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Shane Leroy Mullen

Mullen

Shane Leroy Mullen, age 60, passed away on Tuesday, July 16, at his home in Oakley, Kan. Shane made his memorable first appearance on Sept. 16, 1958, being delivered by his grandmother, Mabel Linder, on his grandparent’s farm northeast of Leoti, Kan. Shane was the baby of the family, the son of Leonard and Sharon Mullen.

Growing up on a farm on Beaver Creek northeast of Leoti, he spent his days hunting, fishing, riding his horse named “Pal” and later becoming involved in 4-H and high school rodeo.

In 1976, Shane graduated from Wichita County High School and married Kathy Appl. From this union, a daughter, Shala Rae, was born on Aug. 22, 1977. They later divorced.

In 1982, Shane and his brother, Kevin, started K&S Trucking, and later he began custom harvesting and raising livestock. Shane had a deep love and respect for farming, ranching, and trucking and for the hardworking man. He knew that it took hard work and dedication to “get er done” and that “it ain’t easy being a big operator.”

On Oct. 22, 1994, Shane married Cindy Miller in Windsor, Colo. Their daughter, Katelyn Marie, was born on Sept. 26, 1998. Shane and Cindy farmed and ranched in rural Russell Springs, then later moved to Oakley, Kan., where they operated Mullen Custom Harvesting and continued to raise a small black angus herd on their farm south of Oakley. Shane was also a crop insurance adjuster and later started Mullen Insurance Agency serving farmers in western Kansas and eastern Colorado.

Shane was a member of the Butterfield Trail Historical Association and the Russell Springs Volunteer Fire Department. Shane was baptized the same day as his daughter, Katelyn. He was a member of the Winona United Methodist Church and later also a member of the Oakley United Methodist Church.

Shane’s surviving family includes his wife Cindy Mullen, Oakley, Kan.; two children, Shala (Kevan) Steele, Fredonia, Kan. and Katelyn Mullen, Oakley, Kan.; two grandchildren, Dillon Steele and Kinley Steele, Fredonia, Kan.; his mother, Sharon Mullen, Leoti, Kan.; three siblings, Rick (Patty) Mullen, Plainville, Kan., Kandice McCabe, Pueblo, Colo., and Kevin (Kathy) Mullen, Leoti, Kan.

He was preceded in death by his father, Leonard Mullen.

There will be a visitation for Shane’s friends and family on Friday, July 19, 2019 at the Oakley United Methodist Church from 5 to 7 p.m. Funeral services for Shane will be at noon on Saturday, July 20 at the Oakley United Methodist Church.

Shane’s favorite desserts will be served at the church after the funeral service, with graveside services following at the Russell Springs cemetery.

Memorials are suggested to the Butterfield Trail Historical Association or the Oakley United Methodist Church, sent in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 204, Oakley, KS 67748.

For condolences or information visit www.baalmannmortuary.com.

Louene Daisy McBride

Louene McBride

Louene Daisy McBride, 104, Overland Park, formerly of Hays, died Monday, July 15, 2019 at Homestead of Overland Park.

She was born July 12, 1915 in Hesston, Kan., the sixth of seven children born to Ara H. and Hattie May (Boyer) Steele. 

With her siblings, she would help on the family farm in Halstead. Every Sunday, she would bake cookies and the boys would play baseball. Louene graduated from Halstead High School in 1934 and soon began nurses training at Halstead Hospital School of Nursing, graduating in 1941.

Louene was a United States Army nurse, serving at Fitzsimmons Hospital in Denver, Colo., during World War II.  In 1943, she met and married Paul McBride. He preceded her in death in 1964.

She lived in Hays for over 50 years and was a nurse at Hadley Hospital. Louene was active in the First United Methodist Church, but most of all she was devoted to her family, helping and supporting them with their respective interests in music, football and going to Kansas City Royals games. 

As an avid card and game player, Louene was a member of several bridge and canasta clubs. She loved to work on jigsaw puzzles, help make scrapbooks, and was a lifelong fan of any Kansas sport with KU and K-State basketball and KC Royals baseball being her favorites. She will be fondly remembered and deeply missed.

Survivors include her son-in-law; John Bundy of DeSoto, two grandchildren; Brent Bessey of Shawnee and Kim Erickson and husband Scott of Valley Falls, six great-grandchildren; Tyler Bessey, Hunter Bessey, Gracie Bessey, Sophie Bessey, Courtney Henney, and Jonathan Henney and fiancé Ashlyn Bartling, numerous nieces and nephews, and many adopted loved ones and dear friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband; Paul, her daughter; Mary Margaret Bundy, a step-son; Jerry McBride, five brothers; Alva, Eldo, Wayne, Floyd, and Bob Steele and a sister; Zella Crandall.

Funeral services will be at 4 p.m. on Friday, July 26, 2019 at Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 1906 Pine St., Hays, Kansas. Burial will follow in Fort Hays Memorial Gardens.

Visitation will be from 3 p.m. until service time on Friday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the ISIS Shrine Circus or Amedisys Compassionate Care Hospice of Kansas City.  Condolences and memories of Louene may be shared with the family at www.haysmemorial.com.

Ex-Kansas priest charged with possessing child pornography

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A former Kansas priest has been charged with one count of possessing child pornography.

Christopher Rossman-courtesy photo

The Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, said in a news release Thursday that it reported Christopher Rossman to authorities in September 2016 after learning he had accessed inappropriate content on his computer. Rossman was suspended from the ministry at that time.

The archdiocese said it received information that an FBI investigation resulted in the charge being filed.

At the time, Rossman was pastor at Roman Catholic churches in Baldwin City and Lapeer. He previously worked at churches in Olathe, Topeka, Holton, Mayetta and Potawatomi Reservation.

The Kansas City Star reports Rossman’s attorney, Scott Toth, said it was too early to comment on the case.

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Hep A and Meningococcal Vaccines to be required for 2019-20 School Year

Vaccine changes effective August 2

Kansas Department of Health and Environment

Two new vaccines will be required for school-age children for the 2019-20 School Year: Meningococcal and Hepatitis A. KDHE proposed changes to the vaccine requirement regulations earlier this year and held a public hearing concluding a 60-day public comment period in June. The regulations were approved by KDHE and will go into effect on August 2.

“We received many comments and input from all viewpoints,” KDHE Secretary Lee Norman said. “We listened and read all of the input and concerns submitted to us. We looked at the evidence. Both Meningitis and Hepatitis A illnesses are severe and preventable, and the safety profile of the vaccines is well-recognized. As an agency charged to establish policies that protect and improve the lives of Kansans, we felt the addition of the two vaccines was essential for the health and safety of our state.”

Changes for 2019-20 School Year

Students entering Kindergarten and Grade 1 for the 2019 -2020 school year now need two doses of the hepatitis A vaccine.
Students entering Grade 7 for the 2019-2020 school year need one dose of the meningococcal ACWY vaccine.
Students entering Grade 11 need one dose of the meningococcal ACWY vaccine if not vaccinated prior to their 16th birthday. They will need two doses if their first dose was before their 16th birthday.

Vaccine requirements for schools can be found online at: https://www.kdheks.gov/immunize/schoolInfo.htm.

About the Vaccines

Meningococcal ACWY Vaccine

The meningococcal ACWY vaccine protects against meningococcal disease. Meningococcal disease has two common outcomes: meningitis (infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord) and bloodstream infections. The bacteria that cause meningococcal disease spread through the exchange of nose and throat droplets, such as when coughing, sneezing, or kissing. Symptoms include sudden onset of fever, headache, and stiff neck. With bloodstream infection, symptoms also include a dark purple rash. About one of every 10 people who gets the disease dies from it. Survivors of meningococcal disease may lose their arms or legs, become deaf, have problems with their nervous systems, become developmentally disabled, or suffer seizures or strokes.

Hepatitis A Vaccine

The hepatitis A vaccine protects against the hepatitis A virus. The virus is spread primarily person to person through the fecal-oral route. In other words, the virus is taken in by mouth from contact with objects, food, or drinks contaminated by the feces (stool) of an infected person. Symptoms can include fever, tiredness, poor appetite, vomiting, stomach pain and sometimes jaundice (when skin and eyes turn yellow). An infected person may have no symptoms, may have mild illness for a week or two, may have severe illness for several months, or may rarely develop liver failure and die from the infection. In the U.S., about 100 people a year die from hepatitis A.

Exemptions from Vaccines

There are exemptions to vaccines. In accordance with KSA 72-6262, legal alternatives to vaccination requirements include medical contraindications and religious beliefs. The medical exemptions signed by a medical clinician must be submitted on an annual basis by the family/guardian of the student. There could also be instances in which a person has a religious belief that prevents them from receiving a particular vaccination. The parent/guardian of the student must submit a written statement indicating they are adherent of a religious denomination whose religious teachings are opposed to such vaccination. The school board or governing body for nonpublic schools are responsible for ensuring compliance with the regulations and statutes.

Still time to enjoy Ellis County Fair; Demo Derby tonight

There is still time to enjoy the Ellis County Fair.

The Demo Derby is at 7:30 tonight at RPM Speedway.

The pits open at 3:30 p.m.

Monster trucks will take center stage at RPM at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

You can head out early and check out the exhibits in the air-conditioned Unrein Building and enjoy rootbeer floats at 5 tonight in the livestock arena sponsored by Midland Marketing.

DOC will take the Midway stage at 8:30 tonight.

Thursday night schedule.

5:00 p.m. Free Root Beer Floats – sponsored by Midland Marketing – Livestock Show Arena
5:00 p.m. 4-H Dairy Show – Livestock Arena, immediately following – 4-H & Open Class Bucket Calf Show, immediately following 4-H Beef Show
5:00-10:00 p.m. Commercial Exhibits open in Unrein Family Building
5:00-10:00 p.m. Face Painting-TMP Cheeleaders – Unrein Family Building
6:00-10:00 p.m. Jason D’Vaude – Modern Vadevillian – Midway
6:00-10:00 p.m. Totally Twisted Balloon Artist – Midway
6:00-10:00 p.m. Hays Hobby Shop, RC Cars open practice
6:00-10:00 p.m. Inflatable Carnival & Laser Tag $5 armbands
7:00-8:00 p.m. Happy Hour-Beer Garden
7:30 p.m. Demolition Derby – RPM Speedway
8:30 p.m. DOC @ Midway Stage

Friday

7:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m. 4-H Food Stand Open
8:30 a.m. Register for 4-H Livestock Judging Contest – Livestock Arena
9:00 a.m. 4-H Livestock judging contest begins
10:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. Schenk Building open for public viewing
4:00-6:30 p.m. 4-H BBQ-Deutschfest Hall & Unrein Family Building
5:00-9:00 p.m. Commercial Exhibits open in Unrein Family Building
5:00-9:00 p.m. Face Painting-TMP Cheeleaders – Unrein Family Building
5:00 p.m. Pit to Monster Truck Show open
5:30-7:00 p.m. Monster Truck Pit Party
6:00 p.m. 4-H Champion Fitting & Showing Contest – Livestock Arena
6:00-10:00 p.m. Jason D’Vaude, Modern Vaudevillian – Midway
6:00-10:00 p.m. Totally Twisted Balloon Artist-Midway
6:00-7:30 p.m. Hays Hobby Shop, RC Car Races
7:30-10:00 p.m. Hays Hobby Shop, RC Cars open practice
6:00-11:00 p.m. Inflatable Carnival & Laser Tag by Grand True Value Rental
7:00 p.m. Monster Trucks – RPM Speedway
7:00-8:00 p.m. Happy Hour-Beer Garden
8:30 p.m. Paramount @ Midway Stage

Saturday

7:30 a.m. Superintendents & Assistants arrive to remove exhibits from display cases
7:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m. 4-H Food Stand Open
8:30-10:00 a.m. Release 4-H & Open Class Livestock not in 4-H Livestock Auction/Small Animals & clean up barns. Animals in sale will be released after the sale.
9:00-10:00 a.m. Release exhibits in Schenk Building
10:00 a.m.-finish Building clean up – everyone’s help needed
1:00 p.m. 4-H Food Stand closes – committee meets to clean up and close down
5:00 p.m. Pit to Monster Truck Show opens
5:30-7:00 p.m. Monster Truck Pit Party
6:30 p.m. 4-H Livestock Auction – Livestock Arena
6:00-10:00 p.m. Jason D’Vaude, Modern Vaudevillian – Midway
6:00-10:00 p.m. Totally Twisted Balloon Artist-Midway
6:00 -7:30 p.m. Hays Hobby Shop-RC Car Races
7:30-10:00 p.m. Hays Hobby Shop-RC Cars, open practice
6:00-11:00 p.m. Inflatable Carnival & Laser Tag by Grand True Value Rental
7:00 p.m. Monster Trucks – RPM Speedway
7:00-8:00 p.m. Happy Hour-Beer Garden
8:30 p.m. Radio-Active @ Midway Stage

Jury: Kansas man not guilty in rural Pawnee County burglary

The story has been corrected after the Pawnee County Attorney sent incorrect information.

PAWNEE COUNTY— A Kansas man has been found not guilty of burglary in Pawnee County.

Lyle Miller photo Pawnee Co.

On Wednesday a Pawnee County District Court jury heard testimony that on August 26, 2018, while checking cattle on leased property in northern Pawnee County a farmer noticed the chain leading back into the property had been cut, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.

Upon closer inspection, he discovered the locks securing the barn, a trailer house and an RV located on the property had been broken.  The Pawnee County Sheriff was then called to the scene.

Later the same afternoon, the defendant 49-year-old Harold Mason was stopped and arrested in Barton County on local charges.

Shayla Richmeier, 28, and Eric Reed, 47, both of Great Bend were also arrested at the time.  A search of his vehicle located items from the Pawnee County Burglary, a faucet still in the original box with the victim’s name on the shipping label and various boy scout memorabilia.  At the time, the defendant told a Barton County Detective he’d purchased the faucet and did not know how the other items ended up in vehicle.  None of the other items reported stolen have been recovered.

Mason did not testify in his own defense, nor did he present any witnesses.

The jury made up of 7 women and 5 men deliberated for approximately 80 minutes before returning a Not Guilty verdict.

In March, the co-defendant, Richmeier, entered a No Contest plea to an amended charge of Criminal Trespass.  The State agreed to dismiss similar charges against Reed prior to Preliminary Hearing, according to McNett.

Hays USD 489 online enrollment open

Online enrollment is now live for Hays USD 489. Click here.

You can access the online enrollment portal by using your PowerSchool log in information. If you don’t remember your PowerSchool password, there is an option on the login page to reset the password.

Families with new students and incoming kindergarten students must enroll at Hays High School on Wednesday, July 31 or Thursday, Aug. 1.

Please email Amy Arnhold at  [email protected] if you have any questions with the electronic enrollment process.

If wish to come to Central Enrollment: see the USD 489 website for all the details @ www.usd489.com
#onlineenrollment #usd489 #schooliscomingsoon

Below you will find links to school supply lists for USD 489 schools.

Lincoln Elementary List
O’Loughlin supply list
Roosevelt Supply List
Wilson Elementary List
Hays Middle School List
Hays High School

City hopes ‘Baby Shark’ song will drive homeless away

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Officials in West Palm Beach are hoping a continuous loop of children’s songs played throughout the night will keep homeless people from sleeping on the patio of a city-owned rental banquet facility.

West Palm Beach parks and recreation director Leah Rockwell tells the Palm Beach Post they’re trying to discourage people from sleeping outside the glass-walled Waterfront Lake Pavilion, which she says rakes in some $240,000 annually from events.

The loop of “Baby Shark” and “Raining Tacos” is a temporary fix to keep homeless people off the patio. Rockwell says the city wants to formalize hours for the facility, which should make trespassing laws easier to enforce.

Illaya Champion tells the Post “it’s wrong” to chase people away with music. He says he’ll still sleep there, but “it’s on and on, the same songs.”

US Air Force warns against joke event to ‘storm Area 51’

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The U.S. Air Force has warned people against participating in an internet joke suggesting a large crowd of people “storm Area 51,” the top-secret Cold War test site in the Nevada desert.

A prank event on Facebook that’s attracted more than 1 million interested people suggests that a mass of people attempt to run into the mysterious site at 3 a.m. on Sept. 20.

The site is part of the vast Nevada Test and Training Range and has become the center of UFO conspiracy theories.

The Facebook event jokes “they can’t stop all of us” and “Let’s see them aliens.”

Nellis Air Force Base said in a statement that the Air Force is aware of the Facebook posting and says “any attempt to illegally access the area is highly discouraged.”

The Air Force says it does not discuss its security measures and that the test and training range provides “flexible, realistic and multidimensional battlespace” for testing and “advanced training in support of U.S. national interests.”

After decades of government officials refusing to acknowledge Area 51, the CIA released declassified documents in 2013 referring to the 8,000-square mile (20,700-sq. kilometer) installation by name and locating it on a map near the dry Groom Lake bed.

The base has been a testing ground for a host of top-secret aircraft, including the U-2 in the 1950s and later the B-2 stealth bomber.

But secrecy surrounding the site has fueled conspiracy theories among UFO enthusiasts and sprouted a small, alien-themed tourist industry in surrounding desert communities, including alien-themed cafes, an alien-themed motel and an alien-themed brothel.

Former Tiger great returns to Hays

For three years, Nathan Shepherd called Hays and Fort Hays State University home. After sitting out of football for several years for financial reasons, the Ajax, Ontario, Canada, native took a chance a moved to northwest Kansas to jump start his dream of playing in the NFL.

Nathan Shepherd signs autographs Wednesday at Smoky Hill Country Club

After leaving an indelible mark on the Tiger program that included two bowl game appearances and the school’s first MIAA title, Shepherd realized his dream and was drafted in the third round by the New York Jets.

Nathan Shepherd

Now as he prepares to report to training camp prior to his second season in the NFL, Shepherd returned to Hays along with a television crew from TSN (Canada’s version of ESPN) to retrace his footsteps in Hays as part of a feature on the Canada native.

“You never realize how many people you’ve impacted and how you don’t always get to realize how many people have impacted you” Shepherd said after signing autographs and taking photos with Tiger fans Wednesday at the Smoky Hill Country Club.

“Looking back, there’s so many people, so many stories, so many thank yous to be given that maybe at the time while I was leaving wasn’t able to get done” he said. “This helps me to feel better to come back and give back in a way that I can and to show my gratitude for everything this town’s provided me with.”

Rep. Marshall: Democrats talk big on impeachment, but don’t vote for it

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House easily killed a maverick Democrat’s effort Wednesday to impeach President Donald Trump for his recent racial insults against lawmakers of color , a vote that provided an early snapshot of just how divided Democrats are over ousting him as the 2020 presidential and congressional campaigns rev up.

Democrats leaned against the resolution by Texas Rep. Al Greenby 137-95. That showed that so far, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has successfully prevented a Democratic stampede toward impeachment before additional evidence is developed that could win over a public that’s so far skeptical about ousting Trump.

Even so, the roll call underscored that the number of liberal Democrats open to impeachment remains substantial and may be growing. About two dozen more conversions would split the party’s 235-member caucus in half over an issue that could potentially dominate next year’s elections. Until now, just over 80 Democrats had publicly said they were open to starting an inquiry over removing Trump.

“There’s a lot of grief, from a lot of different quarters,” Green, speaking to reporters after the vote, said of the reaction he received from colleagues. “But sometimes you just have to take a stand.”

Democrats voting in favor of the impeachment resolution included some of the party’s most outspoken freshmen, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, but were mostly veteran liberals, including leaders of House Democrats’ black, Hispanic and progressive caucuses. With party leaders looking to give the effort as little oxygen as possible, there was no debate.

As some Democrats feared, the measure’s lopsided 332-95 defeat — the House’s first vote on removing Trump since Democrats took control of the chamber this year — opened the door for him to claim vindication.

“You see the overwhelming vote against impeachment and that’s the end of it,” Trump told reporters as he arrived in North Carolina for a campaign rally. He called the effort the “most ridiculous project I’ve ever been involved in.”

Green’s resolution didn’t mention special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether Trump’s 2016 campaign conspired with Russia to influence that year’s congressional election or whether the president obstructed Mueller’s probe. That inquiry and the questions it raised over Trump’s actions have been the main reasons some Democrats have backed impeachment.

Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters that six House committees are investigating Trump, adding, “That is the serious path we’re on.”

Mueller is scheduled to testify next week to two House committees.

Democrats rejected Trump’s claim that the vote showed he’d been absolved of anything.

“It’s not vindication,” said Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Fla. “It’s that we believe in an orderly process. We’re putting our faith in the Judiciary Committee and the hearing they’re going to hold.”

Every voting Republican favored derailing Green’s measure.

With Democrats preparing to defend their House majority in next year’s elections, Green’s measure forced those in tight districts to choose between upsetting liberals eager to remove Trump and moderates leery of that. Democrats owe their House majority to 39 challengers who won in 2018 in what had been GOP-held districts, places where centrist constituents often predominate.

“It’s not ideal for a lot of people to have to take that vote right now,” one of them, Rep. Katie Hill, D-Calif., said of impeachment. She said “if and when” the House votes on impeaching Trump, it should happen when “we can make sure our constituents understand and can get behind” the move.

Recent polling has shown solid majorities of the public oppose impeachment. Even if the Democratic-run House would vote to impeach Trump, the equivalent of filing formal charges, a trial by the Republican-led Senate would all but certainly acquit him, keeping him in office.

Trump is “unfit to be President, unfit to represent the American values of decency and morality, respectability and civility, honesty and propriety, reputability and integrity, is unfit to defend the ideals that have made America great, unfit to defend liberty and justice for all,” Green’s resolution said.

The measure cites Trump’s recent “racist” comments imploring Democratic congresswomen of color to go back to their native countries. The House voted Tuesday largely along party lines to condemn those statements . His targets were Ocasio-Cortez and Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.

All are American and all but Omar were born in the U.S. They’ve also been among the party’s most outspoken advocates of impeachment, and all backed Green’s measure.

Mueller’s 448-page report detailed episodes in which Trump tried to influence his investigation. Mueller said he could not exonerate Trump on obstruction and indicated in a May news conference that it was up to Congress to decide what to do.

Some Democrats are frustrated with the slow pace of their party’s investigations of the president, and impeachment supporters say it would accelerate House probes and bolster their arguments in court. The White House has blocked several witnesses from answering questions.

Efforts by party leaders to dissuade Green from forcing the divisive roll call fell flat, as they did when he forced votes on similar impeachment resolutions in 2017 and 2018.

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