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Month: August 2019

Missing Kansas sheriff’s deputy believed to be in Turkey

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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A missing Sedgwick County Sheriff’s deputy is believed to be in Turkey.

Deputy Derick A. Chandler photo Sedgwick Co.

Sheriff Jeff Easter says Homeland Security was able to confirm that Deputy Derick Chandler flew to Istanbul.

Chandler is implicated in an investigation in Wellington of a sex crime involving a 13-year-old.

On Monday, a deputy found Chandler’s gun, badge, identification and armor in the back of his patrol car. He hadn’t been on duty for about a week.

Investigators believe he drove from Wichita to Dallas, flew to Houston and took another flight to Istanbul.

Wellington officials have not issued a warrant for Chandler, so he is not currently considered a fugitive.

Easter said termination proceedings will begin, which can take at least a couple of weeks.

Erma Maxine John

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Erma Maxine John, age 91, passed away on Wednesday, August 14, 2019 at Clara Barton Hospital In Hoisington, Kansas. Erma was born August 27, 1927 in Webb City, Missouri, the daughter of James Monroe & Della (Williams) Patterson. A resident of Hoisington for a short time, she had been a resident of Tribune, Kansas since 1947 moving from Webb City, Missouri. Following retirement, Erma and her husband Bob moved to Bushton, Kansas for sixteen years to be near grandchildren, returning to Tribune in 2006 She was a homemaker and was a retired bank teller.

Erma was always active in the Tribune/ Greeley County community, serving for over 60 years in the Greeley County EHU (Now FCE) where she held several state board offices including serving as State President from 1983 through 1985. In the 1970’s, she was one of the first women elected to the Tribune City Council and was elected President of the Kuder Senior Center last year.

On November 3, 1946 she married Robert Leon John at Webb City, Missouri. Robert passed away on January 14, 2012 in Tribune, Kansas.

Erma’s surviving family includes-

Two children-
Janice Fahrenholtz Andover, Kansas (recently of Tribune, Kansas)
Robert & Margie John- Bushton, Kansas

Six grandchildren-
Cameron & David Jeter- Houston, Texas
Ashley & Trevor Angell- Andover, Kansas
Samuel & Monica Fahrenholtz- Phoenix, Arizona
Jessica & Jesse Sullivan- Colorado Springs, Colorado
Matthew & Emily John- Lexington, Kentucky
Jennifer & Liam Stringham- Hays, Kansas

Eight great grandchildren-
Harrison Jeter- Houston, Texas
Clair Jeter- Houston, Texas
Deacon Angell- Andover, Kansas
Titus Angell- Andover, Kansas
Jonah Angell- Andover, Kansas
Everly Fahrenholtz- Phoenix, Arizona
Betsy John- Lexington, Kentucky
Jonathon Stringham- Hays, Kansas

Her parents, two brothers and a son-in-law, Dr. Randall Fahrenholtz precede her in death.

Memorial services will be held at 2:00 pm (MDT) Saturday, August 24, 2019 at the First Presbyterian Church in Tribune, Kansas with Terry Woodbury officiating.

Private burial will be in Greeley County Cemetery in Tribune, Kansas.

There will be no calling times.

A short memorial service will be held at 3:30 pm (CST) Thursday, August 29, 2019 at the Bushton Community Center.

Memorials may be given to First Presbyterian Church, Greeley/Wallace Counties Health Care Foundation or Clara Barton Hospital Foundation of Hoisington, Kansas.

Glen Nelson ‘Moon’ Mullens

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Glen Nelson “Moon” Mullens, 90, previously of Duncan, Oklahoma, passed away on August 13, 2019 at the Hays Good Samaritan Society.

He was born April 14, 1929 at home in Foster, OK to JR and Edna (Smith) Mullens, the first of four children. Glen was a graduate of Elmore City High School. On December 24, 1949 he married Inetta Burgin in Duncan, OK. They celebrated 66 years of marriage and were blessed with two children.

While Glen was working in a grocery store in Duncan, he met Earl P. Halliburton, who extended an invitation to join Halliburton Services. Glen worked for Halliburton in many different positions for the next 42 years. His Halliburton years included stops in Duncan, OK, El Dorado, Hays, Russell, Atwood and Hill City, KS as well as McCook, NE. He ended his career with Halliburton in Dumas, TX as their District Manager.

During Glen’s life he was always known as “the boss”. During WWII, at the age of 14 Glen was a school bus driver for Garvin County. While driving the bus one day a teacher riding on the bus was smacking her chewing gum. Politely, Glen told the teacher to stop smacking her gum. She continued. Glen told the teacher that “she had better quit smacking her gum or she will need to get off the bus”, the teacher continued. Glen slammed on the brakes stopping the bus, opened the door and asked the teacher to get off the bus or he would help her off. The teacher exited the bus and Glen left her in the dust!

Glen has touched more lives than his family and friends will ever know. While living in Hill City, KS Glen had taken his company car to the service station to get detailed. When Glen later arrived to pick up the car he went inside the station and asked for the young man who had worked on his car. The young man came walking outside with Glen, he told the young man, “You see all the dirty spots on this car? I will be back in one hour”. In one hour, Glen returned, and the car was sitting out spotless. Glen found the young man and said, “A person that picks up a spotless car like this will come back a second time. A person that comes to pick up a car like it was an hour ago may never come back”. Glen pushed this type of work ethic on everyone he met (whether you liked it or not).

His greatest love in life was his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A close second was the Pecan Farm in Foster near where he grew up. Some of his hobbies included mowing at the farm, golfing where he proudly achieved 3 holes in one, and later in life having coffee with guys. Glen was a devout Christian and loved reading the bible and sharing his thoughts with others. Glen recorded himself reading the bible to share with his family, which they will treasure forever! In his younger years he would often lead singing at church services. Glen’s children said they never listened to radio in the car growing up, they would sing wherever they drove.

Survivors include two children Glenna Alm (Thomas) Hays, KS and Ralph Mullens, Spring, TX. Four grandchildren; Stacie (Alm) Zimmerman (Eric) Hays KS, Jason Alm (Raina) Hays, KS, Meredith (Mullens) Muerer (Chris) San Marcos, TX, Kristen (Mullens) Khazzoum (Nick) Houston, TX; Six great-grandchildren; Benjamin, Brady & Boston Zimmerman, Reed and Kennedy Alm, and Reid Khazzoum. One sister; Juanice Romine of Altus, OK, and one brother in law; Roundy Layton of Lindsay, OK.

Glen was preceded in death by his wife Inetta, his parents; JR and Edna Mullens, one brother; Manson Mullens and one sister; Arletha Layton.

Funeral services will be at 10:00 am on Saturday, August 24th, at the Foster Church of Christ in Foster, Oklahoma. Burial will follow in the Foster Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6:00 pm until 8:00 on Friday at the Wooster Funeral Home in Elmore City, OK and from 9:00 am until service time on Saturday at the church. Refreshments will be served at the Mullens Pecan Farm after the graveside services.

Memorials are suggested to Foster Cemetery Fund
Foster Cemetery
P.O. Box 4753
Foster, OK 73434

Condolences and memories of Glen may be shared with the family at www.haysmemorial.com

Hansen Foundation set to launch magazine focusing on NW Kan.

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The Dane G. Hansen Foundation announces a new quarterly magazine to debut this month.

Northwest Kansas Today will be published by the Foundation and distributed to all residents of its 26-county service area. The magazine will feature area businesses, arts, lifestyle, communities and people.

The mission of the Foundation is to provide opportunities for the people of Northwest Kansas to enjoy the highest possible quality of life. In addition to the grants and strategic initiatives the Foundation provides, the Hansen Trustees believe that the publication, highlighting the many positive attributes of the region, will contribute to the sense of pride for our communities. It also can be used by residents and businesses to recruit new people to Northwest Kansas. Readers are encouraged to share their copy with friends and family who do not live in the area.  A digital version will also be available on the Foundation’s website at www.danehansenfoundation.org.

Northwest Kansas Today, which is designed to share stories for and about this area’s people and communities, will be distributed at no cost to all verified post office addresses in the Foundation’s service area.  In order to efficiently provide the magazine to all residents, the Foundation is not able to remove an address from the mailing list. Anyone receiving the magazine who does not wish to read it is encouraged to share it with someone who might.  Because the mailing goes through several post offices, the magazine will not hit every mailbox on the same date, but residents should look for it to arrive in late August or early September.

Story ideas or other feedback can be sent to the Foundation at: [email protected].

The magazine will not include advertisements.

INSIGHT KANSAS: All politics is (not) local

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Burdett Loomis, Professor, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts and Science, University of Kansas

Former Speaker of the U.S. House Tip O’Neill famously said, “All politics is local.” He was referring specifically to congressional races, where responding to local issues from a national perspective – farm subsidy payments, Social Security checks, small business loans, etc. – was crucial to winning re-election. O’Neill’s aphorism still applies, but only to an extent, as House districts trend more blue or red over time.

Indeed, today most politics is national, not local; we can decry partisanship and polarization, but they are facts of contemporary political life. Sometimes, however, the price of partisanship is simply too high. This is one of those times.

Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate, as well as those in the Kansas Legislature, must come to terms with their unblinking support for President Donald Trump, whose excesses place him outside the mainstream of American politics. To be sure, he retains a 42 or 43 percent job approval rating and a hard core of supporters, but many of them question his fitness, capabilities, and policy preferences. For example, across several polls, more than 40 percent of Republicans think that immigrants strengthen the country.

If Republican legislators simply address their own partisan constituents’ preferences, it’s reasonable that they continue to back President Trump. But that type of representation – the all-politics-is-local kind implies that legislators are simply delegates who do what their voters wish reflects only one way to view representation. An equally significant perspective views legislators as “trustees,” who, once elected, use their own best judgment as they approach political issues.

In reality, lawmakers are both delegates and trustees, but this latter role needs to be taken seriously, especially with Trump. In short, Kansas’s national legislators, along with their state counterparts, must address contentions that Donald Trump is unfit for the position he holds and subsequently voice their concerns, even if on balance they support him.

At the national level, only Sen. Jerry Moran has expressed – sporadically – any serious concerns over Trump’s pronouncements and policies. Immigrant children separated from their parents? Nothing. Allowing Putin to interfere with our elections? Nada. Posting a grossly insensitive photo with a grin and a “thumbs up,” while Melania holds the orphaned child of two parents who died protecting him? Zip.

The list goes on, even when Kansas farmers are the target of unthinking tariff policies. Rep. Roger Marshall from the Big First congressional district reported an April conversation with the president as to the farm economy. He expressed his concerns, and the president responded. “Thanks to the farmers who are being patriots for getting us through this.” Subsequently, the impact on Kansas famers has only worsened but with little acknowledgment and no actions from Marshall or fellow representatives Estes and Watkins.

Even Pat Roberts, the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, while complaining about the impact of tariffs, has done virtually nothing within the Republican-controlled Senate.

With Trump’s net approval rating currently standing at +5 percent in Kansas, legislators-as-delegates could argue that they are reflecting their constituents’ wishes. Still, representation is far more than that. Legislators must use their intelligence, experience, and proximity to power in assessing the overall fitness of a president to govern. And they have been silent, as the president cozies up to dictators and mass murderers, continually labels immigration an “invasion” and cannot provide even the appearance of empathy to a nation distraught over mass shootings.

Legislators, speak out.

Burdett Loomis is an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Kansas.

KC Diocese: More sex abuse allegations against former bishop

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CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — A former Catholic bishop is facing multiple allegations of sexual abuse of boys during his career, including 25 years in Wyoming.

At least three Wyoming men say former Bishop Joseph Hart abused them while he worked in the Diocese of Cheyenne.

A spokesman for the Kansas City diocese says it settled lawsuits in 10 other cases involving Hart over the years.

Four people have leveled abuse claims against Hart in the past year.

Hart has consistently denied allegations of sexual abuse or misconduct, while his attorney has not responded to repeated messages seeking comment.

Hart was among 11 people named in a June report by the Diocese of Cheyenne about sexual abuse between 1957 and 2003.

Hart led the diocese from 1976 until 2001.

HPD Activity Log Aug. 13 & 14

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The Hays Police Department responded to 9 animal calls and conducted 6 traffic stops Tue., Aug. 13, 2019, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Drug Offenses–3700 block Vine St, Hays; 2:20 AM; 2:30 AM
Animal At Large–200 block E 12th St, Hays; 7:34 AM
Dead Animal Call–8th and Vine St, Hays; 7:51 AM
Animal At Large–700 block E 6th St, Hays; 8:50 AM
Lost Animals ONLY–200 block W 16th St, Hays; 11:03 AM
Civil Dispute–500 block E 6th St, Hays; 12:15 PM
Suspicious Activity–2700 block Hall St, Hays; 12:25 PM
Animal Injured–300 block W 43rd St, Hays; 1:47 PM
Custody Dispute–1300 block Steven Dr, Hays; 2:12 PM; 3:29 PM
Drug Offenses–100 block Ash St, Hays; 4:03 PM; 4:07 PM
Violation of Restraining Order/PFA–1800 block Milner St, Hays; 4:40 PM; 4:48 PM
Suicidal Subject–1500 block Canterbury Dr, Hays; 4:50 PM
Disturbance – General–200 block W 12th St, Hays; 5:27 PM
Welfare Check–1000 block Elm St, Hays; 5:46 PM
Theft (general)–1200 block Main St, Hays; 4 PM
Suspicious Person–200 block E 32nd St, Hays; 6:35 PM
Drug Offenses–600 block Commerce Pkwy, Hays; 7:14 PM
Storm Damage–3700 block Vine St, Hays; 9:51 PM
Assist – Other (not MV)–3600 block Vine St, Hays; 11:49 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 14 animal calls and conducted 8 traffic stops Wed, Aug. 14, 2019, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Abandoned Vehicle–1900 block Lincoln Dr, Hays; 12:20 AM
Drug Offenses–3400 block Vine St, Hays; 3:06 AM
Dead Animal Call–27th and Hickory, Hays; 8:03 AM
Animal At Large–1300 block E 33rd St, Hays; 08/14/2019 08:08:29 AM
Found/Lost Property–3200 block Vine St, Hays; 9:07 AM; 9:32 AM
Animal At Large–1700 block Vine St, Hays; 10:53 AM
Suspicious Activity–17th and Ash, Hays; 11:24 AM
Abandoned Vehicle–2900 block  Indian Trl, Hays; 11:33 AM
Theft (general)–1600 block Main St, Hays; 8/13 10:40 AM; 10:44 AM
Burglary/vehicle–1700 block Marjorie Dr, Hays; 12:28 PM
Welfare Check–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 12:44 PM
Animal Cruelty/Neglect–500 block W 20th St, Hays; 1:31 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–2500 block Vine St, Hays; 2:12 PM
Welfare Check–6th and Pine, Hays; 2:37 PM
Arson–400 block E 8th St, Hays; 3:21 PM
Shoplifting–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 7/17 1:30 PM; 3:13 PM
Shoplifting–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 7/17 10:45 PM; 11:58 PM
Shoplifting–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 7/11 2 PM; 2:58 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–300 block W 11th St, Hays; 4:11 PM
Disturbance – General–1300 block E 33rd St, Hays; 5:46 PM
Drug Offenses–400 block E 8th St, Hays; 6:45 PM
Animal Call–1000 block E 8th St, Hays; 7:33 PM
Burglary/vehicle–200 block Ash St, Hays; 7:38 PM
Criminal Trespass–2900 block Vine St, Hays; 7:15 PM; 7:48 AM
Theft (general)–500 block E 8th St, Hays; 4/1 12 AM; 8/14 7:40 PM
MV Accident-Private Property-Hit and Run–2200 block General Custer Dr, Hays; 8:23 PM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 10:24 PM
Disturbance – Noise–2200 block Walnut St, Hays; 10:30 PM
Domestic Disturbance–1600 block E 27th St, Hays; 10 PM; 10:37 PM
Burglary/vehicle–400 block  W 3rd St, Hays; 8/13 10 PM; 8/14 10 AM
Suspicious Activity–1600 block W 29th St, Hays; 10:50 PM; 10:55 PM

Resurfacing work underway on K-9 in Norton County

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The Kansas Department of Transportation has started work on a surface recycle and chip seal project on a portion of K-9 in Norton County.

The project area covers 13 miles beginning at the east U.S. 283 junction and extending east to the Phillips County line. In addition to the K-9 project, crews will also complete a chip seal on K-173 near Densmore. Traffic will be reduced to one lane through the construction zones and directed by flaggers and a pilot car during daylight hours. Minor delays not exceeding 15 minutes should be anticipated. Work is expected to be complete by the end of September, weather permitting.

Dustrol Inc. is the primary contractor for the project with a total contract cost of approximately $1 million.

Flooding rain, tornadoes and no injuries from Thursday storm

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WABAUNSEE COUNTY— Thursday’s summer storm brought heavy rain, hail strong winds and a couple of tornadoes.

Strong winds sent these trees down on a home photo by Russel Lierz courtesy Nemaha County Emergency Management

The tornadoes were reported in rural western Wabaunsee County and near Lake Wabaunsee. A funnel cloud was also north of the interstate, in Riley County and it came into Geary County, stayed aloft and moved on farther to the south toward the Wabaunsee County community of Eskridge, according to Geary County Emergence Management Director Garry Berges.

There are no reports of damage or injury in Wabaunsee County, according to the sheriff’s office. Minor street flooding was reported in Riley County and some areas lost electricity but no damage or injuries, according to the Riley County Police Department. Other than some tree limbs down, there was no damage reported in Pottawatomie County, according to the sheriff’s department.

The storm produced 1.5 inch diameter hail in Leonardville and at one point dime sized hail in Manhattan.

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