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Month: May 2019

Norton woman pleads guilty to Medicaid fraud, drug charges

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NORTON – A Norton woman yesterday pleaded guilty to Medicaid fraud and related charges, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said in a news release Friday

Ashley Elizabeth Chavez, 23, pleaded guilty in Norton County District Court to one count of Medicaid fraud and one count of felony possession of a controlled substance. The charges stemmed from an investigation by the attorney general’s Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Division and the Norton Police Department which revealed that Chavez had unlawfully taken prescription medications from a Norton County nursing facility while working as a certified nurse aide in the facility. The medications, Hydrocodone, commonly known by the brand name Lortab, are opioids classified by Kansas law as a Schedule II Controlled Substance. The crimes occurred in June.

As a condition of the plea, Chavez has agreed to voluntarily surrender her certification with the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services. Convictions such as this one may also result in a period during which the defendant is prohibited from being paid wages through a government health care program. District Judge Deborah S. Anderson accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for 9:30 a.m. July 8.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Meghan Markey of Schmidt’s office.

Kansas filed the case as part of a sweep of Medicaid fraud enforcement actions involving misconduct by health care providers. As part of that effort, the Kansas attorney general filed criminal charges against ten individuals. Five of those individuals have now been found guilty. Five additional cases remain pending.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Reducing abortions the right way

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While Georgia, Alabama, and Missouri just passed strict abortion bans, the Kansas Supreme Court has taken a completely different tack. In Hodes & Nauser v Schmidt, the court ruled that the Kansas Constitution protects a woman’s right to have an abortion, except in cases of a narrowly tailored state interest.

Michael A. Smith is a Professor of Political Science at Emporia State University.

Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle quickly denounced the decision. Making little reference to the court’s reasoning, Wagle instead used a fiery op-ed to denounce the decision as out of touch with Kansas values, criticize other states that have passed laws protecting abortion access, and even invoke the draconian phrase “culture of death.” Wagle and her allies demand a legislative fix, most likely a constitutional amendment, to the ruling.

Listening to the rhetoric, one could hardly guess that the number of abortions provided in the U.S. is already falling dramatically—but it is. According to the Center for Disease Control, the number of abortions dropped from over 852,000 in 2006 to about 638,000 in 2015. There is nothing in the data indicating that the drop is due to tough state restrictions on abortion. Instead, during the period studied, new methods of birth control–particularly reversible implants–became more widely available and commonly used, resulting in fewer unplanned pregnancies and fewer abortions. We should build on this progress.

If Wagle and her allies succeed in criminalizing abortion here, then women who are able will simply travel to other states to have abortions. Granted, Georgia’s brand-new law include penalties for state residents who have abortions in other states, but this provision blatantly violates the U.S. Constitution’s Privileges and Immunities Clause. It is not likely to survive even the most conservative court. Unfortunately, this is not the end of the story. Kansans women who suffer from rape, incest, poverty or some combination of these would now face even more challenges. Some of those affected are children themselves. Ominously, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s birth statistics include a category for babies born to girls ages 10 to 14. There were only 22 of these in 2016—but that is 22 too many, and not a number we want to see on the rise.

The best way to make abortion obsolete is comprehensive, affordable birth control along with sex education that has an opt-out provision for families having religious objections. As the CDC data show, better contraception means a steep drop in the number and rate of abortions, and this is something to celebrate. Sex education also needs to empower young women, letting them know it is okay to say “no” until they are ready and providing emotional support, along with a clear, safe pathway for reporting sexual abuse and insuring that the reports are followed up upon.

Even if we do make the right choices and make unplanned pregnancies rare, the state’s foster care, adoption and child service systems will still need attention. Social services received a funding boost this year but they remain overwhelmed. In just the past week, there have been new reports of children sleeping in state offices because they have nowhere else to go. Medicaid expansion would help, too, by funding pre-natal care for those who choose to keep their pregnancies. Also, adoption in Kansas remains expensive and complicated for prospective families, many of whom resort to international adoptions instead. Finally, the legislation could streamline the expensive bureaucratic hurdles faced by grandparents and other relatives who raise these children.

Criminalizing abortion is a self-defeating political stunt. Instead, the Kansas Supreme Court’s decision offers Kansas the chance get it right– reducing abortions the right way, empowering young women and providing compassionate care for all. Now, will state legislators listen?

Michael A. Smith teaches Political Science at Emporia State University.

Roy D. Keller

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Roy D. Keller, age 87, of WaKeeney, died Wednesday, May 22, 2019, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Lawrence, KS.

Arrangements are pending with Schmitt Funeral Home, WaKeeney.

Douglas E. Ziegler

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Douglas E. Ziegler, age 85, of Grainfield, KS, died Thursday, May 23, 2019, at Logan County Manor, Oakley, KS.

Arrangements are pending with Schmitt Funeral Home, Quinter.

Trump administration rolls back protections for transgender people

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A new Trump administration rule would roll back sex discrimination protection for transgender people in health services.

In the proposed rule issued Friday, the Health and Human Services Department says laws banning sex discrimination in health care don’t apply to people’s “gender identity.” LGBT groups have long warned such a move could lead to denial of needed medical care.

That rule reverses the policy of the Obama administration, which had found that sex discrimination laws do protect transgender people. It faces a 60-day comment period and court challenges are expected.

Under the Obama-era rule, a hospital could be required to perform gender-transition procedures such as hysterectomies if the facility provided that kind of treatment for other medical conditions. The rule was meant to carry out the anti-discrimination section of the Affordable Care Act, which bars sex discrimination in health care but does not use the term “gender identity.”

In the Texas case, a Catholic hospital system, several states and a Christian medical association argued that the rule went beyond the law as written and would coerce providers to act against their medical judgment and religious beliefs.

James C. Forshee

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James C. Forshee, of rural Glasco, died on Wednesday, May 22, 2019 at Hays Medical Center, Hays, Kansas.

He was born November 14, 1947 in Concordia Kansas to James W. and Betty (Fyfe) Forshee. He graduated from Miltonvale High School in 1965 and then from Kansas State University in 1970 with his BS in Animal Science and Industry.

It was in Manhattan that he met Peggy With and they were united in marriage at St Isidore’s Catholic Church January 25, 1969. They had recently celebrated 50 years of marriage. James (Jim) was born with a love for the land and livestock. He raised hogs, cattle, wheat, alfalfa, and milo. He provided many championship animals to local 4-H kids, some of which were his own grandkids. He was a member of St. Mary’s parish in Glasco. Over the years he had served on the church council, the local school board, and had taught high school religious education.

He loved his family and is survived by his wife Peggy, his daughter Tammy (Bob) Klaus of Hays; son, David Forshee, Delphos, daughter-in-law Stacey Forshee Concordia; son, Steven (Tammy) Forshee, Jamestown; and daughter Carrie (Michael) Kline of Salina. His brother’s Tom (Cathy) Forshee and John (Debra) Forshee and his sister’s Annette (Larry) Starr and Mary (Greg) Champlin. His pride and joy were his grandkids, Morgan (Skyler) Tebo and Nolan Klaus, Kendra Forshee and fiancée Blaine Bettencourt, Lauren (Braden) Field, and Wyatt Forshee, Garrett Forshee, and Caleb and Connor Kline as well as his newest pride, great grandchild Ryker Tebo and Baby Field expected October 2019. He also is survived by his wife’s siblings and their spouses and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister and brother-in law Judy and Bob Moulton.

James will be remembered for his strong work ethic, his friendly smile and his love of his family, his faith, and the land.

Visitation will be on Monday, May 27, 2019 from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., at the Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home, with a Vigil/Rosary Service led by Fr. Damian Richards at 5:00 p.m. Family will receive friends after service.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Glasco, with Fr. Damian Richards officiating. Burial will follow at St. Peter’s Catholic Cemetery-Meredith Township, Rural Concordia, Kansas.

The family suggests memorials to James C. Forshee memorial fund to be decided at a later time c/o Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home. For online condolences, please visit www.chaputbuoy.com.

Kan. man freed in ‘doppleganger’ case facing federal indictment

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KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas City man who was released from prison and awarded $1 million for his wrongful conviction has been indicted on weapons and drug charges.

Jones -photo KDOC

Federal prosecutors say Richard Jones is charged in a five-count indictment returned Wednesday by a grand jury. He is charged with possessing cocaine and methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of weapons.

Jones’ original conviction became known as the “doppleganger” case after he was wrongfully convicted of a robbery that he said was committed by someone who looks like him.

Eyewitnesses said Jones committed the robbery in 1999 in Roeland Park, Kansas. But the witnesses recanted their identification and evidence pointed to a man who looks like Jones.

He was released from prison in 2017 after serving 17 years in prison.

Angeline Anna (Mader) Denning

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Angeline Anna (Mader) Denning, age 77, former Victoria, Kansas, resident died Tuesday, May 21, 2019, at Salina, Kansas.

She was born December 4, 1941, in Park, Kansas to Martin and Mary Catherine (Basgall) Mader.

Angeline was a homemaker and was a member of The Basilica of St. Fidelis. She was raised and attended school in Park, Kansas. She lived in Victoria most of her adult life then moved to Salina in 2009.
Survivors include one son, Wilbur Denning and wife, Keely, Salina, KS; one daughter, Mary Denning, Hays, KS; five grandchildren; seven great grandchildren; one brother, Alvin Mader and wife, Esther, Quinter, KS; two sisters, Lillian McDermitt, Esther Befort and husband, James, both of Denver, Co.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her daughter, Susan Denning; three brothers, Raymond, Sylvanius and Herbert Mader; four sisters, Hilda Wildeman; Rosa Dreher; Josephine Leiker; and Armella Linenberger; one infant brother and infant sister, Franiksa Mader and Mary Mader.

Graveside services will be at 11:00 A.M. Saturday, June 1, 2019 at Holy Cross Cemetery, Pfeifer, Kansas.

The family will receive friends at 12:00 Noon Saturday, June 1, 2009 for a lunch at the Victoria V.F.W. Hall.

Memorials are to DVACK/Domestic Violence Association of Central Kansas, P.O. Box 1854, Salina, Kansas 67402.

Services are entrusted to Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kansas 67601.
Condolences can be left by guestbook at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or can be send via e-mail to [email protected]

Annette Marie Moorhous

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Annette Marie Moorhous, 87, of Oakley, KS, died peacefully at the Logan County Hospital on Wednesday, May 22, 2019, due to health complications.

She was born Anna Marie Robben on October 26, 1931, in Angelus, Kansas, to Francis and Mary (Moellering) Robben. She graduated from Grinnell High School in 1949 and attended college in Salina, Kansas, which resulted in her cosmetology license. She opened Annette’s Beauty Shop in 1957 and worked as a cosmetologist for over 60 years. She married Johnny R. (Jack) Moorhous Sr. on July 23, 1953, and enjoyed 40 years of marriage before his passing in 1993.

Annette was a member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Oakley. Throughout her life, she loved to bowl, sew, quilt, play cards, do crossword puzzles, and enjoy a cup of coffee with friends and family. Besides being a loving and caring mother, she was a loyal servant to her God and church. She was a member of the St. Joseph Altar Society, the Busy Hands Quilters and a lifetime member of the VFW Auxiliary.

Her survivors include her four children, Joni (Dave) Chalfant of Hill City, KS, Johnny R. (Elaine) Moorhous Jr. of Oakley, KS, Tom Moorhous of Oakley, KS, and Lori Thornburg of Dodge City, KS; her five grandchildren, Jaclyn White, Shelly Bridges, Morgan Chalfant, Aubony Chalfant, and Veronica Thornburg; her four great-grandchildren, Adam White, Savanna Ochs, Cohen Ochs, and Brooklyn Bridges; her sisters, Rosemary Beckman, of Quinter, KS, Angeline Baalman of Wichita, KS and Evelyn Mannebach of Colby, KS and one brother, James Robben, of Oakley, KS.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; three brothers, Francis Robben Jr., Theodore Robben, and Jerome Robben; sisters-in-law, Laverna Robben and Betty Robben and brothers-in-law, Dorven Beckman and Terry Baalman.

Visitation is 5-7:00 p.m. Monday, May 27, 2019, with a Vigil at 7:00 p.m. at Baalmann Mortuary, Oakley, KS. Funeral Mass is 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 28, 2019, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Oakley, with burial in the Oakley City Cemetery. Memorial gifts may be made to the Logan County Hospital or to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church for masses and can be sent in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 204, Oakley, KS 67748. For condolences or information visit www.baalmannmortuary.com

Kenneth LeRoy Quinn

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Kenneth LeRoy Quinn, 70, passed away on May 21, 2019, at Gove Medical Center in Quinter, KS, after a long battle with cancer. Ken was born to Leslie and Marie (Place) Quinn in Rapid City, South Dakota, on May 6, 1949.

He graduated from Rapid City High. Ken owned a plumbing company for a number of years and then worked in the oilfield for Sunrise Oilfield Supply for the last 15 years. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and arrowhead hunting.

Ken is survived by his son Brian Quinn, Mesa, AZ; three brothers Leslie (Diann) Quinn, Basin, WY, Marven (Mary) Quinn, Plymouth, UT, and Donald Quinn of Fairburn, SD; two sisters Florence (Bill) Lyon, Palm Coast, FL, and Trudy FitzHenry, Kingman, KS; seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Ken is preceded in death by his father and mother Leslie and Marie Quinn.

The funeral service will be held at 1: 00 pm on Saturday, May 25, 2019, at Schmitt Funeral Home. Visitation will be held at 12:00 pm on Saturday, May 25, 2019, at Schmitt Funeral Home. Burial will follow the funeral at Baker Township Cemetery, Quinter, KS. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Schmitt Funeral Home, Quinter, KS.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the Gove County Medical Center. Donations to the organization may be sent to Schmitt Funeral Home, 901 South Main, Quinter, KS 67752.

WWI Memorial in Kansas City plans full weekend of events

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KANSAS CITY (AP) — The National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City is offering a range of events for this Memorial Day weekend.

Photo courtesy National World War I Museum and Museum

The memorial also is offering free admission for veterans and active duty military and half-price general admission for the public Friday through Monday.

The events will include installation of 140 U.S. flags to draw attention to the 140 veterans lost to suicide every week. Visitors also will be able to use research stations to find any possible family connection to WWI, or to write letters of support to military or first responders.

On Memorial Day, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver and Kansas City Mayor Sly James are scheduled to attend a ceremony that will feature music and a keynote address from U.S. World War I Centennial Commissioner Dr. Monique Seefried.

Hays chamber announces new president/CEO

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HACC

The Hays Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has hired Sarah Wasinger as the new President/CEO, replacing Tammy Wellbrock who submitted her resignation earlier this year.

Wasinger currently serves as the Board Clerk and Assistant to the Superintendent for USD 489, a role she has had since 2014. Prior to this position, she worked for RadioShack for more than eight years, serving as both District Training Store Manager and Store Manager.

“Not only does Sarah have a wealth of experience to bring to this position,” said Shane Smith, 2019 Board Chair, “she is also highly involved and informed about Chamber offerings.”

Smith said that Wasinger has been extremely involved with the Hays Area Young Professional (HAYP) program, a group under the Chamber umbrella that caters to professionals ages 21-40. Wasinger served as a member of the HAYP Advisory Council for three years and as Chair in 2018. In 2018, she was elected as an Ambassador, which serves as the public relations arm for the Chamber.

“Making Hays the best place to live, work and play is important to me because my roots run deep in Ellis County,” said Wasinger. “I have always had a servant leader’s heart and a great desire to succeed. Cultivating our community members into confident achievers and leaders is something I’m excited to help foster for ongoing success.”

During her time at USD 489, Wasinger has led or participated with many initiatives, including: establishing the USD 489 Hope Pantry; serving on the Hays Homeless Coalition; and planning the first annual Project 489 Dinner Show & Auction as part of the USD 489 Foundation for Educational Excellence.

“Sarah’s vast understanding about the community as well as her connections with many area businesses and organizations is impressive,” said Smith. “On behalf of the Board of Directors, we thank Tammy Wellbrock for her leadership and believe that Sarah will continue to expand upon this strong foundation that supports our many Chamber members.”

Smith said meet-and-greet opportunities will be planned for the community when Wasinger is on board, which is slated for the first of July.

KZ Country Cheesy Joke of the Day 5/24/19

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khaz cheesy joke logo 20110802Don’t Forget The Plan

A forgetful husband thought he had conquered his problem of trying to remember his wife’s birthday and their wedding anniversary. He opened an account with a florist, and provided that florist with the dates and instructions to send flowers to his wife on these dates, along with an appropriate note signed, “Your loving husband.”

His wife was thrilled by this new display of attention and all went well until one day when he came home he saw a bouquet, kissed his wife and said offhandedly, “Nice flowers, honey. Where’d you get them?”

 

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