Governor Laura Kelly orders flags lowered to half-staff tomorrow, May 15 in honor of National Peace Officers Memorial Day from sunup to sundown. pic.twitter.com/7UeH42EbVg
— Kansas.gov (@ksgovernment) May 14, 2019
Month: May 2019
Police: Kansas boy critically injured after hit by a car
TOPEKA, Kan. –Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accident that critically injured a boy on Tuesday.
Just before 7p.m., police responded to a report of an injury accident at the intersection of SW 4th and Taylor in Topeka, according to Lt. John Trimble.
At the scene, it was discovered that a vehicle struck a boy on a bicycle.
The child was transported to a local hospital with what was determined to be life threatening injuries. The driver of the vehicle was not injured.
Members of the TPD Accident Reconstruction Team responded to the scene investigating the incident. Police have not released the names of those involved or the boy’s age.
ARC Park making fundraising push, hopes to break ground this summer
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The ARC of the Central Plains is making a fundraising push in hopes of having enough money to break ground on the accessible Hays ARC Park by the end of the summer.
The ARC Park has raised $330,000 in less than a year toward its $1.77 million goal to build an accessible playground, splash pad and baseball field at what is now Seven Hills Park.
Sarah Meitner, parent and fundraiser, said the ARC Park group is trying to have $600,000 in cash and in-kind pledges by the end of May so they can write a grant request to the Dane G. Hansen Foundation for the the remainder of their funding.
The group recently was approached by Trey Moeder, a former Hays resident, who has agreed his company — Forever Lawn Mile High of Colorado Springs, Colo. — will donate the labor for installation of the turf for the baseball field. A dollar amount for that donation has yet to be determined.
The ARC Park group had originally planned to build the accessible complex in three phases with the playground going in first.
However, the group determined it could save money by doing the complete build at one time. The group also noted the longer they wait, the more construction costs are likely to increase.
The ARC Park is pushing to complete as much of its fundraising now because it is racing against the weather. If the group hopes to have at least the playground portion of the park finished by the end of the year, it needs to order equipment in July.
The rubber surface for the playground can’t be laid during cold weather, so it would have to be completed before the weather turns nasty this fall. This would mean construction in September.
The group anticipates even if construction is finished on the splash pad this year, it would not open to the public until summer 2020.
The baseball field, however, could be used for the Special Olympics season, which will be in October, if the diamond is completed in time.
Brent Kaiser, ARC activities director, said even if the full amount can’t be raised for all three parts of the complex in time for installation this year, the group would like to move forward with the playground portion.
Although the group has conceptual drawings, finalizing the design of the complex will be part of the group’s focus in the next month, Kaiser said.
The group has decided on an oil and ag theme for the park. A couple of items on the ARC Park’s wish list include accessible swings and a “We Go Round.” The equipment is like a merry-go-round, but it is even with the ground and is accessible to wheelchairs.
The volunteers who are coordinating the fundraising for this project have already put hours and hours into the project, but Kathy McAdoo, ARC executive director, said the project has been a labor of love.
Meitner’s 5-year-old son, Abe, has Down syndrome and was a major motivator for her to pursue a park at which Abe and other children with disabilities could play.
However, Meitner noted there are other benefits to the community.
“We know through talking to other parents how they seek out other parks like this,” she said. “So when they are road tripping they can stop at a park because maybe their child can’t handle a restaurant. We know that it is going to attract people from outside of our community, and that is going to bring dollars to Hays.”
The park is designed to be used by all children and all adults. This means a child who may have broken a leg and is temporary disabled still has an opportunity to play, Meitner said. Parents and grandparents who might be disabled can access the park and playground equipment and play with their children and grandchildren.
Meitner said she also saw this as a model park for other communities.
“It’s a showpiece facility for our community,” Meitner said. “It is something that sets Hays apart — something that other communities will want to mimic. We have already gotten calls from other communities that have said, ‘How did you get where you are? We want this too.’ ”
Kaiser said, “We don’t want to be the only place like this in Kansas. Our goal is more places see it and want to do the exact same thing.”
Meitner added, “I would like to see accessible equipment in every park.”
Although the ARC Park is pushing on toward its fundraising goal, Meitner wanted to thank those people who have already donated. The Schmidt Foundation donated $100,000 and HaysMed donated $40,000. However, the park has had more than 250 individual donors.
Meitner said she wanted to especially thank the children and youth of the community who donated their pennies and nickels to the project.
“I want to thank all the kids in this community who had the heart to build this park,” she said.
Children have brought in the contents of their piggy banks, lemonade stand proceeds and tooth fairy money. Girl Scout and Boy Scout groups have donated money. A four-member Daisy Girl Scout troop recently donated $500 of their cookie money. TMP-Marian, HHS, Holy Family, Roosevelt, Lincoln and O’Loughlin students have all made donations to the park.
“I think it is the kids speaking up and saying, ‘We want this,’ ” McAdoo said. “They are setting an excellent example for the adults in our community.”
FHSU student groups have also conducted many fundraisers for the park this school year.
“We really like how it has brought all different parts of the community together with a common goal,” Meitner said. “I can’t help think that is going to instill in those kids a sense of pride, so when they are playing there they will want to take good care of the park, they will want to visit a lot and take some ownership in it.”
You can donate to the ARC Park by dropping a check by or mailing a check to the ARC office at 600 Main St., Hays, KS 67601. Please note the donation is for the ARC Park on the check. Donations can also be made online. A small fee is charged to the ARC Park for each online donation, so checks are preferred.
You can also call 785-628-8831, email [email protected] or see the ARC Park’s Facebook page for more information.
Sunny, warm Wednesday
Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 89. South southeast wind 5 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
Wednesday NightMostly clear, with a low around 61. South wind 10 to 13 mph.
Thursday Sunny, with a high near 92. South southwest wind 10 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
Thursday NightMostly clear, with a low around 66. South wind around 17 mph.
Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Breezy.
Friday NightA 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. Breezy.
Saturday Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 75. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Advanced tornado research underway in central Kansas
By TIM UNRUHSalina Airport Authority
Tiny anemometer propellers turned in a gentle indoor breeze Tuesday while curious humans milled about several peculiarly outfitted vehicles.
Just outside of a big hangar at Salina Regional Airport, folks in blue jumpsuits stood watch on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Lockheed WP-3 Orion, a large plane loaded with radars and other weather gear.
This was the calm that some 50 scientists, weather experts and students are not here to experience during the early stages of a two-year operation known as Project TORUS. The acronym stands for Targeted Observations by Radars and UAS of Supercells.
The TORUS goal from now through June 16, is to simply learn more, said Adam Houston, lead project investigator from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
“We hope to improve weather forecasting and improve our fundamental understanding (of storms),” he said.
Relating the “observable” with the “unobservable” with cutting-edge instrumentation, Houston said, TORUS aims to research the relationships between severe thunderstorms and tornado formation, according to information provided at the Tuesday legislative briefing, media day, and open house.
“To do that, we really do need to get close to the storms,” Houston said.
Using the WP-3 from high elevations, gathering information from ground level, and for the first time utilizing drones at elevations below 2,500 feet, team members can attack supercells from more angles.
“We can drive up to the storm, and into the storm if necessary,” Houston said, “to get unique observations, but also coordinated observations to see how these relate to each other.” The operation will continue in 2020.
What the average person knows about these immense, dangerous, and sometimes deadly storms, might be thanks only to Hollywood, according to some during opening remarks.
Anthony Bruna, assistant legal counsel for U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, admitted his education came from the 1996 film, Twister.
“You guys are the real deal,” Bruna said to the Project TORUS crew after Tim Rogers, executive director of the Salina Airport Authority, spoke during the legislative briefing.
“Right now, we think of you as a bunch of crazy people who fly into storms, releasing sensors that resemble beer cans,” said Perry Wiggins, executive director of the Governor’s Military Council.
But he assured spectators that those associated with Project TORUS are dedicated professionals.
“I walked around and talked to to them. They have enough information to make your head explode,” Wiggins said. “It’s reassuring to know that we’ve got people like that on point to protect us, giving us time to basically get out of the elements.”
He resides in Chapman, in a house that was damaged by the 2008 tornado that ravaged the small eastern Dickinson county town, killing one and injuring many.
Wiggins wonders why people chase tornadoes.
“They wouldn’t drive toward gunfire, and sometimes these things are more dangerous than that,” he said.
Love of the weather excites Justin Kibbey, commander of the WP-3. His focus is completing missions.
“My main priority is us, to keep the plane safe and get the information to the scientists,” he said. “There’s a lot of expertise here, a lot of knowledge.”
Project TORUS “is going to be fabulous,” said Lisa Teachman KSN TV’s chief meteorologist in Wichita. She broadcast the weather forecast Tuesday at 5 and 6 p.m. from the airport.
Currently, she said, the lead time for an approaching tornado or severe storm is 13 to 14 minutes, and three out of four severe storms are not going to produce a tornado. Teachman aims to glean information from researchers that would add time and accuracy.
“This is like one of the real amazing scientific projects going on,” said Mark Robinson. He and Jaclyn Whittal, both storm chasers, co-host a television show, “Storm Hunters” on The Weather Network, out of Toronto in southern Ontario, Canada.
They filmed interviews Tuesday, and plan on spending two weeks in Salina.
“What I want to learn is why one storm produces a tornado, and the other doesn’t,” Robinson said.
Displays in and out of the hangar Tuesday fascinated David Kraemer, professor of mathematics and computer studies at Kansas Wesleyan University, considering all of the coordination between government resources and universities.
UNL, the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies at the University of Oklahoma, NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Okla., Texas Tech and Colorado University in Boulder, are involved. A small group of students from University of Michigan are on the Texas Tech team.
“To make it all work right is quite amazing. It’s a really good experience for these young kids,” Kraemer said. “All of these vehicles taking so many measurements together is really wild. I don’t covet anybody’s job on that plane.”
It’s what James McFadden lives for. He has flown in and out of hurricanes 578 times in his long career, and owns the Guinness World Record for being the oldest to fly through one.
“I love to fly and I love meteorology,” said McFadden, 85. “It’s why I got a PhD in meteorology. My peers were stuck in the lab. I get to see everything unfold right in front of me.”
The big plane is also known as a NOAA WP-3 Hurricane Hunter, that will chase storms in the nation’s belly.
It will work in concert with drones at lower elevations and vehicles collecting data from ground level.
This is the first time that unmanned aerial vehicles will be used for the research.
“It’s a cheaper solution and you don’t have to risk people’s lives by sending them into the storm,” said Anders Olsen, a sophomore at the University of Colorado.
He enjoys to be “part of such an awesome group,” while still in college.
Drones will normally perform one flight for each storm, said Eric Frew, professor of aerospace engineering science at CU-Boulder.
He’s not yet concerned that wind gusts would cause problems for the unmanned aircraft.
“We’ve been in high winds before, and have not seen this happen,” Frew said.
The project will cover 367,000 square miles from North Dakota to Texas and Iowa to Wyoming and Colorado.
Monica and Avery Hoy thoroughly enjoyed their Tuesday tour. They were part of a group of home-schooled students from Hutchinson.
“The airplane is very neat, with all the hurricanes it’s flown through, and the equipment inside” said Monica, 11, who is considering a career in meteorology.
“It’s definitely a strong option,” she said. “Storms are very interesting and exciting.”
Avery, 9, was partial to the ground vehicles inside the hangar.
“I kinda like that weather vane over there,” he said. “It has a big camera on the front.”
Project TORUS has numerous partners with $2.4 million from the National Science Foundation and funding support from NOAA. The TORUS project is led by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Partner institutions include: NOAA NSSL, NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, University of Oklahoma Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies, Texas Tech University, and the University of Colorado Boulder.
The above story was republished with permission from the Salina Airport Authority.
Suspect held on $1M bond for killing, dismembering Kan. man
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City man has been charged with fatally shooting another man, dismembering his body and then setting the remains on fire.
Thirty-year-old Colton Stock was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder and three other felonies in the death of 35-year-old Matthew Calkins, of Gardner, Kansas.
No attorney is listed for him in online court records. Bond is set at $1 million cash only.
Police arrested him May 5 while responding to report of gunfire at a home where Calkins’ remains were found. An autopsy determined that Calkins was shot twice before his body was dismembered and burned.
Charging documents say Stock told officers that the shooting happened during a “fight for my life.” Stock previously was charged with assaulting and shooting at another man at the home.
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Kansas teen wounded in robbery faces 20-years in prison
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man pleaded guilty Monday to committing a liquor store robbery during which a clerk shot him in the leg, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.
Rayquan Hill, 19, Wichita, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery. In his plea, he admitted he and a co-defendant robbed F & K Liquor at 902 S. Woodlawn in Wichita.
A store clerk shot Hill in the leg during the robbery. Hill was arrested at the scene. The co-defendant was arrested later that day at work.
Co-defendant Jamaryus Moore, 20, Wichita, Kan. is awaiting sentencing.
Hill is set for sentencing Aug. 5. He faces a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
Kansas woman alive after being hit by train
HUTCHNSON, Kan. (AP) — A 22-year-old Hutchinson woman is alive despite being hit by a train as she walked home from work.
Hutchinson police Lt. Rob Rowe says Anais Saulters suffered deep cuts and a broken arm when she was hit Monday night — apparently by the train’s cow guard.
Saulters told police she heard the train behind her but didn’t realize how close she was to the tracks.
Rowe said the BNSF Railway train was traveling about 25 mph when Saulters was hit. She was knocked over by the collision and crawled under the train to go to a nearby business to call 911.
Rowe says Saulters didn’t appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol when she was hit. She could be charged with misdemeanor trespassing.
Kan. registered offender jailed for incident that prompted officer shooting
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon after an incident that led to an officer involved shooting.
Just after 11:30p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to report of a disturbance with a firearm in the area of Seneca and Harry, according to Lt. Jason Stephens.
As police arrived, they encountered a maroon SUV that matched a description of the suspect vehicle. When they approached the vehicle on foot, a woman occupant later identified as 30-year-old Katy Evans of Wichita pointed a gun at one of the officers. The officer responded by firing two shots at Evans. She was not wounded and was arrested without further incident.
Evans was booked on requested charges that include aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer and felon in possession of a firearm, according to Stephens. She was also wanted for failure to appear and a violation of offender registration.
Police continue to investigate the original disturbance and are attempting to identify all the individuals involved, according to Stephens.
The officer is a 23-year police veteran and is on paid administrative leave, which is protocol for officer-involved shootings.
Kansas teen dies after rear-end semi crash
JOHNSON COUNTY — One person died in an accident just after 1:30p.m. Tuesday in Johnson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Kia Sorrento driven by Dylan J. Garnett, 19, Shawnee, was westbound on Kansas 10 at Ridgeview. The Kia rear-ended a semi that had slowed due to traffic.
Garnett was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Frontier Forensics.
The semi driver Michael R. Brown, 68, Topeka, was transported to Overland Park Regional Medical Center. Both drivers were properly restrained at the the of the accident, according to the KHP.
Denise “DW” Wolf
Denise “DW” Wolf, 62, passed away May 14, 2019, at Wilson Health and Rehab. She was born August 8, 1956 at Russell to Leven and Virginia (Plante) Wolf.
A lifetime Great Bend resident, Denise was a member of the Prince of Peace Parish at St. Rose. She loved bowling, CB radios, country music, John Wayne movies and especially loved spending time with her family and friends.
Survivors include, one brother, Dennis Wolf and wife Kandi of Great Bend; three sisters, Karla Vandivier and husband Paul of La Crosse, Paula Shaw and husband Kirby of Bison, and Lorain Sturn of Kansas City, MO; numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and beloved friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; and grandparents, Anthony and Amelia Wolf, and Joseph and Marcella Plante.
Visitation will be held from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 15, 2019, at Bryant Funeral Home, with family present from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, May 16, 2019, at Bryant Funeral Home, with Rev. Dick Ogle presiding. A private family inurnment will take place at a later date.
Memorials are suggested to the Golden Belt Humane Society, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
🎥 Water conservation specialist: ‘Water deeply, infrequently this summer’
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Now that the sun is out and the temperatures are warming, Hays residents may want to start watering their yards and landscapes.
That’s not yet necessary, according to Hays Water Conservation Specialist Holly Dickman. Thanks to plentiful rains earlier this month, the soil is saturated.
“Only water when necessary,” Dickman stresses.
“Water deeply and infrequently during this time of year to encourage deep, drought tolerant roots. If we get good root systems under our turf grass, our trees, our shrubs, our flowers, we will be less in need of irrigation later on in the summer when it gets really hot and dry.”
You can check the soil saturation using a probe, such as a long screwdriver. When the probe hits resistance, it’s likely hit dry soil – the depth to which the moisture has reached.
Dickman recommends turfgrass or lawns be watered to a depth of 6 to 8 inches, while flowers and vegetable gardens should be watered to a depth of 8 to 12 inches. Trees and shrubs sold be watered to a depth of 12 to 18 inches where the bulk of their roots are located.
“Watering much deeper than these recommendations is a waste of water,” says Dickman.
It’s best to water early in the morning to take advantage of lower wind speeds, less evaporation and higher humidity levels.
“Watering at this time of day also allows plant leaves to dry off quickly, lessening the threat of potential disease problems,” Dickman added.
Limited outdoor watering hours will be in effect from June 1 to September 30 in Hays. No outdoor watering will be allowed between noon and 7 p.m. by city water customers or those with private water wells.
The Kansas Dept. of Agriculture’s Division of Water Resources issues the control order for private wells at the request of the city of Hays.
Ellis Co. commissioners support sales tax, but split on how much
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Ellis County commissioners agreed at their meeting Monday night they are interested in pursuing a countywide sales tax to help make up shortfalls in the county’s budget.
However, the commissioners disagreed about what form that tax should take.
The county is facing a budget gap of about $467,000 for 2020 with escalating deficits during the next four years. County Administration Phillip Smith-Hanes said several variables still need to be calculated into the budget, including potential increases in health care expenses, changes in the assessed valuation, and the final allocations to outside agencies.
The county has already discussed decreasing the percentage it pays for employee health insurance and funding for outside agencies.
Commissioner Dustin Roths said he favored a quarter-cent sales tax that would be dedicated to EMS. The tax is estimated to generate about $1.6 million in revenue.
The EMS budget is about $3 million, and it brings in about $ 1 million in revenue annually.
Commissioner Butch Schlyer said he preferred a half-cent sales that would be divided between the county and its cities. This would bring in an estimated $1.4 million to the county, but a large share of the money would go to the City of Hays per state statute.
The county sent letters to the four cities to determine if they would support a half-cent countywide sales tax. Ellis, Victoria and Schoenchen said they would be in favor of the tax, but wanted their share of the tax. The City of Hays did not respond.
“It is my contention that we are going to struggle to pass a sales tax in the county for roads without having the City of Hays on board with it,” Roths said. “I think for good reason we haven’t gotten a letter from the City of Hays. It is because they don’t need the money, and it’s not something they want to go out and sell to try to save us.”
Roths said the high-level paramedic EMS service is something that is not provided anywhere in northwest Kansas. He said it makes Ellis County attractive to retirees and is an economic driver.
“While I would love to help out the City of Ellis, the City of Schoenchen, the City of Victoria and I think because we already do help them as county with some of the throughways and their roads, I think the best course for us would be a quarter-cent sales tax dedicated to our high-level EMS service,” he said.
Schlyer said he favors the half-cent tax that would go into the general fund.
“I feel like if we hamstring ourselves by getting a dedicated sales tax just to EMS that is exactly what we are doing. It is dedicated to EMS,” he said. “If we have the half-cent sales tax, it will be better received by the cities in Ellis County and any money they generate — that is money they don’t have to levy against their property owners for projects they need to do too.”
Commission Chairman Dean Haselhorst said he thought both EMS and the Road and Bridge departments need funding.
“I don’t know how many roads we have in disarray in the county right now, but there is a bunch,” he said.
He also said he did not support cutting EMS service.
Roths said, “I do want it to be something that people will pass. Otherwise we do have to lower our standards at EMS. We do have to lower our standards at the sheriff’s office or we have to raise property taxes. We definitely can’t give raises at that point. We can’t do a lot of things that are in mind.”
Roths said he would allow a half-cent sales tax to go on the ballot, but he would not sell it.
“I would not be one who thinks a half cent is necessary, and that is because of the City of Hays,” he said. “They are doing fine financially, and they are the largest shareholder in a half-cent sales tax. They get over half of the money. …
“As a conservative politician who is not here to try to raise taxes, what is the minimum that we can raise them to cover our stuff and not lower our standards and who actually needs money in Ellis County to continue running a good, successful government entity? Who needs it to govern properly?”
The commissioners have not discussed whether or when the tax might sunset.
All three commissioners said they hoped to bring a sales tax issue to voters before the end of the year.
“My thought process is that we get that on the ballot in 2019,” Roths said. “My biggest fear of not having it on the ballot this year is that we go scorched earth on a couple of our departments. We lose some of our great employees, and we do it not knowing if a sales tax will pass in 2020. Then we struggle to rehire.”
Haselhorst, however, had some reservations about the timeline, saying he was unsure if there would be enough time to educate the public on a sales tax issue by the November election. He said the commission needs to vote on the sales tax at its next meeting in order to allow the maximum amount of time to promote the sales tax to voters.
Haselhorst said although the commissioners had three different positions as of Monday, they need to unify to move forward with a public vote.
“We are going to have to come together as one,” he said, “If we are going to go out and tell the public how we feel, we can’t have three different opinions. You have to be unified or don’t do it at all.”
In other business
The county has some excess funds from the last countywide sales tax, which were designated for county building projects. The commission is still working on an elevator project in the courthouse, a gym for the public safety staff and hopes to make some roof repairs with those remaining funds.
The City of Hays is due some of the remaining funds under state statute. The commissioners directed the staff to send a check to the city for half of what it is due until the remaining building projects can be completed.
Smith-Hanes also told the commission it plans to apply for a federal BUILD Grant to help fund improvements on the Northwest Corridor.