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Month: September 2019

Parents help kids escape through broken window after gun reported at Kan. school

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DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement were busy investigating two unfounded reports at a middle school Tuesday.

Liberty Memorial Central Middle School google image

Just before 11:30 a.m., police were dispatched to Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, 1400 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, to reports of an intruder, according to officer Patrick Compton.

Upon arriving at the scene, officers conducted a thorough search of the building and determined there was no threat.

Earlier in the day, students voiced concerns to school administrators that another student had possibly brought a gun to school. The administrators began questioning the child, and as a precaution, put the school on lockdown. Parents began calling 911 after receiving concerning text messages from students and proceeded to the school in attempt to take their children home.

Lawrence police officers and parents arrived at approximately the same time, as parents were attempting to help students exit a broken first floor window.

Some of the students were treated at the scene for minor injuries from the broken glass.

Police were able to quickly determine that no weapons were present in this incident, and none of the students, faculty or staff were in any danger, according to Compton.

Animal rescue operators charged after more than 140 dogs die

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photo Benton County Sheriff

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A couple who operated an animal rescue face multiple charges after 120 dogs and a cat were found dead in Missouri and about two dozen more dogs died in Texas. More than 200 other animals were rescued from conditions that law enforcement described as “inhumane and unimaginable.”

Forty-nine-year-old Tiffany Woodington, was charged Friday in Missouri with 10 counts of felony animal abuse and two misdemeanor counts of animal abuse. Her husband, Steven Woodington, was charged Thursday in Texas with animal cruelty.

Tiffany Woodington photo Benton Co.

A second man described as the caretaker also was charged in Texas with animal cruelty. All three are free on bond.

The Benton County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Office said that the couple operated the nonprofit group All Accounted For, which brought animals from Texas to Missouri.

Rising Missouri River forces road closure in northeast Kansas

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MoDOT photo of U.S. Route 59 in March

By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Highway 59, the route to Atchison, Kansas in southern Buchanan County, has been closed after floodwaters from the Missouri River overflowed the highway once again.

The Missouri River level has been rising ever since the US Army Corps of Engineers increased releases from Gavins Point Dam from 70,000 cubic feet per second to 80,000. The Corps increased releases after extreme rain in the upper Missouri River basin filled the six reservoirs upstream on the Missouri.

Highway 59, from state Highway 45 at Rushville to Atchison, Kansas, is closed, according to an alert sent out by the St. Joseph Police Department this morning and confirmed by the Missouri Department of Transportation.

The MoDOT reports flooding has closed Route 10 in Carroll County, as well. MoDOT is keeping a close eye on Route 65 near Carrollton as crest of the Missouri River moves south.

The Missouri River is at 22.74 feet at Rulo, Nebraska, expected to crest at 22.8 early tomorrow morning, according to the National Weather Service. The Missouri at St. Joseph is at 21.8 feet this morning with a crest of 22.4 expected tomorrow. At Atchison, the Missouri River rose to 23.39 feet this morning with a crest of 24.3 expected sometime Wednesday evening or Thursday morning.

Kan. man jailed for cashing checks stolen from mailboxes

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SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with stolen mail.

Annis photo Saline Co.

Salina Police have made another arrest connected to a check stolen from a mailbox in Bennington.

A 57-year-old Bennington man reported to Salina Police that after he discovered his  bank account was overdrawn he contacted American State Bank, 1661 S. Ohio in Salina and learned that on Sept. 16, someone had altered and cashed a check for $1,500 that the victim had originally written for $500,  according to Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.

The victim told police that he had put the check in his mailbox on September 15.The altered check was made out to David Annis.

At the time police were investigating the Bennington case, Anni,s 24, of Abilene, was in the Saline County Jail after an arrest on suspicion of forgery in another case.

Police detectives compared bank surveillance video to Annis’ booking photo, positively identified him and arrested him on requested charges that included  Forgery, Felon theft by deception

Police believe more than one person is involved in the forgery case, according to Forrester.

Isaac Wayne Stone

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Isaac Wayne Stone, age 21, passed away on Friday, September 21, 2019, in Tribune, Kansas.

Isaac was born December 24, 1997, in Wichita, Kansas. A resident of Tribune, Kansas since 1999 moving from Garden City, Kansas, he was a farmer. He was a 2016 graduate of Greeley County High School in Tribune, Kansas, where he was on the wrestling squad, was active in 4-H and FFA.

Isaac’s surviving family includes his Fiancée’ – Sarah Lightner- Tribune, Kansas, Two Children – Octavia Stone- Tribune, Kansas, Layla Stone- Tribune, Kansas, Parents – Dale & Sheri Stone – Tribune, Kansas, Five siblings – Tammi & Justin Hazel- Tribune, Kansas, Ralph Stone- Hays, Kansas, Isaiah Stone – Colby, Kansas, Elijah Stone – Oahu, Hawaii, Ezekiel & Gabby Stone – Beaufort, South Carolina, Grandparents – Loretta Stone- Tribune, Kansas, Ronnie & Cheryl Rock – Perryton, Texas, Kathy Krayca – Tribune, Kansas, Great Grandmother – Ann Krayca – Goodland, Kansas, Numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins.

His grandfathers, Raymond Stone and Wayne Krayca, a cousin, Brandon Stone and an uncle, Jay Reynolds precede him in death

Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. (MDT) Thursday, September 26, 2019, at the First Baptist Church in Tribune, Kansas with Pastor Shannon Schneider officiating.

Burial will be in Greeley County Cemetery in Tribune, Kansas.

Memorials may be given to the Isaac Stone Memorial Fund for his children in care of the funeral home.

Friends may call from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm Wednesday at Price & Sons Funeral Home in Tribune, Kansas.

Dean Edward Turner

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Dean Edward Turner, 88, of Osborne, KS passed away on Monday, September 23, 2019 at the Osborne County Memorial Hospital of Osborne, KS. Dean was born on December 1, 1930 in White Cloud, KS to George A. & Lola E. (Taylor) Turner. Dean had 1 sister.

Dean’s family moved to Hiawatha, KS at an early age. He graduated from high school there & attended KU for 1 year. Dean joined the U. S. Army & served for 2 years. Sixteen of those months he served in Korea. Dean was a member of the American Legion & was a Life Member of VFW. He was also a member of the United Christian Church of Osborne.

Dean was a Warehouse Examiner of the Kansas Grain Inspection Dept. for 31 years. He retired in 1993.

Dean married Norma J. Whaling and to this union, 3 children were born. Several years after Norma passed away, he later married Joan Oelke.

Dean was preceded in death by his parents and his first wife, Norma in 2007.

Dean is survived by his wife, Joan; sons: Mitchel of San Antonio, TX; Michael (Richelle) of Kansas City, MO; daughter: Marty (Troy) Gaston of Apex, NC; 12 grandchildren & 11 great grandchildren; sister: Georgia ‘Jo’ (Dean) Marxer, of Costa Mesa, CA; 2 nieces & 1 nephew.

Click HERE for service details.

Renetta (Schmidtberger) Witt

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Renetta (Schmidtberger) Witt, 93, of Russell, Kansas passed away September 23, 2019 at St. Luke’s Hospital in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. She was born Renetta Marie Schmidtberger on March 12, 1926 in Gorham, Kansas the daughter of Frank and Mary (Mermis) Schmidtberger. She grew up on a farm in Gorham, Kansas with five other siblings.

Renetta spent the last five years living with her daughter Marlene Thompson in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Renetta was united in marriage to Lloyd J. Witt on April 6, 1948. Lloyd was engaged in farming and owned Witt Motor Company. Lloyd preceded her in death on May 19, 1967. As well as her parents Frank and Mary Schmidtberger, brothers Ed, Herman and Al and her sister Marcella Haselhorst. Surviving Renetta is her brother, Linus Schmidtberger, of Corpus Christi, Texas, many nieces and nephews.

From this union, Renetta and Lloyd were blessed with two daughters. Mrs. Connie (Gary) Patterson of Lawrence, Kansas and Ms. Marlene Thompson of Lee’s Summit, Missouri. She leaves behind 5 grandchildren who adored her, Ryan (Rachelle) Patterson, Charlotte, North Carolina, Laura Patterson, Austin, Texas, Mark (Elisabet) Thompson, Shawnee Kansas, Matt Thompson, Lee’s Summit, Missouri and Travis (Maria) Thompson, Stuttgart, Germany. Four great grandchildren Avery, Liam and Reid Patterson and Mia Thompson. She will be remembered as a caring mother, grandmother, great grandmother and dear friend with a cheerful smile.
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Renetta worked at the City Bakery when she first came to Russell and the Safeway Store. Then she worked for over 40 years at Banker’s Mercantile from 1943-1985. She was seventeen years old when she began working for Banker’s in the Ladies Department. She loved her job and was especially fond of assisting customers to find the clothing fashions to best suit their needs and coordinating accessories. She loved going on vacations with her daughters and their families.

Renetta was a member of St. Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church, a lifetime member of the Ladies VFW Post #620 Auxiliary, St. Mary’s Church Guild, The Elks Lodge, Hallmark Collector’s Club and the Russell Antique Collector’s Club. She was an avid Kansas University basketball fan, cordially sent greeting cards and letters to family and friends, enjoyed embroidery work and loved flowers and all things that were glittery. She often attended auctions and had a passion for antique glassware.

A Celebration of the Funeral Mass is scheduled for 10:30 AM, Friday, September 27, 2019 at St. Mary Queen of Angels Church of Russell with Father Mike Elan officiating. Burial will follow at the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Thursday September 26 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell. Vigil and Rosary will be held at 7:00 PM, Thursday, September 26, 2019 at St. Mary, Queen of Angels Catholic Church. Memorials have been established with St. Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church or Russell Legacy Fund (Russell Historical Society). Contributions and condolences may be left with Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, who is in charge of these arrangements.

Police release video of suspect wanted for stabbing Kan. woman

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SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a stabbing and asking the public to help identify a suspect.

Just after noon Monday, police responded to report of a stabbing in the 7400 Block of East 17th Street North in Wichita, according to officer Paul Cruz.

Investigators have learned that an unknown suspect approached a 28-year-old woman who was standing by her vehicle. The suspect stabbed her multiple times and walked away on 17th Street and left the area.
Officers located the victim at the scene. EMS transported her to a local hospital where she remains in serious condition, according to Cruz.

Police believe this is a random act and have released video images of the suspect described as a white male, 40’s, 5-foot-9 in height and thin build. He has red to blond colored short hair, with a short beard, white shirt and dark colored camouflage pants. Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

Hays school board continues work on classified wage schedule

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By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The Hays USD 489 school board at its meeting Monday reviewed a new pay schedule that would boost pay for some secretaries and clerical staff.

The school board was first presented a classified wage study on June 16. It found several classes of USD 489 employees are not making as much as their peers. These included secretaries, office assistants and clerical workers, and information technology assistants. The wages for information technology assistants have already been adjusted.

Faith Lochmann, HR coordinator, reviewed pay scales from a variety of school districts in the state that included step increases for years of experience. The steps maxed out between 20 and 30 years with steps of 15 to 30 cents per year.

The starting wage for a USD 489 school secretary is $9.62 per hour, but the average starting wage for other Hays employers is $12.78. Comparable school districts pay an average of $11.08 and comparable cities pay an average starting wage of $13.45.

The plan that was presented to the board on Monday included a starting wage of $11 per hour for secretaries with 15 cent increases per year of service. The average wage increase would be 72 cents.

The wage increases would cost the district $24,000 annually.

The starting wage for a principal’s secretary would be $12.20 with 30 cent per year steps.

Central office clerical staff would start at a base pay of $12.20 with 25 cent increments.

Lochmann said the wage schedules could take into consideration experience at previous jobs.

Although the board had not intended to make changes this year to the nutrition staff’s pay, Lochmann presented information about a possible nutrition staff pay schedule.

Lochmann noted assistant cook positions had a very high turnover rate. She also noted some employees on the nutrition staff had 20 or more years with the district but were still making $11 to $12 per hour.

Board president Mike Walker said he thought the board needs to move forward with implementing the wage schedules.

“I appreciated the graphs,” Walker told Lochmann. “I felt this really puts it out there in black and white.”

Board member Luke Oborny said, “After someone worked for 20 years, I think they know the kids. They may not have a title, but they become experts. That’s tremendous.”

Oborny asked for a comparison of complete compensation packages.

Hays has higher total compensation than Ellis school district, but lower compensation than Liberal and Garden City school districts when compared to the total current compensation package.

Oborny asked Lochmann to bring back a comparison of total compensation with HaysMed and FHSU.

“Our employees are probably not going to move to Garden City or Liberal, but they might go to HaysMed,” he said.

The board did not vote on the issue Monday. They will consider it again at their meeting in October.

Enrollment

As of the official county day on Friday, USD 489 had a total enrollment of 3,014 students. That is down slightly from the total audited numbers of 3,044 in 2018-19. With the exception of this slight dip this year, enrollment in the district has been growing steadily since 2012-13. The numbers for 2019-20 will not be official until they are audited by the state.

No name for new center

The board failed to approved a new name for the former Oak Park Medical Complex, where the Early Childhood Connections program is now located. Superintendent Ron Wilson proposed the USD 489 Early Childhood Center. That failed on a vote of 3-1, with Sophia Rose Young voting against. Board members Mandy Fox, Greg Schwartz and Paul Adams were absent. The item was tabled for the next meeting.

The move-in day for the early childhood program at Munjor will be Thursday.

In other business, the board heard a report on the Kansas STAR program.

Golden Belt Bank announces Froelich’s retirement

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Marie Froelich

Marie Froelich will retire on Sept. 30 from Golden Belt Bank, the bank announced Tuesday.

She began her career as a part-time teller in 1978. She has served in many capacities over the years, but spent most of her career as a very talented and respected mortgage loan officer.

“Golden Belt Bank is honored that Marie chose to spend the last 40 years serving Golden Belt Bank,” said Golden Belt Bank President/CEO Chris Wente. “During her career, Marie has developed numerous impactful relationships with employees, customers, and colleagues. She is a respected banker in the community and will be greatly missed. On behalf of the Board of Directors and our entire staff, we wish Marie the best in her retirement.”

The public is invited to a come-and-go reception in Froelich’s honor. The reception will be from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, at Golden Belt Bank, 1101 E. 27th.

— Submitted

Howard L. Rajewski

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Howard L. Rajewski, age 91, from Vincent, Kansas, died Monday, September 23, 2019, at Hays Medical Center, Hays, Kansas.

He was born March 13, 1928, on the family farm at Vincent, Kansas, to Leo and Anna Helen (Huser) Rajewski. He married Aquina (Leiker) on August 25, 1948, at Victoria, Kansas.

He was a farmer, a dairyman for over 50 years, worked for Hunter Construction for a number of years, and lived all of his life in the Vincent Community. He was a member of St. Boniface Catholic Church, served on the Parish Council at Vincent, Kansas, the Victoria 3rd Degree Knights of Columbus, the Victoria 4th Degree Assembly Knights of Columbus, and a former member of the Victoria Co-op Board. He spent several year as a volunteer basketball coach for the Vincent Grade School. Howard attended the Vincent Grade School, and was a 1946 graduate of Victoria High School.

Survivors include his wife, Aquina Rajewski, of the home; three sons, Dr. Richard Rajewski and his wife, Vicki, Hays, KS; Neal Rajewski, Vincent, KS and his friend, Deb Schmeidler, Hays, KS; Dr. Roger Rajewski and wife, Lian, Lawrence, KS; four daughters, Susan Kisner and husband, Deacon Dave, Hays, KS; Rosann Schippers and husband, Thomas, Wichita, KS; Joann Wheeler and husband, Rory, Wichita, KS; Leann Fortino and husband, John, Olathe, KS; one brother, Delando “Del” Rajewski and wife, Donna, Arvada, CO; one brother-in-law, Gilbert Sander, Great Bend, KS; 16 grandchildren; eight great grandchildren, and one great grandchild on the way.

He was preceded in death by his parents; three sisters, Marceline Denning, Kathleen Sander and Juliana Dinkel.

Services are 10:00 A.M. Thursday, September 26, 2019, at the Basilica of St. Fidelis, Victoria, Kansas. Burial in St. Boniface Cemetery, Vincent, Kansas.

A vigil service and a 3rd & 4th Degree Knights of Columbus rosary will be at 6:30 P.M. Wednesday, at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary, 412 Main Street, Victoria, Kansas 67671.

The 4th Degree Knights of Columbus will stand honor guard from 6:30 to 7:30 P.M. Wednesday at the mortuary.

Visitation will be from 6:00 to 9:00 P.M. Wednesday, and from 8:30 to 9:45 A.M. Thursday, all at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary, Victoria, Kansas.

The family suggests memorials to St. Boniface Catholic Church, St. Fidelis Catholic Church or The Capuchin Province of Mid-America.

Condolences can be sent via e-mail to [email protected] or can be left by guestbook at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com

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