Logan resident Donna M. Lowry passed away Oct. 8, 2019 at the Logan Manor in Logan at the age of 75. She was born June 19, 1944 in Almena, KS, the daughter of Roland & Maxine (Price) Glenn.
Survivors include her husband Max of the home; 2 sons, Mark of Stockton & Kirk of Brush, CO; her daughter Pam Crist of Phillipsburg; 1 sister, Rovella Shearer of Norton; 9 grandchildren, 6 step grandchildren & 8 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Sat. Oct. 12 at 10:30 a.m. in the Logan Christian Church with Pastor Troy Buss officiating. Burial will follow in the Pleasant View Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 5:00 to 9:00 Thursday & 12:00 to 9:00 Friday at the Logan Funeral Home.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Church or the Logan Community Development Foundation.
LAWRENCE — This fall, the Kansas Honor Scholar Program, a longstanding tradition of the University of Kansas Alumni Association and KU Endowment, will honor more than 3,600 high school seniors throughout Kansas for their academic excellence and achievement.
Since 1971 the program has honored more than 140,000 high school seniors — from all 105 Kansas counties and approximately 360 high schools — for ranking academically in the top 10 percent of their class. The program is made possible by KU Endowment, alumni donations and proceeds from the Alumni Association’s Jayhawk license plate program, and allows the University and the Alumni Association to create more scholarship opportunities for Kansas students.
This year, the Association and KU’s Office of Admissions and Scholarships awarded five incoming freshmen from Garden City, Kansas City, Liberal, Topeka and Winfield one-time, $1,000 Kansas Honor Scholar Scholarships, funded entirely by alumni donations. In addition, two students, from Salina and Kansas City, received the $1,000 renewable four-year Herbert Rucker Woodward Scholarship, given annually for the past 21 years to Kansas Honor Scholars. Since 1985, more than 17,000 Kansas Honor Scholars have attended KU.
Scholars and their families are invited to attend any of the 13 regional ceremonies:
Ceremonies will include speakers, recognition of the scholars, and a reception for scholars, families, school administrators and alumni. During the ceremony, students will receive distinctive Kansas Honor Scholar medallions that can be worn at their local graduations or recognition events. In addition, the Alumni Association will mail certificates to all high schools for distribution to all 3,600 Kansas Honor Scholars. For more information and to register online, visit kualumni.org/khs.
Northwest Kansas students earning the honor are below:
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball received a pick of fourth in both the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Polls, released on Wednesday during MIAA Basketball Media Day at The College Basketball Experience. The Tigers were tabbed in the position where they finished last season.
Defending national champion Northwest Missouri State topped both polls following an undefeated 38-0 season. The top four remained consistent in both polls with Missouri Southern second, Washburn third, and Fort Hays State fourth. The top four of the polls nearly mirrors how the regular season standings finished last year, the only difference is Washburn finished second and Missouri Southern finished third in conference play. From fifth through 14th, picks vary in the polls.
Fort Hays State is coming off an 18-11 season in 2018-19. The Tigers went 12-7 in MIAA play to finish alone in fourth place. FHSU saw its season end in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals. The Tigers lost all three of their all-conference performers from last year, which included Brady Werth, Marcus Cooper, and Kyler Kinnamon.
The Tigers have six returners to the squad this season, however, only four were on the floor last year as two redshirted. Aaron Nicholson is the top returning scorer from last year. He averaged 9.0 points per game and led the team in 3-point field goals made (45). Devin Davis is the top scorer off the bench from last year, who averaged 8.6 points per contest. Jared Vitztum is the top returning rebounder, who pulled down 5.3 per game while chipping in 7.3 points per game. Nyjee Wright also returns after scoring 4.8 points per game last year.
Mark Johnson enters his 19th year guiding the Tigers. He is the longest tenured coach in the program’s history and also the program’s all-time wins leader with a career record of 359-172. He has led the Tigers to three conference titles and seven NCAA Tournament appearances.
Johnson brought in eight newcomers to this year’s squad. Five of the newcomers are transfers, while three are true freshmen.
The first action for FHSU will be on Thursday, October 24 in an exhibition contest at the University of Kansas. Tipoff is set for 7 pm at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence.
Men’s Coaches Poll
1. Northwest Missouri (13) – 169 points
2. Missouri Southern (1) – 157 points
3. Washburn – 131 points
4. Fort Hays State – 124 points
5. Northeastern State – 99 points
6. Central Missouri – 96 points
7. Lincoln – 93 points
8. Pittsburg State – 92 points
9. Rogers State – 68 points
10. Emporia State – 66 points
11. Newman – 61 points
12. Missouri Western – 58 points
13. Central Oklahoma – 44 points
14. Nebraska Kearney – 16 points
Men’s Media Poll
1. Northwest Missouri (19) – 279 points
2. Missouri Southern (1) – 259 points
3. Washburn – 238 points
4. Fort Hays State – 198 points
5. Pittsburg State – 183 points
6. Lincoln – 156 points
7. Central Missouri – 140 points
8. Emporia State – 123 points
9. Missouri Western – 120 points
10. Newman – 103 points
11. Rogers State – 102 points
12. Northeastern State – 88 points
13. Nebraska Kearney – 64 points
14. Central Oklahoma- 46 points
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A year after winning both the regular season MIAA title and the conference tournament championship, the Fort Hays State women’s basketball team is listed atop the 2019-20 MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Polls, released Wednesday (Oct. 9) at MIAA Basketball Media Day. It is the first time the Tigers have been ranked first in either MIAA preseason poll.
The Tigers were listed atop 10 ballots in the coaches poll, earning 166 points in the balloting process. FHSU picked up 14 first-place votes in the media poll, totaling 271 points. Central Missouri is a close second in both polls, finishing six points back according to the coaches and eight points back in the media edition.
Fort Hays State finished 32-2 last season, a new program record in the DII era and the second most in team history. The Tigers finished 18-1 in regular season conference play, winning the league by three games. It was the third time FHSU reached 18 conference victories since joining the MIAA in 2006, a total no other school has reached more than once in that span.
The Tigers went on to win their first conference tournament championship after winning three games over four days in Kansas City. It was the first time since 2012 a team took home both regular season and tournament trophies.
After being named the top seed and host for the NCAA DII Central Regional, the Tigers advanced to the regional title game for the second time before falling to national runner-up Southwestern Oklahoma State.
The Tigers return 10 letterwinners from a year ago, including three All-MIAA performers in Kacey Kennett (second team), Lanie Page (third team) and Belle Barbieri (honorable mention). Additions to the roster include two transfers and two freshmen.
Head coach Tony Hobson begins his 12th year at Fort Hays State with a career record of 650-200, the second-most wins among all coaches in the MIAA. He has won 237 games with the Tigers, more than any other coach in program history (237-94). Hobson holds the best four-year college winning percentage among coaches in the MIAA and is sixth among active Division II coaches (448-134, .770).
It is the eighth-consecutive season the Tigers have been picked to finish in the top five in the preseason coaches poll.
Fort Hays State will open the preseason on November 1 when the Tigers travel to Manhattan, Kan. for an exhibition contest before opening the year one week later against Minnesota Duluth on November 8 in St. Joseph, Mo.
2019-20 MIAA Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll 1. Fort Hays State (10) – 166 points
2. Central Missouri (4) – 160 points
3. Washburn – 134 points
4. Pittsburg State – 131 points
5. Emporia State – 130 points
6. Nebraska Kearney – 100 points
7. Central Oklahoma – 97 points
8. Newman – 83 points
9. Missouri Southern – 67 points
10. Northwest Missouri – 64 points
11. Missouri Western – 62 points
12. Northeastern State – 37 points
13. Rogers State – 25 points
14. Lincoln – 17 points
2019-20 MIAA Women’s Basketball Preseason Media Poll 1. Fort Hays State (14) – 271 points
2. Central Missouri (6) – 263 points
3. Pittsburg State – 227 points
4. Washburn – 217 points
5. Emporia State – 213 points
6. Nebraska Kearney – 161 points
7. Central Oklahoma – 160 points
8. Missouri Western – 131 points
9. Newman – 120 points
10. Missouri Southern – 109 points
11. Northwest Missouri – 84 points
12. Rogers State – 73 points
13. Northeastern State – 47 points
14. Lincoln – 23 points
Rain changing over to snow possible on Thursday Night with a killing freeze over much of the area by early Friday morning. #kswxpic.twitter.com/Wd4iet5KYc
The National Weather Service has issued a freeze watch in effect from Thursday evening through Friday morning.
Forecasters are calling for a radical change in the weather, with temperatures going from a high of near 80 degrees on Wednesday to as low as 24 degrees overnight Thursday.
The freeze watch include most of western Kansas, including Hays and Ellis County.
The NWS said a freeze could kill crops and sensitive vegetation, as well as damage outdoor plumbing, reminded residents to unhook hoses from spigots to prevent damage. The NWS further warned those with in-ground sprinkler systems should drain the system and cover above-ground pipes to avoid them from freezing.
There is also a chance for precipitation as the front rolls in, with the NWS predicting a 40 percent chance of rain and possibly snow.
The temperature will rebound somewhat Saturday and Sunday, with highs in the low 60s, but overnight lows still could dip below freezing.
RUSSELL COUNTY — One person was injured in an accident just before 3:30 a.m. Wednesday in Russell County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1996 Dodge Ram driven by James Thomas Bond, 51, Edna, was eastbound on Interstate 70 just west of the Dorrance exit.
The driver failed to move left for the construction zone, the KHP said. The pickup struck the KDOT arrow sign, traveled through the south ditch and KDOT fence and came to rest on the south side of Old U.S. 40.
EMS transported Bond to the hospital in Russell. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
Dorothy M. Kopke, 92, passed away October 7, 2019 at Country Place Senior Living, Larned. She was born December 15, 1926 at Lawrence, to Horace Floyd & Francis Lucille (Howard) Nisely. She married Warren H. Kopke on April 15, 1950 at Lawrence. He died August 4, 2007.
Dorothy was a legal secretary, working alongside her husband in his law practice. She was a member of First Christian Church and loved to travel.
Survivors include, one brother in law; one sister in law; many nieces, and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Warren H. Kopke; and one sister in law.
Visitation will be held from 1:00 to 9:00 p.m., Monday, October 28, 2019 at Bryant Funeral Home. Graveside Service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at Great Bend Cemetery, with Pastor Josh Leu presiding.
Memorials are suggested to First Christian Church in Great Bend, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
SARCOXIE, MO (AP) — Jurors have ruled that an 86-year-old former minister is a sexually violent predator who should remain confined even though he has completed a 15-year prison sentence for sodomizing teenage boys.
Peckham photo MDC
Jurors reached the verdict last month in the case against Donald Peckham, but the case records weren’t publicized until Tuesday. Prosecutors say Peckham, who is from Sarcoxie in Southwest Missouri, sexually abused at least 14 boys between 12 and 16 years old over the course of 30 years and continued to victimize young boys until he was 67 years old.
Defense attorney Amy Clay says the decision to indefinitely commit Peckham to a treatment program run by the Missouri Department of Mental Health amounts to a “life sentence” because few people get through it.
Memorial Mass for Bruce Paul Lopez, 61, Lawrence, will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, October 12, 2019 at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Lawrence. Bruce passed away Thursday, October 3, 2019. A Rosary will be recited Friday, October 11th at 5 p.m. with a visitation to follow until 7 p.m. at Warren-McElwain Mortuary in Lawrence.
Bruce was born on July 3, 1958, in Garden City, Kansas, the son of Paul and Antonia (Blea) Lopez. Bruce grew up in Garden City, Kansas. He attended Thomas More Prep high school and University of Kansas.
He was the Director of Sales for a collection services company.
He married Mary Katherine Holter on June 8, 1996, in Lawrence, KS. The center of his life was his family, and he especially treasured his four grandsons and embraced every moment with them. He never met a stranger and was blessed with wonderful friends and coworkers who he considered his second family. Bruce will be dearly missed and forever in our hearts.
Bruce is survived by his wife, Mary, his daughter, Jessica Dwyer, Olathe, KS; son, Brian(Jessica) Dwyer, Wichita, four grandsons, Devon (9), twin grandsons, Travis and Brooks (6), and Easton (6 weeks); his father, Paul Lopez, Garden City, KS; sisters Patsy Ramirez Blackburn, Holcolm, KS; Paula Lopez Stevenson, Cimarron, KS; brother, Alexander Ramirez, Garden City, KS; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother, Antonia Lopez.
Memorial contributions in Bruce’s memory may be made to Thomas More Prep-Marian, Jr./Sr. High School, c/o Advancement Office, 1701 Hall St., Hays, KS 67601 or to the Bruce Lopez Memorial Fund for his grandsons’ education and may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 13th Street, Lawrence, KS 66044.
Hays city commissioners will hear a final report during their meeting Thursday. Earlier in the day they’ll tour the reconstructed facility at 755 General Custer along with Kansas Department of Health and Environment representatives.
Work on the plant, formally known as Chetolah Creek Water Reclamation and Reuse Facility, began in May 2017 in order to meet future effluent requirements mandated by KDHE and the EPA.
Throughout the project, representatives of HDR Engineers, the city’s owner’s representative, has presented regular progress updates to the commission.
In other business, Jesse Rohr, public works director, will discuss the Ellis County floodplain remapping project.
The Kansas Division of Water Resources (DWR) and FEMA began the project in February, 2018, to update the 1986 maps currently in use.
According to Rohr the new Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) are expected to be at least 10 times more accurate and will utilize digital tools when evaluating properties for flooding risk.
Draft maps will be available for public feedback during an open house 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 6 at Sternberg Museum.
After approval, the final floodplain maps are scheduled to become effective by the summer of 2021.
The complete Oct. 10 agenda is available here. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in Hays City Hall, 1507 Main.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The hunt continues for a second suspect in a weekend Kansas bar shooting that left four dead and five wounded after officers searched two homes in the area without finding the fugitive.
Hugo Villanueva-Morales photo KCK PoliceAlatorre photo KCK Police
On Tuesday, police looked for 29-year-old Hugo Villanueva-Morales first at a duplex that is less than 1 mile away from the Tequila KC bar. Gunfire erupted there early Sunday about two hours after Villanueva-Morales got into an argument and was forced to leave. Police Officer Jonathon Westbrook says police also searched a second home before determining Villanueva-Morales wasn’t there.
Villanueva-Morales and 23-year-old Javier Alatorre are charged with four counts of first-degree murder. Alatorre was arrested later Sunday in Kansas City, Missouri. Police say Villanueva-Morales should be considered “armed and dangerous.”
KANSAS CITY – A man was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for his role in a three-months-long conspiracy that included more than 27 armed robberies, culminating in the armed robbery of a Walgreens in Blue Springs, Missouri, in which a suspect was fatally shot by law enforcement officers.
Thomas-Mo. Dept. of Corrections
Shannon R. Thomas, 29, Kansas City was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to life in federal prison without parole, followed by a consecutive sentence of 72 years in federal prison without parole.
On May 9, 2019, Thomas was found guilty at trial of participating in the conspiracy as well as participating in 10 armed robberies. He was also found guilty of 10 counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The life sentence was imposed for Thomas’s conviction of brandishing a firearm during the Walgreens robbery that resulted in the death of Jermon Seals.
Thomas and co-conspirators robbed 27 businesses in Blue Springs, Independence, North Kansas City, Raytown, and Kansas City, Missouri, and in Kansas City, Kansas, at gunpoint from Jan. 2 to March 24, 2016. In addition to the armed robberies charged in the indictment, evidence was introduced during the trial of other, uncharged robberies that were committed in furtherance of the conspiracy. Victim businesses included convenience stores, pharmacies, and other businesses.
The robberies followed a similar pattern: Two or three conspirators entered the business armed with handguns, wearing gloves, hoodies, and/or masks. The hoodies were drawn tightly over their faces to obscure their features. The employees were forced at gunpoint to hand over money from the cash register and the safe. The thieves wore the same hoodies in nearly all the robberies; Thomas wore a blue Kansas City Royals hoodie for the majority of the robberies he committed.
The spree of robberies culminated on March 24, 2016. Thomas, along with co-defendant Deonte J. Collins-Abbott, 25, of Grandview, Missouri, and Jermon Seals of Shawnee, Kansas, robbed the Walgreens at 7 Highway and Duncan in Blue Springs. Thomas placed a Springfield Armory .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol to the back of an employee’s head and took money from the front register. Collins-Abbott and Seals went over the pharmacy counter and took prescription grade cough syrup at gunpoint from the pharmacist. They left the business but were confronted by law enforcement officers as they were walking back to the vehicle. They failed to comply with the officers’ commands; Seals turned towards the officers, pointing a gun in their direction. Officers returned fire and Seals was fatally struck in the exchange. Thomas and Collins-Abbott were apprehended by officers after a short foot chase.
Collins-Abbott pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison without parole. Collins-Abbott admitted that he committed eight armed robberies between Feb. 3, 2016, and March 24, 2016.
Parrise K. Black, also known as “Kilo,” 27, of Grandview, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole. Demetrius Nelson, 26, of Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight years in federal prison without parole. Co-defendant Kevin T. Thompson-Randell, 24, of Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole.
Frank A. Garner, Jr., 25, of Grandview, pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 18, 2019.
