PHILLIPSBURG — Starting the week of July 15, the Kansas Department of Transportation will begin work on a pavement replacement project on a portion of U.S. 36 through the city of Phillipsburg.
Crews will be replacing the existing asphalt with concrete pavement between Eighth Street and the east city limits. The eastbound lanes will be constructed first with traffic diverted head-to-head into the westbound lanes. Construction of the westbound lanes will begin upon completion of the eastbound portion. An 11-foot width restriction will be in place throughout the duration of the project, which is expected to be completed in November, weather permitting.
Smoky Hill LLC is the primary contractor for the project with a total contract cost of approximately $993,000.
BUNKER HILL – The Community Foundation for Cloud County has awarded Smoky Hills Public Television with a grant for $1,500 to support the station’s Literacy Leadership program for the children in Cloud County.
The grant will provide books to those children in the Cloud County Head Start programs and provide support for children’s television programming.
“The Community Foundation for Cloud County has been very supportive of our Literacy Leadership program for many years and we want to thank them for their continued generosity,” said Larry Calvery, Smoky Hills Public Television general manager. “This grant will provide the children of Cloud County with valuable educational resources and we are happy to provide this service once again.”
The Community Foundation for Cloud County was founded on October 15, 2002, to serve as a vehicle for charitable giving benefiting communities in Cloud County. The Foundation is a permanent source of charitable assets to meet both the emerging and existing needs of the local communities.
Smoky Hills Public Television serves 71 counties in central and western Kansas.
TOPEKA (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has dropped a policy that extended food assistance to thousands of Kansas adults even though they failed to meet a work requirement.
Kelly acted Thursday in response to a threat from Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt to file a lawsuit over the policy change.
Top Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature argued that the policy change made in May violated a 2015 law imposing work requirements and other restrictions on food and cash assistance recipients.
Kelly said she believes her administration’s policy was “legally defensible” but engaging in a lengthy court battle was not worth the cost to taxpayers.
The state extended food assistance this month to 5,500 adults due to lose it. Kelly’s administration had planned to help them again in August and September.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio hospital system says it’s firing 23 more employees and changing leadership after investigating excessive painkiller doses given to dozens of patients who died.
The Mount Carmel Health System announcement Thursday comes five weeks after the Columbus-area doctor accused of ordering the doses, William Husel, pleaded not guilty to murder charges in 25 deaths.
Mount Carmel says the newly fired employees include five physician, nursing and pharmacy management team members. The CEO says he’s resigning this month, and the chief clinical officer is retiring in September.
Mount Carmel fired Husel earlier. His lawyer says Husel was providing comfort care to dying patients, not trying to kill them.
Nurses and pharmacists who administered or approved the drugs aren’t being prosecuted, though dozens were reported to professional boards for review.
FARMINGTON, Mo. (AP) — A pickup truck slammed into a horse-drawn carriage in Missouri on Thursday, killing an 8-year-old Mennonite boy and seriously injuring four members of his family, including two other children, authorities said.
The crash happened at around 6:45 a.m. in a remote area of St. Francois County, about 80 miles southwest of St. Louis, the Highway Patrol said.
The Mennonite family was on the way to pick blueberries at a nearby farm near when the truck slammed into the back of their carriage, patrol Cpl. Juston Wheetley told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
“The truck went over the top of it. It’s literally destroyed,” he said of the carriage.
The 8-year-old died at the scene. The other two children, ages 10 and 12, were taken to St. Louis Children’s Hospital with serious injuries. The injured adults, ages 50 and 28, were also seriously hurt and were taken to Barnes-Jewish Hospital, authorities said. The 19-year-old driver of the carriage wasn’t injured.
Authorities haven’t released the names of those involved in the crash.
The 19-year-old pickup truck’s driver and his passenger were not hurt, and the driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with police, Wheetley said. He said the crash happened on a straight stretch of the two-lane highway and that the carriage had an orange safety placard attached, adding that it isn’t clear how fast the truck was going.
The county’s Mennonite community was established just two years ago, the Post-Dispatch reported.
Wheetley said Mennonite and Amish carriages have previously been struck by motorized vehicles in Missouri, but that Thursday’s crash was the most “severe” he was aware of in that area.
There have been other similar fatal wrecks in recent years, including last month in Algansee Township in southern Michigan, when a pickup truck slammed into a horse-drawn carriage, killing three young Amish children and seriously injuring one other and their mother. The 21-year-old pickup truck’s driver was charged with drunken driving causing death and serious injury.
In October of 2017, a truck crashed into a buggy near Sheridan, Michigan, killing three children whose family was on its way to a Sunday service. The 29-year-old truck driver pleaded guilty to misdemeanor moving violation charges.
WILBER, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska man was convicted Wednesday of killing a 24-year-old Lincoln woman and could now face the death penalty.
A jury began deliberating Wednesday afternoon and in less than three hours agreed to convict 52-year-old Aubrey Trail of first-degree murder in the 2017 death of Sidney Loofe. Trail also was found guilty of criminal conspiracy to commit murder.
Trail and his girlfriend, Bailey Boswell, were both charged with first-degree murder. Loofe’s body parts were found in 14 pieces in ditches along a state highway, weeks after her November 2017 disappearance.
Trail had maintained Loofe’s death happened accidentally during rough sex. Trail said he made up stories, including one about killing 14 other people, to throw investigators off track.
On Thursday, a second phase of the trial will begin to determine if Trail’s action qualify for the death penalty.
Boswell is awaiting trial.
Trail missed much of his own trial after slashing his neck in the courtroom on June 24. Trail yelled “Bailey is innocent, and I curse you all” before he swiped something across his neck that day. Deputies rushed to help as Trail lay bleeding.
Trail opted to skip the trial after that until he returned earlier this week to testify in his defense.
Prosecutors said Trail and Boswell planned to kill someone before Boswell met Loofe on the dating app Tinder.
Boswell solicited young women through social media sites, and she and her boyfriend together picked out a victim.
Trail said he and Boswell actually met Loofe several months earlier, but she didn’t want to participate in their other crimes. He said they rekindled a relationship in November 2017 through Tinder.
Prosecutors said Trail repeatedly changed his story during the investigation and trial.
Authorities said Trail and Boswell were captured on video at a Home Depot in Lincoln on Nov. 15, 2017, buying tools used to dismember Loofe, hours before Loofe’s death and while she was still at work.
A renovation at First Care Clinic in Hays is nearing completion. The clinic added eight new exam rooms.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
First Care Clinic of Hays is wrapping up a $1 million renovation of its Hays building and has set an open house and ribbon cutting for July 16.
The clinic has added eight exams rooms, a telemedicine room, a patient education room, a nurses station and renovated the basement into staff offices.
Bryan Brady, First Care CEO, said the renovations were necessary to meet patient demand.
In the last 12 months, the clinic has had 18,000 patient visits, which is a significant increase, Brady said. He said First Care is taking on more patients as other providers are cutting back.
“The reason why we are doing this is to fill gaps in the community,” Brady said. “We are not trying to compete with anyone. We see a need and are trying to fill that need.”
The clinic also added a patient education room that will allow it to offer shared education appointments.
Five of the exam rooms were added on the second floor in the space formerly occupied by staff offices. The other three exams are on the first floor.
The clinic offers Saturday hours, but only has one provider on call on Saturdays. Adding exam rooms on the first floor will allow all the staff working on Saturday to be on the same floor.
The clinic recently added a provider, and the additional exam rooms will allow the staff to keep up with their growing patient loads.
One room is going to be used full-time for telemedicine. The clinic had offered mental health services one day a week via telemedicine, but that had occupied an exam room that was needed for the medical providers. The clinic plans to expand its mental health services and is looking at offering other speciality medical services through telemedicine in the future.
The clinic’s unfinished basement was remodeled into offices to allow for more space on the first and second floors for exam rooms.
“When you come to our building and you are sitting in that lobby, nobody knows if you are here for dental, medical or behavioral health. They have no idea,” Brady said. “I think we don’t have that stigma that sometimes surrounds mental health.”
The clinic also hopes to use its new patient education room to offer shared medical appointments. Patients would see their provider at around the same time on the same day. After their appointments are complete, about eight patients would meet together for an education session on their shared illness.
Brady gave the example of diabetics or patients with hypertension learning about healthy diet.
“We are going to work on behaviors,” Brady said. “We have medicines that control that stuff, but sometimes we have human behaviors that get in the way.”
The First Care building at 105 W. 13th St. was built in the 1940s and has gone through a series of renovations since the clinic purchased it in 2009.
The clinic has already realized success with its nurse closer program. A CNA takes vitals and discusses the patient’s complaint. Then the patient sees the doctor. Then a nurse closer goes over doctor’s recommendations and wellness strategies.
“By the time the nurse goes over it, they have heard it three times,” Brady said. “We feel that is allowing people to have a better understanding of their health care and the goals and objectives we are trying to achieve.”
He said the clinic has seen a reduction in calls with questions with the implementation of the nurse closer program.
“In health care, it is better to have people talk to people,” Brady said. “Face to face is a good thing.”
First Care’s building, 105 W. 13th, was built in the 1940s. The clinic moved into the building in 2008 and purchased it in 2009. During the last 1o years, the building has been under almost constant construction.
In 2oo9, the clinic replaced its HVAC systems followed by the addition of dental chairs in 2011 and 2014. In 2017, the waiting room and nine exam rooms were remodeled.
The current renovation included 10,000 square feet. The basement of the building was not finished and was being used for storage.
The clinic received three grants toward its latest renovation. This includes $518,000 from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, $100,000 from the Leo J. and Albina Dreiling Trust and undisclosed amount from the Robert E. and Patricia A. Schmidt Foundation.
“The Schmidt Foundation is proud to be a part of this wonderful project. Bob and Pat were early cheerleaders for the First Care Clinic and their enthusiasm continues today,” said Gary Shorman, president of the Schmidt Foundation. “The new facility provides an environment that truly matches the outstanding care given by the First Care team.”
The $1 million price tag for the renovation did not include equipment, Brady said.
Brady said the clinic is still trying to spread the word about its services. The clinic is a full-service medical home providing dental, primary medical care and behavior health care.
Although the clinic has a sliding fee scale, it is open to all patients.
Medical director Dr. Christine Fisher said in a written statement, “At First Care Clinic, the patient is at the center of everything we do. We have transitioned from a walk-in clinic to a family-oriented practice that offers personalized, comprehensive care. We believe in wellness, prevention and treating the whole person, including behavioral health concerns. First Care Clinic will continue to innovate and improve for the benefit of our patients and our community.”
The clinic invites the public to its open house and ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 16. Tours will be offered. Lunch will be provided and door prizes given away. Free blood pressure and vision screenings, as well as fluoride dental treatments, also will be offered.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, has issued public health advisories for Kansas lakes.
Warnings:
Big Eleven Lake, Wyandotte County (unchanged)
Jerry Ivey Pond, Saline County (unchanged)
Marion County Lake, Marion County (upgraded from watch 7/11)
Gathering Pond near Milford (Hatchery Supply Pond), Geary County (unchanged)
Hiawatha City Lake, Brown County (new 7/11)
Lovewell Reservoir, Jewell County (new 7/11)
Warning for Webster Lake (Webster Reservoir) in Rooks County has been lifted.
When a warning is issued, KDHE recommends the following precautions be taken:
Lake water is not safe to drink for pets or livestock.
Lake water, regardless of blue-green algae status, should never be consumed by humans.
Water contact should be avoided.
Fish may be eaten if they are rinsed with clean water and only the fillet portion is consumed, while all other parts are discarded.
Do not allow pets to eat dried algae.
If lake water contacts skin, wash with clean water as soon as possible.
Avoid areas of visible algae accumulation.
Watches:
Lake Shawnee, Shawnee County (unchanged)
Marion Reservoir, Marion County (downgraded from warning 7/11)
Keith Sebelius Reservoir, Norton County (downgraded from warning 7/11)
Rock Garden Pond (Gage Park), Shawnee County (unchanged)
A watch for Strowbridge (Carbondale East), Osage County, has been lifted.
A watch means that blue-green algae have been detected and a harmful algal bloom is present or likely to develop. People are encouraged to avoid areas of algae accumulation and keep pets and livestock away from the water.
During the watch status, KDHE recommends the following precautions be taken:
Signage will be posted at all public access locations
Water may be unsafe for humans/animals
Avoid areas of algae accumulation and do not let people/pets eat dried algae or drink contaminated water.
Swimming, wading, skiing, and jet skiing are discouraged near visible blooms
Boating and fishing are safe. However, inhalation of the spray may affect some individuals. Avoid direct contact with water, and wash with clean water after any contact.
Clean fish well with potable water and eat fillet portion only.
KDHE samples publicly-accessible bodies of water for blue-green algae when the agency receives reports of potential algae blooms in Kansas lakes. Based on sampling results, KDHE reports on potentially harmful conditions.
Kansans should be aware that blooms are unpredictable. They can develop rapidly and may float around the lake, requiring visitors to exercise their best judgment. If there is scum, a paint-like surface or the water is bright green, avoid contact and keep pets away. These are indications that a harmful bloom may be present. Pet owners should be aware that animals that swim in or drink water affected by a harmful algal bloom or eat dried algae along the shore may become seriously ill or die.
Carol “LaVon” Glenn, 78, died July 11, 2019, at her home in Ellinwood. She was born June 24, 1941, in St. John, Kansas.
On August 11, 1958, she married John O. Glenn, in Ellinwood. He survives.
A longtime Ellinwood resident, LaVon was a LPN working for both Home Health and Woodhaven Care Center.
LaVon was a member of the Calvary Baptist Church of Ellinwood.
She is survived by her husband of 61 years, John O. Glenn, of the home; and children, Kirk Glenn and wife Debbie of Sterling, Rena Mooney and husband Mike of Bushton, Ruth Kaiser and husband Jon of Ellinwood, John Otis Glenn III of Great Bend, and Crystal Glenn of Macksville; 11 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Harold & Ida Walters, daughter, Michelle Bigger and two brothers, Jerry and Wayne Smith.
Cremation has taken place and a private family service will be held at a later date.
Memorials may be made to Kindred Hospice or the Ellinwood EMS in care of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, PO Box 146, Hoisington, KS 67544.
TOPEKA – Agents from the Kansas Department of Revenue accompanied by the Saline Sheriff Department executed tax warrants and closed Rod’s Convenience Stores for nonpayment of Retailers Sales Tax totaling $49,540.23.
The warrants were filed in Saline County. The businesses affected are located at 1717 W Crawford St, 1401 S Santa Fe Ave, 1339 N 9th, 220 W Magnolia Rd, 1619 W Magnolia Rd, 2140 W Crawford St, 680 S Phillips Ave, Salina KS.
The owner of the business has until Monday, July 15th to enter into a mutual arrangement otherwise the businesses will be closed permanently.
It is KDOR’s policy and practice to work with taxpayers in delinquent status to voluntarily enter into repayment agreements. It is only after these efforts and multiple failed collection attempts that the Department is forced to execute a tax warrant, utilizing such actions as bank levies, till taps, and ultimately asset seizure to ensure compliance with the law.
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SALINA — Rod’s locations in Salina have been seized by the State of Kansas for nonpayment of taxes, according to signs from the Kansas Department of Revenue that were taped on doors and gas pumps.
City of Hays employees check a sewer line leak Thursday morning along Big Creek at 27th and U.S. 183 Bypass.
City officials say no contamination of city water supply
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Officials from the city of Hays are on the site of a leak in a forced sewer main line near the intersection of West 27th and the U.S. 183 Bypass.
The location is alongside Big Creek. The sewer line is buried underneath the creek.
According to Jeff Crispin, water resources director, he called the Kansas Department of Health and Environment after-hours emergency number Wednesday night as required.
Darrell Shippy, of the Northwest Kansas KDHE Water Supply and Wastewater Unit in Hays, was at the site Thursday morning for a short time, Crispin noted, as work got underway to locate the leak.
Crispin says a farmer contacted the city late Wednesday afternoon when he noticed water coming from the side of the bank of Big Creek.
City staff confirmed the water influx and immediately shut down the sewer line and the nearby lift station that serves that line.
“We notified KDHE last night,” Crispin said late Thursday morning. “We want to ensure public safety first. We’re working with them to see if something moves towards the public stream flow [of Big Creek].”
There is no contamination of the city water supply, he added, nor is there any interruption of water or sewer service to city customers.
“A local contractor is currently digging to find the line. It seems there’s been a break,” Crispin said. “Once we find it, we’ll do a temporary fix and then a permanent replacement of the line.”
City Department of Water Resources employees are now manually pumping the sewer line contents into trucks as needed and transporting it to the city wastewater treatment plant.
Check Hays Post for more as details become available.
Looking for the leak Thursday morning
A farmer reported water running from side of the bank into Big Creek.
Waste from the nearby lift station is being manually pumped out and transported by truck to the wastewater treatment plant.
