Mary Jane Keim was born May 14th, 1940, the third child to Harold Keim and Florence McGinnes. She passed away Friday, October 4th at the Logan Manor in Logan at the age of 79.
Mary was preceded in death by her brother, Leon and her mother Florence.
Survivors include brothers: LeRoy Keim and Joyce of Phillipsburg, KS, Dennis Keim and Nancy of McMinnville, ORE, John Keim and Alta of Prescott, AZ; and sister Sandra Kent of Blue Springs, MO.
Mary loved reading books to children and also a very good baby sitter for nieces and nephew. She loved spending time with them when she was home. She also loved having her family to visit with and bring up old times.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, October 8, 2019 at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, with Pastor LeRoy Herder officiating. Burial will follow in the Agra Cemetery, Agra, KS.
Miss Keim will lie in state Monday, October 7, 2019 from noon until 9:00 p.m. at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, 1115 2nd Street, Phillipsburg, KS 67661.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice Services, Inc.
Brandon Silas Gordon, 28, of Lawrence, died Thursday, October 3, 2019. He was born September 19, 1991, in Colby, KS, to Clinton and Stacy (Elliott) Gordon. Brandon graduated from Colby High School in 2010. He enjoyed fishing at Villa High Park, music, cheering for the 49ers and spending time with his son.
Brandon was preceded in death by his father Clinton Gordon.
He is survived by his mother, Stacy Gordon; fiancé, Lorale Lowe; son Aiden Silas Gordon; brothers, Anthony Chandler, Joseph Evans, Tyson Owens and Clint Gordon; sisters, Shana Chandler and Kim Gordon and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
Memorial service will be 2:00pm on Friday, October 11, 2019 at Baalmann Mortuary, Colby. Memorials are suggested to the Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 391, Colby, KS 67701. For information or condolences visit www.baalmannmoartuary.com
Shirley B. Beecher, former resident of Hill City, died October 3, 2019 in Lawrence, Kansas.
She was born in Studley, Kansas to Adolph and Regina (Billinger) Brungardt, March 7, 1936. She was the wife of Russell Norman Beecher. They had three children: Greg, Gina and Jeff.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a pair of armed robberies and have made an arrest.
Williams photo Sedgwick Co.
Just before 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, police responded to an armed robbery at the Family Dollar in the 2300 block of South Seneca in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.
Upon arrival, an employee reported an unknown suspect entered the business, pointed a handgun at her and demanded money. Money was taken by the suspect who fled on foot.
Just before 11a.m. Thursday, police responded to an armed robbery at Family Dollar in the 1000 block of South Meridian in Wichita. Upon arrival, an employee reported an unknown suspect entered the business, pointed a handgun at her and demanded money. Money was taken by the suspect who fled on foot.
No injuries occurred in either case, according to Davidson.
Through the investigation, investigators were able to identify 25-year-old Toney Williams of Topeka allegedly being involved in the two crimes.
He was arrested this Friday in the 500 block of Chautauqua from a vehicle.He is being held requested charges that include two counts of aggravated robbery regarding two armed robberies and two warrants, according to Davidson.
On Tuesday, October 15 the Kansas Small Business Development Center and Fort Hays State University will host the Rural & Independent Innovator Conference (RIIC) in Hays, Kansas.
The event will be held 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the FHSU Robbins Center.
Rural & Independent Innovators Conference (RIIC) is designed for innovators and entrepreneurs throughout rural Kansas. It will provide information, education, connections to resources and experienced entrepreneurs.
Topics that the RIIC will cover include:
Commercializing an innovative concept or prototype
Access to capital, research grants, and other means
Protecting intellectual property
Hearing from entrepreneurs about their journeys, challenges, failures, and successes
Meeting multiple resource partners and industry experts who can answer questions in person
RSVP: $15.00 registration includes lunch, refreshments, and networking. Register online by clicking HERE.
Contact our office at 785-628-5615 for more information.
Longtime Goodland resident Henry “Hank” Donald Elliott, 91, passed away suddenly on Thursday, October 3, 2019 at the Goodland Regional Medical Center in Goodland.
Hank was born on September 18, 1928 in Rural Sherman County, Kansas to Bert and Nettie (Smalley) Elliott. He was one of 10 children. Growing up around Edson, Hank attended school in Edson and graduated from Edson High School in 1946.
Hank served in the United Stated Army as a paratrooper from December 6, 1950 to December 6, 1952. On June 23, 1951, he married Dolores Jean Peter in Clarksville, TN. They had one daughter, Susan.
After serving time in the Military, Hank and Dolores moved to Goodland, where they made their home. Hank worked as a meat cutter in Goodland and the surrounding areas for many years, retiring in 1996. After retirement, he worked part time in Goodland until December 2008. He was a member of the Calvary Gospel Church and the Sugar Hills Golf Club. Playing golf was one of his biggest hobbies.
He coached Susan’s little girls’ softball team and he bowled on a father/daughter team with Susan. He also coached American Legion Baseball for several years, and pitched fast pitch softball for as well. Most of all he enjoyed spending time with his family.
Preceding him in death were his parents, his step mother Virginia Elliott, his brothers; Elmer, Leonard, Edgar, Chuck, Gene and John, and his two sisters Rhea and Thelma.
He is survived by his wife Dolores of the home in Goodland, his daughter Susan (Alan) Stasser of Kingfisher, OK, his sister Betty Wright of Goodland, 3 sister-in-laws Esther Elliott and Eleanor Elliott of Edson, KS and Bernice Peter of Finger, TN. He is also survived by 4 granddaughters; Talia Stasser of North Platte, NE, Autumn and Lisha Stasser of Kingfisher, OK, and Lindsey (Norman) Imes of Kingfisher, OK, and 6 great grandsons; Kolin and Tyce Pate of North Platte, NE, Jaxxyn Stasser, Elijah, Liam and Cole Henry Imes, all of Kingfisher, OK.
Donations may be made to Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and may be left at the services or mailed to Koons-Russell Funeral Home, 211 N. Main Ave., Goodland KS 67735.
WICHITA —Deanna Caudill hasn’t used an inhaler since she was a child. That all changed for the 25-year-old Wichita State graduate student this month when, after getting a back-to-school cold, she never seemed to recover.
“It’s like every morning I wake up and I cannot breathe,” she said. “It’s just a feeling I’ve never had in my whole life be this bad.”
Caudill suffers from an allergic reaction to ragweed pollen and the lingering effects of a cold — a combination that’s becoming increasingly common for Kansans in September.
While ragweed pollen is typically at its peak this month, increased average temperatures caused by climate change are upping the total amount of ragweed pollen in the air every year. That means for many people with allergies, every year is worse than the last.
Plus, the third week of September is typically known as Asthma Peak Week: More allergy attacks happen now than any other time of the year.
Caudill’s symptoms are so bad that she’s already ran out of the first inhaler her doctor prescribed to her.
“I’m hoping that they don’t tell me I need to do breathing treatments,” she said. “Because I’m really busy and I don’t have time for all of this.”
Off the charts
As busy as Caudill is, doctors at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, are likely even busier.
Doctors at the hospital monitor and forecast the pollen count every day. Usually people who are sensitive to ragweed begin getting itchy eyes, noses and throats when the count gets above 100 per cubic meter in the air.
“We’ve been getting counts in the 1,000 to 1,500 range which is off the chart — until we made the chart get taller,” said Jay Portnoy, an allergist and immunologist at Children’s Mercy Hospital.
It’s led to more people seeking medical attention, especially now. To prepare for the influx of patients, Portnoy’s team makes sure to increase staffing levels. He also said he typically takes vacation in July or October so that he’s available during peak season.
Because increased amounts of ragweed pollen is a regularly occurring event, Portnoy said people should prepare themselves each year by seeing their doctor and making sure all of their medications are filled. He also encouraged people with worsening symptoms to go back to their doctors to see what other prescriptions might be available.
A pollen explosion
While it’s regular for ragweed pollen to spike in September, its peaks have been increasing in the past few years.
Lewis Ziska, an environmental health professor at Columbia University, said there’s a correlation between increasing temperatures and higher pollen counts in the Northern Hemisphere. By analyzing temperature and pollen count data at 17 monitoring stations with histories greater than 20 years, Ziska found that as temperatures increased, so did pollen counts.
The longer growing season (between spring’s last freeze and fall’s first freeze) is also increasing how long plants are producing pollen, lengthening allergy season.
“It turns out carbon dioxide isn’t a political molecule,” Ziska said. “It can stimulate both good plants and bad plants.”
But it’s not all bad news for those suffering through puffy eyes and endless boxes of tissues. Ragweed season in Kansas usually ends near the beginning of October — just in time for increased levels of mold.
Brian Grimmett reports on the environment, energy and natural resources for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter @briangrimmett or email him at grimmett (at) kmuw (dot) org. The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on the health and well-being of Kansans, their communities and civic life.
Trick or Treat So Others Can Eat is Oct. 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. in Hays.
The annual Trick or Treat So Others Can Eat canned food drive is set for Tuesday, October 8, 2019 in Hays. Volunteers will be going door to door collecting non-perishable food items from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Food items such as canned meats, canned vegetables, canned fruit, and boxed meals are much needed at this time.
To assure residents that the items collected are for the Community Assistance Center, all volunteers will be wearing an identification badge with “Trick or Treat So Others Can Eat” clearly printed. Please leave items on the porch if you will not be home or do not want someone ringing the doorbell. Youth and adult volunteers from Hays give of their time to make this food drive a success.
Any house missed or those living in a rural area may take food items to the Community Assistance Center in Hays located at 12th and Oak until noon October 31, 2019.
Contact Shaina Prough at Hays High School, 623-2600, if you need further information.
Anthony Fox, owner; his fiancé Becky Meagher, and Melissa Meagher, owner, took over the SouthWind CrossFit, 229 W. 10th St, Hays, in August.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
New owners have taken the helm of SouthWind CrossFit and are bringing new offerings to the fitness club.
Melissa Meagher, 33, and Anthony Fox, 28, took over the business, 229 W. 10th, in August.
Both Fox and Melissa have a backgrounds in fitness and athletics, and Melissa and Fox were both coaches at the SouthWind before they purchased the business.
Fox has a bachelor’s degree in health and human performance and a master’s degree in movement and sports studies. He also has a certification to train college athletes. He was also formerly a trainer at the Center for Health Improvement.
Fox said he spends a lot of time watching people’s movement and trying to help them improve their technique.
“I think that keeps people safe,” he said. “I want to push people to get stronger, but I also know where to ride that line of what is going to push you to get better without you getting hurt.”
Melissa is a level 2 CrossFit coach. She was a Division I volleyball player at Central Connecticut State University and also an assistant high school volleyball coach at TMP.
Melissa said after her college sports career was over, she was dealing with a lot injuries. She joined SouthWind as what she characterized as “broken.” The gym worked with her at the level she was at and helped her rebuild her strength.
She said she is now in the best shape of her life, even better than when she was playing college sports.
“[The gym members] get to ask me questions about how did you do that. I can talk to them about how recovery is really important — how to take care of your body while you are trying to get your body back to shape,” Melissa said.
She added it helps people to be able to see others have been in their shoes and have been able to get back in shape.
In addition, her high school coaching experience, Melissa said, helps her connect with her athletes and work with large groups.
“That is really important in this gym too,” she said. “You get to know every single person in class. I can look at every single person, and I know all of their names. I know all of their injuries. I know what goals they are going for. Nobody gets neglected in this gym.”
The new owners have varied the classes offered at the gym. In addition to the 60-minute CrossFit classes, they now offer 45-minute Get Fit classes, 30-minute Quick Fit classes, an endurance course on Saturdays, open gyms, CrossFit Kids and an Athletic Development Program for high school athletes who want to work on strength and conditioning in the offseason.
Get Fit classes are for people just learning CrossFit or people who want the CrossFit class but are not involved in competitive sports.
“They want to get the good workouts in and learn more in technique and learn more in movement,” Melissa said.
Quick Fit classes are for those who don’t have very much time. They don’t use barbells, but they use all of the other equipment.
The gym is continuing its Legends course, which is geared to people who are 50 years and older. It is 60 minutes three days a week.
CrossFit Kids is aimed at getting kids involved while their parents are working out, Fox said.
“We are very about family,” he said. “As they see their parents doing something that is healthy and good for them, we are hoping they will follow in their footsteps as well.”
CrossFit is defined as using constantly varied functional movements at high intensity, Fox said. This includes a lot of squatting and lunging, and pushing and pulling.
These movements apply to daily activities. Getting out of chair is similar to a squat. Lifting groceries is similar to a dead lift, Fox said.
Especially in the Legends class, the coaches are working on improving strength for daily life activities. Some of the gym members said they were unable to kneel at church, and their goal was to be able to do that again.
Melissa and her sister Becky’s mom joined the gym. She has had two total knee replacements. If she was sitting in a chair and holding a grand-baby, she had to have someone there with her, because she couldn’t get out of the chair with one her grand-babies in her arms. Through the CrossFit class, she was able to build enough strength so she could do that.
“You don’t have to have the goal be awesome or to be a competitor,” she said. “You can just have a goal as simple as I want to be able to get our of a chair on my own. We will work with you.”
CrossFit is more focused on functionality and not how your body looks, and everyone’s workouts are individualized, the duo said.
Gym membership costs vary depending on what type of classes you want to take. Endurance courses are $19 per month, Kids CrossFit is $29 per month, the Legends class is $49 per month, Quick Fits are $69, Get Fits are $89, CrossFit is $99 and full access is $119.
TOPEKA – Kansas lawmakers spent years imposing ever tougher restrictions on abortion and then saw the state Supreme Court declare that women hold a right to the procedure.
Now Republicans and abortion opponents appear determined to amend the Kansas Constitution to reverse that ruling.
They’re looking to protect years of wins on the contentious issue, efforts that peaked during the term of Republican then-Gov. Sam Brownback. Those anti-abortion victories included blocking most abortions after the 21st week of pregnancy and requiring parental consent for minors to get an abortion.
Groups such as the influential Kansans for Life warn that the high court’s ruling earlier this year puts those laws in danger.
“They’re in jeopardy,” said Jeanne Gawdun, a senior lobbyist for Kansans for Life. “The Legislature’s been able to enact over 25 different pro-life provisions, because it’s the will of the people.”
That risk is a rallying cry for conservative lawmakers. On Wednesday, a special committee made up of members from the Kansas House and Senate recommended an amendment to the state constitution. They want to specify in the document that there is no right to abortion.
Changing the Kansas Constitution is no easy task. Both the Kansas House and Senate would have to approve an amendment with a two-thirds majority. Then the issue would go on a ballot for a statewide vote.
“All Kansans should be concerned about this matter,” Republican Senator Eric Rucker said after the committee vote. “(They) have a right to vote on whether or not to uphold this most unusual decision by the Supreme Court.”
Republicans hold large majorities in both chambers of the Kansas Legislature. The GOP has 84 of the 125 seats in the House, the exact number of votes needed to approve a constitutional amendment. In the Senate, 27 of 40 senators must approve a constitutional amendment and Republicans hold 29 seats.
In both chambers, a few moderate-leaning Republicans will be critical swing votes. Lawmakers narrowly failed to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of an abortion bill last session. An override requires the same two-thirds majority as a constitutional amendment.
As some Republicans rally behind the threat of undoing abortion restrictions, Democrats are preparing to push back.
“It completely opposes our platform,” Kansas Democratic Party Chair Vicki Hiatt said. “We strongly believe in a woman’s right to choose.”
The lawsuit that triggered the Kansas Supreme Court’s landmark decision this year is still pending. The high court clarified that the state constitution promises abortion rights and sent the case back to a lower court.
Because of that uncertainty, Democratic Rep. Pam Curtis said it’s unclear that existing abortion restrictions will be wiped out. She served on the committee that recommended a constitutional change and voted against the proposal.
“We really don’t know that yet,” she said. “We’re already jumping to a conclusion.”
Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter@kprkoranda or email skoranda (at) ku (dot) edu.
The Kansas Department of Transportation expects to begin work on a mill and overlay project on a portion of K-27 in Cheyenne County the week of Oct. 7.
The project covers a 13-mile area starting at the Sherman County line and extending north to the east U.S. 36 junction. Traffic will be reduced to one lane through the construction zone 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 finished by the end of November, weather permitting.
Venture Corporation is the primary contractor for the project with a total contract cost of approximately $2.2 million.
SEDGWICK COUNTY— One person died in an accident just before 11:30p.m. Saturday in Sedgwick County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Suzuki motorcycle driven by Dalton J. Heard,20, Wichita, was eastbound on Kansas 96 at 21st Street at a high rate of speed. The driver was unable to negotiate the curve, went into median, and struck guardrail.
Heard was pronounced dead at the scene. He was wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.
Mary Jane Keim was born May 14th, 1940, the third child to Harold Keim and Florence McGinnes. She passed away Friday, October 4th at the Logan Manor in Logan at the age of 79.
