SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating the forgery and attempted forgery at two bank branches in Salina and report the suspect is also wanted for other incidents.
This woman is wanted in connection with two vehicle burglaries, an unlawful use of a credit card, and two forgery cases in Salina. Here she is seen walking into Walgreens. Photos courtesy Salina Police Department
On Sunday, someone broke into two vehicles at the Salina Soccer complex at 2100 E Magnolia, Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.
A 33-year old woman reported that someone broke the driver side window of her 2015 Hyundai Sonata and stole various items including her black Coach purse, diamond earrings, credit cards, ID, and checks. Total loss was estimated at $1,279.
A 34-year-old woman reported that someone broke the driver side window of her 2008 GMC SUV and stole various items including her purse, credit cards, ID, checks, and a couple of hundred dollars in cash. Total loss was just under $500.
One victim was notified that her Discover card was being used at Walgreens, 700 S. Broadway. According to Forrester, a white female with brown hair attempted to purchase three pre-paid VISA cards, but the amount was over Walgreen’s limit, so she only purchased two, resulting in a $512 charge to the Discover card.
The victim then went to Walgreens and located her purse in a dumpster along with another victim’s Coach purse, according to Forrester. Items from the purses were still missing.
This is the white Volvo S90 the suspect was seen driving while at the two First Bank Kansas branches. The license tag on the vehicle is stolen, according to Salina Police. This vehicle also was seen at the Manhattan Walmart on Sunday.
On Monday, the suspect was in the drive-through at First Bank Kansas, 235 S. Santa Fe, in a white Volvo S90 and used a stolen check to withdraw $1,100 from Krehbiel’s account, Forrester said.
The woman then used a stolen check belonging to Cornerstone Clinic to deposit $2,400 into Linn’s account and then got $1,700 in cash back at the First Bank Kansas facility at 2860 S. Ninth, at approximately 1 p.m. on Monday, Forrester. The female returned to the bank a short time later and tried to withdraw an additional amount of money, but an alert First Bank Kansas employee who remembered Linn working for the bank, recognized that the female attempting to withdraw money was not Linn, Forrester said. The employee tried to coax the female into the bank, but she drove off instead, he said.
The woman is believed to be a suspect in incidents in Manhattan, and was seen on surveillance video at the Manhattan Walmart on Sunday.
Anyone who recognizes the woman or has any information about the cases, are encouraged to contact the Salina Police Department
Walmart plans estimated $49.7M in Kansas store improvements in 2019
WICHITA — Building on its commitment to save customers time and money in new ways, Walmart expects to spend an estimated $49.7 million this year in Kansas through the remodeling of 10 stores, as well as the launch and continued expansion of several customer-focused innovations.
“In addition to saving customers money every day, Walmart has been committed to making the shopping experience fast and convenient for our Kansas customers,” said David Carmon, Walmart regional general manager. “That commitment will continue this year by enhancing our stores and adding innovative technology, such as Pickup Towers and Online Grocery Pickup, that will give customers even more choices and transform the way they shop.”
2019 Walmart Remodels in Kansas
Walmart plans to remodel stores in the following locations:
1920 US-73, Atchison, Kan.
2700 S Santa Fe Avenue, Chanute, Kan.
1863 5300 Road, Coffeyville, Kan. (remodeled in March)
2020 Nelson Drive, Derby, Kan. (remodeled in March)
3503 10th Street, Great Bend, Kan.
2301 Industrial Road, Emporia, Kan.
4301 Vine Street, Hays, Kan.
205 Centennial Drive, McPherson, Kan.
1701 South Kansas Road, Newton, Kan. (remodeled in March)
Busy customers love Walmart’s grocery pickup option. It gives them the convenience of shopping online and the ease of quickly picking up groceries without having to leave their cars. The best part: it’s all at no additional cost. Walmart plans to expand the popular program to 19 stores across the state by the end of the year. The company also recently introduced Walmart Voice Order, which allows customers to simply say “Hey Google, talk to Walmart” and the Google Assistant will add items directly to their Walmart Grocery cart.
Walmart Pickup Towers are 16-feet tall, high-tech vending machines capable of fulfilling a customer’s online order in less than a minute once they arrive at the store. It’s easy to do– once the order is ready, step up to the Pickup Tower and scan the barcode sent to your smartphone to retrieve your item. This year, Walmart plans to add 12 Pickup Towers to stores across the state.
(4) FAST Unloader
Today, product is unloaded as it arrives at the store through a complex, highly manual process that has seen little innovation over the last 50 years – until now. A new system in Walmart backrooms– known as FAST-automatically scans and sorts items that come off trucks based on priority and department, allowing associates to spend less time unloading in the backroom and more time on the sales floor with customers. This year, Walmart plans to expand the technology to 16 stores across the state.
(5) Autonomous Floor Scrubber
The autonomous floor scrubber uses assisted autonomy technology to perform the task of cleaning and scrubbing the concrete floors in stores. The company plans to expand the technology to 20 stores across the state this year.
The Hays USD 489 school board rejected a $129,000 bid to replace a clock and intercom system at Hays High School.
The bid also included installing new wiring and cable for a new phone system and security cameras that were set to be purchased at a later date.
The clock, intercom and phone systems are original to the building and are outdated, said Rusty Lindsay, building and grounds director.
The phone system software is no longer supported, and the school has had problems with the system.
As the district looked at replacing the phone system, HHS began having problems with the HVAC system. The HVAC system failed this year because of a problem with the clock system.
Lindsay said the more serious problem is the phone system, but the district does not have money in the budget this year to replace it.
Superintendent John Thissen said, “We also know there is the possibility we could get into the school year next year and have a catastrophic issue with our phones. That is a possibility, so they are just trying to ready it so it will be as quick or fast as possible when that time comes when we have the money or we feel we have to do something.”
Lindsay said he planned on coming back to the board in the fall with options to replace the phone system, but he said regardless of what the district does to replace the phone system, the infrastructure covered on this bid has to be in place to install a new phone system.
Board member Lance Bickle asked if the facilities staff could install the cable.
The facilities staff is already committed to replacing more than 500 interior locks throughout the district buildings this summer. Scott Summers, technology director, and other staff are also going to be occupied with renovations at the Oak Park Medical Complex.
“A few weeks ago I din’t vote for the technology to move ahead the $250,000 for the iPads for the middle school,” Board President Mandy Fox said. “It wasn’t that I didn’t think we need those. It wasn’t because I don’t think that was something that didn’t need to be fixed. My problem on voting on some of these things to move forward is that I don’t understand that these are the greatest needs for that building or the district at this point in time.”
Lindsay said from a buildings and grounds perspective there is a need to take care of this issue at HHS.
“We are trying to address three other systems at the same time,” he said. “HVAC is something I have been coming in and talking to you about, and there is a great need there. Part of this system that we are replacing is the control part of the that. My failures this year have been on that side of it.”
The entire HVAC system went down earlier this school year because of one relays connected with the clock system failed, he said.
“In terms of total systems in that building,” Lindsay said, “this is my first step. It is my highest priority in terms of taking the next steps for it.”
Fox said, “It goes back to a facilities plan. I need a ranking system. When I go to work every day, I have a list. This is the most important thing and then this and then this. I fail to conceptualize that for the district. Not even on academic needs, just facilities. I need a list. If this doesn’t get fixed, we can’t operate.”
Lindsay said the problem is the facility needs are dynamic. He gave the example of roofs. The roof replacement at Roosevelt had to be moved up because of a more rapid deterioration in that roof.
“That is part of the problem of having systems that are all about the same age throughout the whole entire district,” he said. “You might have a plan that is static for you at that moment, but then it becomes dynamic because you have another system failure and that changes everything that you planned.”
Board member Sophia Rose Young also said she wished she had a better idea of what was happening with facilities.
Fox said to Lindsay, “I don’t like to put out fires. I like to plan. But I know you have been put in a position where you are putting out fires.”
Lindsay said he has a five-year capital improvement plan, some pieces of which are on schedule and other pieces are not.
Fox asked for estimates on the full phone and camera system. She said she thought the project needed to be done but said she needs more information. Lindsay agreed to bring back estimates.
The vote on the bid was 3-2. Commissioner Greg Schwartz was absent and Luke Oborny recused himself because he is employed by Nex-Tech, the low bidder on the project. A motion needs a majority of the seven members to pass, which is four votes.
Secure entrances
In other business, the board approved a project to add secure entrances at HHS and Hays Middle School. The district has received more than $86,000 in grants for the project. The district’s portion of these projects is $16,693. The district hopes to have the entrance project completed this summer.
The entrances will funnel visitors through the schools’ offices after the start of the school day.
Oak Park Complex
The board heard an update on the Oak Park Medical Complex renovation. They also briefly discussed renaming the facility, but no names were offered at this time.
Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU presidentI love to share stories about students who through grit and determination have traversed difficult journeys and succeeded. They inspire me every day and remind me of my purpose: making a positive impact in the lives of others.
That motivation and purpose, however, is also fueled by painful memories of students who have died, some from sickness or accident, but others from mental health illnesses and substance abuse. The memory of all those students and their families are forever in my heart and have profoundly shaped my perspective in understanding the importance of community awareness, understanding, compassion, and action.
Throughout my career I have relied upon a number of colleagues who have worked with me to help individuals and the campus through struggles and tragedies – from individual professors and staff members, to crisis intervention teams, to campus police.
The death of any student is tragic, but for those who die as a result of mental illness the tragedy is compounded by the questions that remain with their friends and loved ones: Was there something we could have done? What did we miss? How could I have helped?
Those questions also haunt those of us who worked at the universities where the students studied, and always at the center of our institutional hopes are our professional counselors – a caring and experienced group of faculty and staff who quietly help so many members of our community gain the skills and knowledge to heal and to grow. They are truly gifted, kind, and remarkable.
In addition to helping individuals, these professionals also educate and shape policy so that our university grows stronger, enhances our outreach, and strengthens the overall wellbeing of our campus community.
Recently our Department of Psychology and the Kelly Center joined together to build awareness, improve the quality of health services, protect students, and discourage harmful behaviors across our campus through a partnership with the JED Foundation, created in 2000 by Donna and Phil Satow, who lost their youngest son, Jed, to suicide in 1998. They desired to use their loss to help communities strengthen their knowledge and skills and, ultimately, save lives.
At FHSU, we have been doing a lot of exemplary work in mental health promotion, but core to who we are, we know that no matter how proficient, there is always room for improvement. So the faculty and staff of the Psychology Department and the Kelly Center set out to validate all of the good work FHSU has already done to provide mental health and substance abuse services to our students and to look for ways to enhance and improve what we were doing. They accomplished this through JED Campus – an initiative of the Jed Foundation to guide schools through a collaborative process to create and implement a strategic plan to promote mental health, prevent suicide and limit substance use on college campuses.
According to FHSU’s Dr. Leo Herrman, an associate professor of psychology, the campus program framework incorporates the content of the “Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention on College and University Campuses.” This is a collection of data-driven best-practices developed by JED and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. It allowed us to anticipate and evaluate our clinical and programming needs, examine how we utilize both personnel and financial resources to address challenges, coordinate efforts across campus, and measure our effectiveness.
Fort Hays State’s JED Campus Initiative was a four-year process led by Gina Smith, director of the Kelly Center, and Herrman. A campus-wide committee with diverse representation from the administration, the student body, student affairs, residential life and various academic colleges worked with JED Campus to do a comprehensive review of the university’s policies, practices and resources as they relate to our students’ overall adjustment to college, mental health and general well-being.
Our campus initiative resulting from their work focused on nine key areas. It created, implemented or modified institutional policies and practices to improve the university’s environment and enhance our mental health and student adjustment services.
For instance, the committee looked for ways to identify risks and begin dealing with them early. The health form that incoming students complete for the Campus Health Center now includes questions about mental health and alcohol and drug histories. Students who self-identify as having mild or moderate mental health issues get an email outlining services available on campus, and campus care providers follow that up by helping students develop self-care plans.
We also now have a well-defined medical leave policy that can be applied consistently for mental health as well as physical issues, and we are proactive about letting new and existing students – and their families – know about it.
The initiative also addressed educating students on healthy lifestyle choices and increasing their awareness of warning signs in their own behaviors and where to seek help.
The project was comprehensive and extensive, and we have a better and safer campus with more supports and help for our students. According to Dr. Herrman, feedback from JED was positive in regards to existing programming, but work with them clearly enhanced what we were doing.
Fort Hays State was one of the first schools nationally to join the JED Campus Initiative and is still the only one in Kansas. FHSU is one of only 15 nationally to achieve Alumni Status. I am so proud of our people for caring so deeply about our community and working even harder to create a safer campus.
Every student matters. It is this ethic of care and this spirit of positive restlessness – always striving to improve – that makes Fort Hays State University so strong.
Leah Rae Metcalf, infant daughter of Shannon Michael Metcalf and Elizabeth “Libby” Jean Fort, passed away April 7, 2019 at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.
She was born on November 23, 2018, in Wichita.
Leah is survived by her parents and brothers: Reid Fort, Aden Metcalf and Axel Metcalf, all of Danbury, NE; grandparents, Kent and Julie Legg of McCook, NE and Sid and Cheryl Metcalf of Oberlin, KS and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Funeral service will be held 10:00 am Monday, April 15, 2019 at the United Methodist Church in Oberlin. Burial will follow at Oberlin Cemetery. Visitation will be 12:00 – 7:00 pm Sunday, April 14, 2019 at Pauls Funeral Home in Oberlin.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Ronald McDonald House Charities Wichita. Condolences may be left at www.paulsfh.com
ARINGTON, Neb. — Volunteers from as far away as Hays gathered Saturday morning to squeegee mud, power wash chairs and clean up other remnants and debris from flooding in the village of Arlington and at the Washington County Fairgrounds.
The Washington County Fair Board and the Village of Arlington officials joined forces for a cleanup day.
Fair Board President Jason Cloudt said that once the floodwaters receded, Fair Board members and associate members initially concentrated on the Rybin Building and buildings with drywall to get them dried out.
On Saturday, the board’s goal was to expand the cleanup into all or at least the majority of the buildings, playground and garden spaces. Throughout the morning, teams of volunteers scooped out and power washed mud and water from the exhibit buildings and cleaned up debris.
Cloudt said he was pleased with the hard work and efforts of the nearly 100 volunteers. The majority of the volunteers who were raking, cleaning and spraying were from the greater Washington County area.
Then there was Connie Smith, who drove from her home in Hays on Friday to take part in the cleanup.
Smith said she was at home watching television and saw a story about a nurse who wanted to help Nebraska flood victims.
“I looked at my TV and said, ‘I can do that. There’s nothing holding me back,’” she told herself.
Smith contacted pastor Glen Hudson at Country Bible Church in Blair, who encouraged her to help. Smith drove from Kansas to Blair on Friday and planned to return home after the weekend. At the end of the month, she plans to travel with a team to continue to help.
Click to expand / Google Maps
After meeting at the fairgrounds to receive marching orders and grab a bite of breakfast provided by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, some of volunteers drove to Bell Creek Park to pick up corn stalks and flood debris along walk ways.
Arlington Board of Trustees Chairman Paul Krause said he was excited to see so many people out helping. He was also thankful for all of the people donating their personal equipment as well as time.
Both Cloudt and Krause expressed their appreciation for the efforts of the Community Emergency Response Team in organizing the day and keeping track of volunteer hours.
The hours contributed by volunteers will help to meet the local cost of the cleanup.
County Emergency Manager Dan Douglas said the volunteer hours are trackable. He said that FEMA, the state and the local “entity” each pay a percentage of the cost of the cleanup. The volunteer hours can be used to help meet the local percentage cost.
Washington County Cares and Washington County Long-Term Recovery provided scrubbers, brushes and cleaning supplies as well as drinks and snacks for workers throughout the day.
The Salvation Army Disaster Relief mobile feeding unit arrived before noon to provide lunch for all of the volunteers.
A second cleanup day is already planned for this Saturday.
Washington County 4-H members will use their “Lend-A-Hand Service Day” to work at the fairgrounds. The service day will begin at 9 a.m. at the Rybin Building.
Sen. Rick Billinger and Reps. Barb Wasinger, Leonard Mastroni and Ken Rahjes discussed Medicaid expansion in Kansas during Saturday’s legislative forum in Hays.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Sen. Rick Billinger (R-Goodland) doesn’t expect any proposal to expand Medicaid in Kansas to pass in the senate.
“I don’t think there’s 24 votes to get it out of committee. There may be, and if you get it out, it takes 27 votes to get it above the line. I don’t think either one is very realistic at all,” Billinger said. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
The state senator joined other local legislators Saturday in Hays for a forum hosted by the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce.
Hays Republican Barbara Wasinger said she voted no because the problems with KanCare need to be fixed before it’s expanded. KanCare is the program through which the state of Kansas administers Medicaid.
“Right now what needs to be done is raising the reimbursement levels. The physicians, the hospitals will get more money just by raising the reimbursement levels to start with,” said Wasinger.
All the studies Wasinger has looked at indicate the “big hospitals will get all the money. Rural hospitals will get $30,000, maybe $40,000. That’s not gonna save them.
“We need to do something about our health care system and there’s great conversation with the Kansas Medical Association people, with the hospitals, that we need really need to take a look at what our health care delivery system is. How do we fix it?
“People are waiting all the time to get in to see doctors. If we add more people right away, we’re going to bump even more people further back on the waiting list.
“There’s so many issues that we need to address to make sure that any expansion helps everyone, not just KU Med Center, Via Christi.
“What rural Kansans need are pockets of health care that can help them right now and doctors that can take their claims, and that’s not happening.”
Wasinger said her vote was not a vote against rural Kansas, nor a vote against the health of rural Kansans.
“Let’s look at this. Let’s fix this and then go from there.”
Also voting against Medicaid expansion was Rep. Ken Rahjes (R-Agra). “We can’t afford it.”
Rahjes agreed with First Dist. Congressman Roger Marshall (R-Great Bend), who also participated in Saturday’s legislative forum. “We need a real discussion about rural health care,” Rahjes contends.
Rep. Leonard Mastroni (R-La Crosse) voted in favor of the bill. The majority of his constituents in the 117th District – comprised of eight counties – supported Medicaid expansion in a survey by Mastroni.
There are six critical access hospitals in the 117th District.
“According to a KHA (Kansas Hospital Association) study, Medicaid expansion would bring another $142,000 to our little critical access hospital in La Crosse,” Mastroni said. “I think that is a significant amount to help our rural hospitals.”
Pawnee Valley Hospital of Larned, part of the KU hospital system, is the largest critical access hospital in Mastroni’s district. An additional $450,000 would come to that hospital is Medicaid is expanded.
Mastroni is concerned about how long small hospitals can continue to afford accepting patients who can’t pay for their medical services.
“That’s a huge problem. It falls directly onto the shoulders of the local counties when that happens.”
As a former Rush County commissioner and judge, “Medicaid expansion is very important to me,” Mastroni stressed.
Both Mastroni and Wasinger joined a Tuesday tour of HaysMed with Kansas Lt. Gov. Lynn Rogers.
The Democratic team of Rogers and Gov. Laura Kelley are advocating for Medicaid expansion. Kansas is one of 14 states that has not expanded Medicaid.
OGALLALA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska trial of a Kansas man charged with the traffic deaths of four Iowa motorcyclists has been delayed until August.
Keith County District Court records say the trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday for 23-year-old Jeser Cisneros-Hernandez, of Liberal, Kansas. He’s pleaded not guilty to four counts of vehicular homicide, one of reckless driving and one of failing to drive in his lane.
The records say the judge last week granted the delay because the attorneys have not completed the pretrial discovery process. The new starting date is Aug. 6.
Prosecutors say Cisneros-Hernandez’s vehicle hit two motorcycles carrying two people each on July 1, 2017, near Ogallala.
Authorities say 54-year-old Sheila Matheny and 61-year-old James Matheny, from Bedford, Iowa, were on one motorcycle. The other motorcyclists were 58-year-old Michal Weese and 59-year-old Jerolyn Weese, who lived in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
By GLENN BRUNKOW Pottawatomie County farmer and rancher
The warm sunshine of spring has melted winter’s icy grip and that means one thing — field work is about to get underway. Given the weather, especially the precipitation of the past winter, that field work will be fast and furious when the ground finally dries out. We all know that means long hours and seven-day work weeks. It can be exhausting and dangerous.
I am also sure we all are aware that farming is one of the most dangerous occupations. It’s just a bit safer than coal mining, I believe. So far in 2019, Kansas has recorded two farm-related fatalities.
It makes sense. We work long, hard hours on large machinery and often in remote areas. Farm accidents are something we have all either experienced or know someone who’s had one.
Sure, accidents can and do occur because of mechanical failures and circumstances that may be out of our control, but I would hazard a guess, most often, that is not the case. If you have not had an accident on the farm, I would imagine you have had a close call or two. When that has happened, what was your reaction?
I am not immune from this, while I have never had a serious accident, I have had a couple of close calls. These close calls were all results of mistakes that could be chalked up to one of two causes. Either I was hurrying, or I cut a corner and ignored a safety procedure. Most of the accident victims I have known have told me the same thing. “I knew better.”
I have been there. Weather is approaching, time is limited, and work is backed up. This panic mode causes us to take chances, work longer and go faster than we would normally. I don’t know about you, but it seems as though the faster I try to go, the longer a task takes me. Couple that with the danger associated with going too fast and cutting corners and it is just not worth it.
Safety is a habit and we learn habits by adopting something and doing it until it is second nature to us. Farm safety is a learned habit just like wearing our seatbelt (which, by the way, is a good practice when they are provided). If we always put them into practice, we will do them every time, even when time and Mother Nature are against us.
As farmers we account for less than 2 percent of the population, we can’t afford to lose even one producer. Please promise me that as the dark clouds are gathering on the horizon and time is of the essence, you will take the extra moment to make sure you are safe. The time probably won’t make a big difference in how much you get done, but it could be the difference between just another day and a tragedy.
“Insight” is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.
*** FIRST 200 RECEIVE A FREE LIMITED EDITION T-SHIRT***
Join us Friday, April 12 at Larks Park as we cheer on the 2019 FHSU basball team! They will be hosting Wasburn at 6 p.m. Heartland Building Center sponsors the annual event, featuring food and drink specials.
Admission for the game will be $3 for adults and $1 for students K-12. As always, FHSU students get in FREE with a valid Tiger Card.
Concession specials include $1.50 drinks, hamburgers and hot dogs.
Heartland Building Center will be giving away limited edition t-shirts to the first 200 fans, so be sure to get to Larks Park early! Gates will open at 5 p.m.
