GREAT BEND (AP) — A Texas man has pleaded guilty in the deaths of a couple who were killed at a Kansas fair after one suspect ordered the killings as part of a “carnival mafia” initiation.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office said in a news release that 36-year-old Rusty Lee Frasier of Aransas Pass, Texas pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of first-degree premediated murder the 2018 deaths of Alfred “Sonny” Carpenter and Pauline Carpenter at the Barton County Fair, where they were vendors. The bodies of the Wichita couple were discovered in a national forest near Van Buren, Arkansas.
Prosecutors said 32-year-old Thomas Donald Drake of Van Buren, Arkansas, also pleaded guilty Monday to one count of obstructing apprehension.
Michael Alan Robben, age 60, of Ellis, Kansas (formerly of Oakley, KS) passed away Thursday July 4, 2019 at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home, Ellis.
He was born February 18, 1959 in Oakley, KS to Francis and LaVerna (Lintel) Robben. He attended Oakley High School and later attended Industrial Technical Trade School in Goodland, majoring in Diesel Mechanics. He moved to Burlington, CO working different jobs there. He married Margaret Meyer in Burlington, CO and later were divorced, to this union three children were born: Brent Michael Robben, George Alan Robben, and Amiee Ann Robben, all of Colorado.
Survivors include his children, together with two sisters: Lana Sue (Steve) Wilson; Linda (John) Howard; and one brother: Dan (Chris) Robben. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Larry Robben.
A private family inurnment in St Joseph Cemetery in Oakley, KS is planned for July 16, 2019.
Memorials are suggested to the Michael Robben Memorial Fund – C/O Keithley Funeral Homes and Crematory, 2509 Vine, Hays, KS 67601.
Condolences may be left by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or by email at [email protected]
Transportation problems persist on Nebraska county roads following massive floods this spring, officials said.
Interstates and state roads have been cleared for use. But traffic issues continue to plague damaged bridges and unending repairs still obstruct traffic outside major metropolitan areas, the Omaha World-Herald reported.
Heavy rain is to blame for the delay in repairs as that makes it difficult for machinery to access flood-damaged areas. County officials said they are struggling to find contractors, equipment, fill dirt, gravel and money.
“I haven’t even put a dent into fixing a lot of this stuff,” said Scott Huppert, highway superintendent for Dodge County. “It’s a lot of damage up there. It got spread all over Dodge County.”
It’s the same story across a vast swath of the state. Eighty-one of 93 counties have disaster declarations.
Heavy rain and snow melt crippled levees , causing the Missouri River and its tributaries to overflow in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas. Repairs to roads have been hindered by the extent of the damage and lingering floodwaters.
Three of the four bridges on a 48-mile (77-kilometer) stretch of the Niobrara River between Holt and Boyd Counties are closed, causing significant hardships for residents in the area and forcing traffic onto one road. That road now sees 700 cars a day at peak when it usually served an average of 70, according to Gary Connot, Holt County highway superintendent.
Continued heavy rain has only made the situation harder to overcome.
Officials have struggled to get heavy equipment in when roads are damaged. Richard Cook, Logan County superintendent, said heavy rain caused a gravel truck to get stuck on a road he thought was repaired.
“The rain isn’t giving us a chance to get one completely repaired before it washes them out again,” he said.
Total repair costs haven’t been finalized yet because damage is still being assessed. Federal aid is expected to cover 75% of costs while the state is responsible for 12.5%. Counties must come up with the rest, and contractors want to be paid now.
Huppert said he took out a $5 million loan to pay contractors after he spent the department’s $4 million emergency fund. He’s estimating that it will cost $17 million to $18 million to repair the entire road and bridge damage in his county.
He said he realizes people are frustrated but that they need to understand it’s a long process.
“It’s coming, but very, very slow,” he said. “We’ll probably still be doing work two years from now.”
Kansas Highway Patrol Major Eric Sauer. Photo courtesy KHPTOPEKA — The Kansas Highway Patrol has a new person in charge of the western part of the state.
Colonel Herman T. Jones, Superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol, announced that Captain Eric Sauer has been promoted to major, and will now oversee the west region, which includes Troops C, D, E, F, and emergency operations.
Sauer joined the patrol in March 1994 and was assigned to field duties in Goodland. In 1998, he was assigned to the governor’s protection detail, Troop L, in Topeka, and was promoted to second lieutenant in 1999. In 2003, Sauer was promoted to lieutenant and later that same year to captain, assuming the duties of operations commander of Troop L. In 2011, Sauer transferred and took command of Troop N and the KHP aircraft wing, Troop T, until 2015. In 2015, Sauer assumed command of the Homeland Security/Emergency Operations unit in addition to Troop N.
Sauer began his law enforcement career in 1991 with the Riley County Police Department as a police officer after graduating from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center. Sauer is a native of Cimarron and a 1987 graduate of Cimarron High School. He later received an associate degree in criminal justice from Seward County Community College in 1989 and his Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Washburn University in 1991. Sauer is a 2011 graduate of the FBI National Academy Class #247 in Quantico, Va.
CHICAGO — Nearly one-quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals’ retirement plans and the realities of aging in the workforce.
Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they’d like.
According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 23% of workers, including nearly 2 in 10 of those over 50, don’t expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.
According to government data, about 1 in 5 people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June.
For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.
“The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn’t gone up that much,” says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. “So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement.”
When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14% of Americans under the age of 50 and 29% over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another 4 in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared. By comparison, 56% of younger adults say they don’t feel prepared for retirement.
Among those who are fully retired, 38% said they felt very or extremely prepared when they retired, while 25% said they felt not very or not at all prepared.
“One of the things about thinking about never retiring is that you didn’t save a whole lot of money,” says Ronni Bennett, 78, who was pushed out of her job as a New York City-based website editor at 63.
She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to “banging my head against a wall.” Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon.
“Sometimes I fantasize that if I win the lottery, I’d go back to New York,” says Bennett, who has a blog called Time Goes By that chronicles her experiences aging, relocating and, during the past two years, living with a pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
Meanwhile, Americans have mixed assessments of how the aging workforce affects workers: 39% think people staying in the workforce longer is mostly a good thing for American workers, while 29% think it’s more a bad thing and 30% say it makes no difference.
A somewhat higher share, 45%, thinks it has a positive effect on the U.S. economy.
Working Americans who are 50 and older think the trend is more positive than negative for their own careers — 42% to 15%. Those younger than 50 are about as likely to say it’s good for their careers as to say it’s bad.
Just 6% of fully retired AP-NORC poll respondents said they left the labor market before turning 50.
But remaining in the workforce may be unrealistic for people dealing with unexpected illness or injuries. For them, high medical bills and a lack of savings loom large over day-to-day expenditures.
“People like me, who are average, everyday working people, can have something catastrophic happen, and we lose everything because of medical bills,” says Larry Zarzecki, a former Maryland police officer who stopped working in his 40s after developing a resting tremor in his right hand and a series of cognitive and physical symptoms he at times found difficult to articulate.
At 47, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Now 57 and living in Baltimore, Zarzecki says he has learned “to take from Peter and give to Paul, per se, to help make ends meet.”
Zarzecki has since helped found Movement Disorder Education and Exercise, a nonprofit organization that offers support and treatment programs to those with similar diseases and certain traumatic brain injuries. He has also helped lobby state and national lawmakers to address rising prescription drug prices.
He receives a pension and health insurance through the state, but he spends more than $3,000 each year out of pocket on medications.
“I can’t afford, nor will my insurance cover, the most modern medication there is for Parkinson’s,” he says. “Eat, heat or treat. These are decisions that people in my position have to make. When it’s cold out, or if it’s real hot out, do you eat, heat (your home) or treat (your ailment)?”
EDITOR’S NOTE — Andrew Soergel is studying aging and workforce issues as part of a 10-month fellowship at The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which joins NORC’s independent research and AP journalism. The fellowship is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ___ The AP-NORC Center survey of 1,423 adults was conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research with funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. It was conducted Feb. 14 to 18 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
Respondents were first selected randomly using address-based sampling methods and later were interviewed online or by phone. ___ Online: AP-NORC Center: https://www.apnorc.org
SALINA — An attempt to stop a vehicle in Salina for not having a working headlight early Saturday morning ended with spikes being deployed and the vehicle finally stopping in Republic County.
Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said Monday that a deputy on saturation patrol in the 200 block of North Broadway Blvd. at approximately 12:20 a.m. Saturday noticed a northbound 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier that had one headlight out. The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle, but when both pulled into the carwash at State Street and Broadway Blvd., the Cavalier took off north on Broadway Blvd. and took the following route, Soldan said.
North on Broadway Blvd. to Ninth Street
North on Ninth Street to Interstate 70 (I-70)
East on I-70 to the Niles exit
Back on to I-70 to Solomon Road
North on Solomon Road to Kansas Highway 18 (K-18)
West on K-18 to a gravel road in Ottawa County
From the gravel road to Old 81 Highway
From Old 81 northbound on U.S. Highway 81 through Cloud County, where spikes were deployed
Soldan said that despite losing its tires, the car continued into Republic County, where it finally stopped. The car reached up to 90 mph on I-70 and was driving at 60 mph after the spikes removed the tires, Soldan said.
Cameron Hanson, 18, of Independence, Kan., was taken into custody, Soldan said. Hanson was driving a car that was stolen out of Abilene, however, he had a bill of sale for the car, Soldan said. It is believed that Hanson purchased the car, which turned out to be stolen, Soldan added.
During the arrest, drug paraphernalia with methamphetamine on it was found in the car, Soldan said. Hanson was arrested on suspicion of the following, Soldan said.
Flee and elude
Possession of methamphetamine
Possession of drug paraphernalia
Driving while license is suspended
Speeding
Improper turn
Improper driving
Failure to stop at a stop sign
Driving with a defective headlight
Soldan said personnel from the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department, and the Cloud County Sheriff’s Department assisted in the pursuit.
Marion Bradley “Brad” Bartlett, 87, passed away July 3, 2019 at Mount Carmel St. Ann’s Hospital, Westerville, Ohio.
Brad was born Oct. 3, 1931 in Stafford, Kansas; the son of Addison Albert and Clara Belle Titus Bartlett. He was the eighth of ten children. All of his siblings preceded him in death.
After graduating from Stafford High School in 1949 where he played football and ran track, he went to work as a telegrapher for ATS&F. After serving with the Army in Japan during the Korean War, Brad returned to his job with the railroad.
It was during this stint at the railroad in Great Bend where Brad met “the best thing that ever happened to me”, his wife, LaVonne Marie Quincy. The pair married in 1955 and lived in Great Bend before moving to Hutchison in 1957. Brad attended Hutchison Junior College and moved to Topeka in 1959 to attend Washburn University where he graduated with a degree in Business.
Brad spent most of his life in Topeka where he was the Chief Financial Officer for Duffens Optical. Brad retired from Duffens with over 30 years of service.
Brad was a life long sports fan and enjoyed following the local high school and college sports teams in Northeast Kansas. He enjoyed traveling to support his favorite basketball teams.
Brad loved traveling and was particularly proud that a farm boy from Stafford saw so much of the world: Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ireland, Spain, Algeria, Canada, and most of the U.S. including train trips through Alaska and the Southwest.
When not traveling, Brad enjoyed practicing his woodworking skills. He was known for his expertise in rebuilding and refinishing furniture and restoring and revitalizing houses.
Brad was of the Christian faith and a member of the Disciples of Christ Church. He was a Mason and a member of the American Legion.
Brad is survived by his wife of 64 years, LaVonne. Other survivors include; a daughter Shannon Bartlett and wife Lisa Smith, Columbus, Ohio and many nieces and nephews.
Graveside service will be 10:00 a.m. Friday, July 12th, with Robert Sallee presiding. Visitation will be 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thursday at Beckwith Mortuary, Larned, Kansas. The family will be present 6-8p.m. Burial will be in Larned Cemetery, Larned, Kansas.
Memorials may be given to Washburn University in care of Beckwith Mortuary, P.O. Box 477, Larned, KS 67550. Personal condolences may be left at www.beckwithmortuary.com
Mildred Virginia Biby, 93, passed away Saturday, July 6, 2019, at Woodhaven Care Center in Ellinwood. She was born January 18, 1926, in Barton County, the daughter of Ben and Lydia (Ochs) Steinert.
Mildred was a resident of Ellinwood since 1958, coming from Council Bluffs, IA. She was united in marriage to Virgil Biby on October 17, 1958, in Great Bend. He passed away May 14, 1996. She worked for the Ellinwood Schools as a cook. She was a member of the Immanuel United Church of Christ in Ellinwood and the VFW Auxillary and the American Legion Auxillary. She enjoyed knitting, crocheting, and working in her garden.
Survivors include, one son, Larry Teager and wife Elaine “Amy” of Spring Hill; one daughter, Karen Reigier of Hays; one brother, Don Steinert of N.C.; five grandchildren, Dion Wolfe, Seberna, Trent, Bradley, and Ian Teager; nine great grandchildren; and one great-great grandchild. She was preceded in death by one son, Robert Teager; one brother, Clarence; four sisters, Alverta, Ruth, Lenora, and Evelyn.
Visitation will be held 12 to 5:00 p.m., Thursday, July 11, 2019. The family present will be present from 9:30 a.m. to service time at 10:30 a.m., Friday, July 12, 2019, at Bryant Funeral Home, with Pastor Adam Wutka officiating. Burial will follow at Lakin- Commanche Cemetery in Ellinwood.
Memorial has been established with the Woodhaven Care Center, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
TOPEKA (AP) — A bat found in northeastern Kansas has tested positive for rabies.
Topeka television station KSNT reports that the bat was found in Shawnee County. The Shawnee County Health Department is urging residents to be aware of the signs and symptoms of rabies and the steps to take if exposed.
Rabies is a fatal but preventable viral disease that is typically transmitted by raccoons, bats, skunks and foxes.
Health officials those who suspect they’ve been exposed to the disease should seek immediate medical treatment. Once a person begins to exhibit signs of disease, survival is rare. Symptoms include general weakness or discomfort, fever or headache and progress to confusion, agitation and delirium.
Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball head coach Mark Johnson made two announcements in regards to his coaching staff for the upcoming 2019-20 season. After serving as Assistant Coach for 13 consecutive years at FHSU, Jeremy Brown will now hold the title of Associate Head Coach at FHSU. Johnson also announced the addition of Todd Johnston as an Assistant Coach for the program.
Brown has been alongside Mark Johnson on the Tiger bench for 13 consecutive years since the 2006-07 season. He has helped FHSU to five NCAA Tournament Appearances, two MIAA Championships, and a record of 253-132 in that span, while helping coach three All-America and 33 All-MIAA selections. He has helped three Tiger teams to a top-three ranking in the NABC Division II Top 25 Poll, while six teams he has been a part of have seen time in the national rankings. Brown has been on the sidelines at FHSU for a total of 17 years after serving as a student assistant and graduate assistant four years. He was an assistant coach for two years at Southwestern Oklahoma State before returning to FHSU, where he has been ever since.
Johnston joins the Fort Hays State coaching staff after spending two years as an assistant coach at Cloud County (Kan.) Community College. He helped the T-Birds to a 10-win improvement in his second year with the program and helped five players move on to four-year colleges over his two seasons. Johnston also spent time as an assistant coach at Missouri Southern for one year (2014-15) and Benedictine College for two years (2015-17). A native of Kincaid, Kansas, he played collegiately at Cloud County for two years and then Baker University for two years, where he received bachelor’s degrees in Secondary Education and History. Johnston averaged 10 points per game his senior year at Baker and helped the program to an appearance in the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Tournament in his junior season.
Fort Hays State will enter its 19th season under head coach Mark Johnson in 2019-20. Johnson is the all-time coaching wins leader at FHSU with a record of 359-172 (.676). The Tigers have enjoyed 17 winning seasons in his 18 years leading the program, including 12 consecutive going into the upcoming season. The Tigers have reached at least 20 wins in a season nine times under Johnson, while making seven NCAA Tournament appearances and collecting three conference championships (2 MIAA, 1 RMAC).
SALINA — A 32-year-old Salina man is dead following a physical altercation at a local restaurant Friday afternoon.
According to a news release from the Salina Police Department, officers were dispatched at 3:45 p.m. on Friday to McDonald’s, 701 S. Broadway Blvd., for the report of an unconscious person in the parking lot. When officers arrived on the scene they discovered Scott McMurray unconscious. McMurray was transported by Salina Fire Department EMS to the Salina Regional Health Center (SRHC), where he was treated by emergency room medical staff, the news release stated.
During the initial on-scene investigation, officers were told that McMurray was involved in a physical altercation with Austin Ferguson, 29, of Salina. On Monday, Salina Police Captain Gary Hanus said that the dispute was over a third individual, a female. At one point during the altercation, Ferguson landed a punch to McMurray, which caused McMurray to fall to the pavement, the news release states.
Ferguson had remained on the scene and was taken to the police department for questioning. At approximately 6:30 p.m. Friday, Ferguson was booked into the Saline County Jail on suspicion of aggravated battery and aggravated assault, the news release states.
According to the news release, SRHC emergency room medical staff discovered McMurray’s medical condition was deteriorating and he was taken to the operating room, however at 10:06 p.m. on Friday, McMurray was pronounced deceased.
The news release noted that as the investigation continued over the weekend, new and reliable information was discovered. After discussing the case with the Saline County Attorney’s Office and considering the statutes of Kansas, Salina Police determined that a request for charges would not be filed and Ferguson was released from the Saline County Jail at 12:34 p.m. on Sunday.
Hanus said Monday that an autopsy of McMurry had been ordered and that the investigation is ongoing.
HUTCHINSON — The Hutchinson Fire Department rescued three people from the Arkansas River on Sunday after they were displaced from tubes shortly after entry.
The three entered at the Fourth Street river bridge. There were four people in the group. Two of them became hung up close to the east bank. The other two tubers got farther down the river before one was able to access the bank. The other person became stranded as well.
Initial contact was made by the Reno County Sheriff’s Office, however, deputies were unable to free the three from the river.
No life jackets were present, according to reports.
The Hutchinson Fire Department deployed a boat under the Kansas 96 river bridge and was able to quickly access all three upstream, place them into the boat and into life jackets, then return them to shore.
All three were checked by Reno County EMS following the rescue with no injuries reported.
