven by 56-year-old James D. Pfaff.
Braun said the deputy because suspicious of the possibility of illegal drugs in the vehicle and detained Pfaff in order to search the vehicle. While waiting for a K-9 unit to arrive on scene, Pfaff was able to flee the scene in his vehicle, according to Braun.
Pfaff proceeded east on I-70 into Russell County at speeds in excess of 100 mph, Braun said, leading enforcement officials on a chase south of Gorham toward the south county line. There, he drove into a field and was able to escape from law enforcement.
Pfaff’s car was found unoccupied a short time later.
Law enforcement officials from the Barton, Ellis, Rush and Russell County sheriff’s departments, the Kansas Highway Patrol, and Hays Police Department all assisted in the pursuit.
Braun said Pfaff is not considered a danger to the community, but they are asking for the public’s helping in locating him. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact law enforcement.
TOPEKA —Governor Laura Kelly signed House Bill 2103 Thursday injecting millions into Kansas programs that strengthen vulnerable children and families. This bill amends the revised Kansas Code for the Care of Children and enacts statutory previsions enabling Kansas to meet the requirements of the federal Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA).
“In the last few years, nothing has frustrated me more than the callous disregard some agency leaders demonstrated towards our vulnerable children and their families,” Kelly said. “This legislation will help to rebuild the Department for Children and Families and provide critical funding for programs aimed at strengthening families and keeping children safe.”
House Bill 2103 allows for an enhanced federal match rate for certain child welfare system evidence-based prevention services and programs beginning October 1, 2019. The bill defines a qualified residential treatment program (QRTP), establishes notice and hearing requirements when a child is placed in a QRTP, requires certain action a court must take when QRTP placement occurs, and places additional documentation requirements on the court in a permanency hearing involving a child placed in QRTP.
“The Department for Children and Families has already begun to connect with community partners across the state to kick off our Family First initiatives,” said DCF Secretary Laura Howard. “The additional federal funds along with these valued partnerships will allow us to introduce evidence-based practices throughout the state that will keep families together and children safe.”
Further, the bill amends the definition of a secure facility and requires a child in need of care petition to have an attached copy of any existing prevention plan for a child. The bill takes effect upon publication in the Kansas Register.
SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas woman in connection with a shooting.
Hernandez photo Sedgwick County
Just after 12:20p.m. Wednesday, police responded to report of a disturbance with shots fired in the 3000 Block of South Clifton in Wichita, according to office Charley Davidson.
Investigators determined that 22-year-old Briaunna Hernandez fired multiple shots at a home while seated in a vehicle. At the time the shots were fired, three individuals known to Hernandez were outside the residence. They were not injured.
Police did locate and arrest Hernendez without incident in the 4100 Block of Ross Parkway. She is being held on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and felon in possession of a firearm. Police also recovered a handgun during their investigation.
Beginning Fri., April 19 through Sat., April 20, the Hays Police Department (HPD) will join other law enforcement agencies in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma to stop what has been an increasing epidemic for the past several years.
In an effort to change this trend, law enforcement across the six-state area will be extra-vigilant when patrolling around city, state and federal highways. Deaths and injuries continue to increase from both alcohol and drug impaired drivers. Regardless of whether a drug is legal or illegal, it’s a serious crime to drive while impaired by any drug. We can no longer share our roadways with these drug impaired drivers. Impaired driving is not a victimless crime.
Additional officers will be out patrolling, looking for impaired drivers in Hays. Officers will issue citations to any individual who refuses to obey the traffic laws, whether it is for driving while impaired, for speeding, texting, or failing to buckle up. If a suspected violator refuses to submit to a blood test, a search warrant may be obtained for that individual’s blood.
We are using 4/20 as a date to draw attention to the drugged driving epidemic, simply because it’s the day where people on 4/20 at 4:20 PM light up their drugs as a celebration. JAMA (Journal of American Medicine Association) has found a 12% increase in the relative risk of a fatal crash compared to identical time intervals on control days.
Even one death is unacceptable. Please don’t drive while impaired, slow down, put the phone away or turn it off, and always buckle up.
CHEYENNE COUNTY — One person was injured in an accident just after 8a.m. Thursday in Cheyenne County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1997 Peterbilt semi driven by Kelly D. Johansen, 60, Hiawatha, was northbound on Kansas 161 four miles north of Bird City.
The semi left the roadway to the right. The driver overcorrected and the semi fell on its side and tipped over the east edge of the roadway.
Johansen was transported to the hospital in St. Francis and later air-lifted to a hospital in Denver. He was not wearing a seat belt, according the KHP.
Michael A. Smith is a Professor of Political Science at Emporia State University.
The connection between faith and politics is unavoidable. From the freethinking deists that made up a good portion of our nation’s Constitutional Founders, to America’s periodic evangelical revivals, to the roles of Judaism, Catholicism, and other faiths among the waves of immigrants that have transformed America, our history, politics, and faith cannot be easily separated.
Kansas has often been right at the center, from the abolitionist movement and Bleeding Kansas, to the 1991 anti-abortion Summer of Mercy, through the Brownback governorship to the present.
In recent times, the connection between religion and politics shows up in election returns. White, Evangelical Christian voters backed President Trump by over 80%, while the religiously unaffiliated went overwhelmingly for Hillary. Recent Republican missives to Jewish voters regarding Israel do not appear to be working— Jewish Americans still go strongly for Democrats. Catholics are split, in large part by ethnicity, with those of European heritage going Republican, while Latin Americans favor Democrats. American Muslims—many of whom might seem predisposed to support Republicans due to shared, conservative cultural values—now see the Republican Party as unwelcoming and trend heavily Democratic, as do other small-but-significant groups like Buddhists and Unitarian Universalists. Mainline Protestants are declining dramatically, but some churches have found new life by embracing social justice and diversity. However, there is only one large group showing major growth: the “nones.”
A recent Pew Charitable Trust poll shows “nones” on the rise—now roughly equal to Catholics and Evangelicals (considered separately) as a percentage of the population, and decidedly younger. What will be their influence on our politics?
An unfortunate homonym for nuns, nones are people that answer “none” when asked about their faith traditions, for example, by opinion pollsters.
Right now, nones are defined primarily by what they are not. Nones are not evangelicals, nor conservative Catholics. When asked to further-elaborate their views by the Pew pollsters, the most-popular self-description was “question certain religious teachings.” This begs the question, which ones? In politics, this means that they generally reject those groups’ support for the Trump presidency. They do not seek to criminalize abortion, nor cite “religious freedom” as an excuse to discriminate against their friends who are LGBT, Muslims, or immigrants. Yet, this tells us mostly what the nones oppose, not what they support. Perhaps they have not arrived at a final answer to this question.
Young nones will one day have to work out their approaches to religion and secularism in ways that go beyond pro- vs. anti-Trump. Will they be open to alternative faith traditions like Social Justice Christianity and Western Buddhism? Or, will they stick with secularism? No matter their choices, our chosen faith (or non-faith) traditions have a profound impact on our state and nation’s cultural climates, past, and present, and the young nones just might hold the keys to our political future.
Michael A. Smith is a Professor of Political Science at Emporia State University.
FINNEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities and USD 457 school district officials are investigating an alleged school threat.
Just after 8p.m. Wednesday, police received information from a student and concerned parent of a potential threat against Horace Good Middle School, 412 North Main, in Garden City, according to Sgt. Lana Urtega. The threat received on social media depicted the general use of firearms to harm students at the school.
In conjunction with the school district, a letter was sent to parents and school staff of the reported threat and of an increased police presence at the school Thursday, according to Urtega.
At 10a.m. Thursday, police identified a 14-year-old middle school student as the suspect who made the threat.
An affidavit has been filed with the Finney County Attorney requesting charges of aggravated criminal threat and criminal false communiation, according to Urtega.
One day after announcing Alex Hutchins as the new boys basketball coach, Hays High made official the hiring of a new wrestling coach. Like Hutchins the new coach comes from within the school. Seven year assistant Heath Meder has been selected to lead the wrestling team. He also coached in the middle school ranks in Hays.
Meder currently teaches Computer Graphics, Graphic Design/Graphic Imaging, Art Exploration and Jewelry/Art Metal.
Coach Heath Meder
Meder is a 2004 Hays High graduate, wrestled for Bob Threlkel, and holds the state record for single season reversals with 58 in 2003. He went on to compete for Fort Hays State University.
Meder hopes to establish an identity for Hays High wrestling in the coming season that returns two state qualifiers next season. Current freshman Gaving Nutting and Gavin Meyers each qualified for the 5A State tournament this past season. Meyers placed fourth at 182 pounds and Nutting finished with a 1-2 record.
Sterling College announced in April of 2018 they intended on adding Men’s and Women’s Swimming to their athletic offerings. The program will begin in the 2019-2020 academic year. Fast forward to April of 2019 and one of Hays High’s own made it official that he will be part of that inaugural season at Sterling.
Scout Perryman
Scout Perryman signed his letter of intent to swim for the Warriors. Perryman started to competitively swim his freshman year of high school after his older brother who was a senior at a time introduced him the sport. He swam the 100 yard freestyle, 100 yard butterfly, and 50 yard freestyle in high school.
Coach Faith Schindler
Second year head coach Faith Schindler, who is also an assistant coach for the girls swim team, has seen the numbers of the swim team swell recently and hopes that Perryman’s success and signing will increase the popularity of the sport within the school.
The Sterling College program will be helmed by Gary Kempf who, according to a press release from Sterling College, “After high school, Kempf competed and swam for Kansas University. During his four years at KU, he won seven individual Big Eight titles while leading the Jayhawks to three conference crowns.”
More information on the new program for Sterling College can be found at https://www.scwarriors.com/article/2443
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri House has passed legislation that could block the developers of one of the nation’s largest wind energy projects from using eminent domain to string a high-voltage power line across the Midwest.
The overview map on this page depicts the route of the Grain Belt Express Clean Line in Kansas- Image Clean Line Energy Partners.- click to expand
The vote Thursday by the House targets a $2.3 billion project that would carry electricity 750 miles from Kansas windmills across Missouri and Illinois before hooking into a power grid in Indiana serving eastern states.
The project won approval last month from Missouri utility regulators. That decision could allow developers to use condemnation to acquire easement rights from landowners unwilling to sell.
The bill blocking that now goes to the Missouri Senate.
The Grain Belt Express power line was proposed by Houston-based Clean Line Energy Partners. It’s in the process of being acquired by Chicago-based Invenergy.
MANHATTAN — A Wednesday evening apartment fire in Manhattan caused over $140,000 damage to the building and contents and started on the second-floor porch balcony due to improperly discarded smoking materials, according to Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Almes.
Photos courtesy Manhattan Fire Dept.
Just after 9:13 p.m.Wednesday, fire crews was dispatched to 415 Walters Drive Apartment 808 in Manhattan for a report of a structure fire with occupants possibly trapped, according to Almes.
Upon arrival, crews found a two-story apartment building with fire showing from the rear of the building extending into the attic.
Crews searched the building and confirmed that all occupants had exited the structure. The fire reached a second alarm before it was contained. No injuries were reported.
Apartments 808 and 810 suffered fire damage and apartments 807 and 809 suffered smoke and water damage.
A total of 14 occupants and 5 pets were displaced from 4 apartment units.
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MANHATTAN — Officials are working to determine the cause of a fire in an apartment complex in Manhattan.
Just after 9:13 p.m.Wednesday, fire crews was dispatched to 415 Walters Drive Apartment 808 in Manhattan for a report of a structure fire with occupants possibly trapped, according to Deputy Chief Ryan Almes.
Upon arrival, crews found a two-story apartment building with fire showing from the rear of the building extending into the attic.
Crews searched the building and confirmed that all occupants had exited the structure. The fire reached a second alarm before it was contained. No injuries were reported.
Apartments 808 and 810 suffered fire damage and apartments 807 and 809 suffered smoke and water damage.The occupants of all four damaged units were displaced. An estimate on damage was not available early Thursday.
The report’s first volume details Russian election interference and the second relates to whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice.
The report reveals how Trump repeatedly sought to seize control of the Russia probe.
The 10 episodes scrutinized by Mueller include Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey, the president’s directive to subordinates to have Mueller fired and efforts to encourage witnesses not to cooperate.
The president’s lawyers have said Trump’s conduct fell within his constitutional powers, but Mueller’s team deemed the episodes were deserving of scrutiny to determine whether crimes were committed.
Attorney General William Barr held a news conference on Mueller’s report before it was released. He said it found no cooperation between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russians interfering in that election.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted that it was “a disgrace” for Barr to act like “the personal attorney and publicist” for Trump.
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand called Barr’s news conference “a farce and an embarrassing display of propaganda” for Trump. And New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker said, “The American people deserve the truth. Not spin from a Trump appointee.”
California Sen. Kamala Harris tweeted that Barr’s news conference was “a stunt, filled with political spin.”
The Justice Department has provided Congress with a redacted version of the report. Democrats want the full report released.
HaysMed, part of The University of Kansas Health System, is pleased to welcome Spencer Anderson, MPAS, PA-C to the Orthopedic Clinic.
Anderson completed his masters of physician assistant studies at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
“It’s always a good feeling to be able to recruit qualified staff to our orthopedic clinic,”said Bryce Young, chief operating officer, at HaysMed.“We serve patients from all over western Kansas and Anderson will be a great addition to our team of professionals.”
Anderson will be working with Dr. Oluwaseun Akinbo, orthopedic surgeon.
