HAMILTON COUNTY — One person died an accident just after 11 a.m. Friday in Hamilton County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1997 Ford pickup driven by William R. Reed, 62, Coolidge, was southbound on Kansas Highway 27 eleven miles north of U.S. 50.
The pickup left the roadway to the west and entered the west ditch, continued traveling southbound through a field and struck a utility pole.
EMS transported Reed to the hospital in Garden City where he died. KHP did not have details on his seat belt usage.
ROOKS COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation, along with the Rooks County Attorney, and the Rooks County Sheriff’s Office, shared that the investigation into the murder of Mark Reif has now been closed.
Following an extensive and thorough investigation, it was determined Jon Flowers, 47, Inman, was responsible for the murder of 56-year-old Mark Reif. No evidence exists indicating any other person was involved in the crime.
Forensic testing has now been completed in this case and it revealed that a fired cartridge case located at the murder scene was fired from a pistol belonging to Flowers that KBI agents collected during the investigation. The bullet removed at autopsy from Reif was also determined to have been fired from the same firearm.
Additionally, when Flowers was discovered dead in his home, a suicide note was nearby that claimed responsibility for killing Reif.
The preliminary autopsy of Flowers concluded that his death was the result of suicide. The investigation is officially being closed.
Elizabeth Woolheater photo Sedgwick Co.Lucas Diel photo Sedgwick Co.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 24-year-old Wichita woman has been sentenced to more than 19 years in prison in the death of her 2-year-old son after he refused to eat a hot dog.
Elizabeth Woolheater was sentenced Friday for the May 2018 death of Anthony Bunn.
Woolheater pleaded guilty in August to second-degree murder and two counts of child abuse. She was sentenced to 19 years, five months.
The boy died two day after he was beaten unconscious by his mother and her boyfriend, Lucas Diehl. Woolheater said she hit the boy for not eating the hot dog and then heard Diel hitting him more. Diel denied hitting the boy. He is serving a 49-year sentenced for second-degree murder.
Records show the Department for Children and Families was alerted the boy was being abused before he died.
Elma Mae Stricker, 76, died October 3, 2019 at Clara Barton Hospital, Hoisington. She was born January 31, 1943, in Great Bend, Kansas, the daughter of Frank and Marie (Klug) Beck. Elma graduated from Hoisington High School in 1961.
On October 24, 1964, she married Ron D. Stricker at the St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Hoisington.
Elma was a lifetime Barton County resident. She worked as a sales clerk for Cheyenne Drug in Hoisington for 21 years. She was a member of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church.
She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Ron Stricker of the home; and son, Jerry Stricker and wife Amanda of Hoisington; three grandsons, Kyler Stricker of Richardson, Texas, and Liam and Ryken Stricker of Hoisington; brother, Gene Beck of Hoisington, sister, Kathy Thompson of Conroe, Texas, twin brother, Elmer Beck and wife Diane of Olathe, and sister, Betty Steiner and husband Kenny of Hoisington.
She was preceded in death by her parents, an infant brother, Leo Beck, and two sisters, Bernice Christopher and Helen Urban.
Friends may sign the book from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., through the week. Family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. There will be no viewing as cremation has taken place per Elma’s request.
Funeral service will be 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Ocotber, 12, 2019, at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home Chapel, with Rev. Don Fisher presiding. Inurnment will follow in Hoisington Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to the Hoisington Fire Department or Donor’s Choice, in care of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, PO Box 146, Hoisington, KS 67544.
TOPEKA (AP) — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has joined a legal battle to save a federal program that shields young immigrants from deportation.
Kelly’s move Friday puts the Democratic governor and Republican Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt on opposite sides of a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Kelly signed onto written legal arguments opposing President Donald Trump’s attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Kelly joined Democratic Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and the Democratic attorneys general of Michigan and Nevada.
Schmidt has joined 11 other GOP state attorneys general and Mississippi’s Republican Gov. Phil Bryant in a court filing arguing that the DACA program wasn’t lawful.
The program established by President Barack Obama grants temporary legal status to immigrants without proper documents who came to the U.S. as children.
Compass Behavior Health in Garden City offers substance use evaluations, individual therapy, and 24-hour crisis services. Photo by Corinne Boyer courtesy Kansas News Service
GARDEN CITY, Kan. — Two years after closing an office in Garden City, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration announced this week it’s coming back to town.
The agency’s new setup comes at a time when methamphetamine seizures are on the rise in Finney County and the area’s seen some drug-related shootings. Plus, states are grappling with the fallout of billions of opioids distributed throughout the U.S., and western Kansas has few drug rehabilitation options.
More drug enforcement agents means more surveillance of Finney County, which is one of approximately a dozen counties in Kansas that the DEA classifies as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
County Sheriff Kevin Basque said he’s seen drugs moved through the county in almost every type of vehicle.
“In regular passenger vehicles, SUV, these trucks … just whichever method that they feel like they can move it without being detected,” Basque said. He also noted that two people have died in drug-related shootings in the last several weeks in Finney County.
It isn’t clear when the office will open. And William Callahan, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s St. Louis Division, declined to comment on the location of the agency’s new office, citing safety reasons. But he said the new team of six, which has started working, will also monitor opioids.
“Through August 2019, the Garden City Finney County Drug Task Force … has more than doubled the amount of methamphetamines seized during the entirety of 2018,” Callahan said.
He said other substances like fentanyl and counterfeit pills made in China are being shipped by mail, and causing overdoses.
Southwest Kansas’ highways provide a gateway for drugs smuggled from Mexico that are bound for distribution in Kansas City and as far as Chicago, he said, adding that methamphetamines are mostly made in Mexico now and are more potent than U.S.-made meth.
“This area of southwest Kansas has always been attractive for those people who are moving drugs, but also for law enforcement agencies trying to stop that flow,” Basque said.
When it comes to getting off of opioids or meth, someone looking for addiction treatment in western Kansas may struggle to find a detox facility, according to Lisa Southern. She’s the executive director of Compass Behavioral Health in Garden City, which serves 13 Kansas counties.
“There is a lack of services in all of Kansas and especially in the rural counties of Kansas,” Southern wrote in an email. “People … often have to wait many weeks (or longer) to go to an inpatient facility. There are very few licensed addictions counselors in western Kansas, which only adds to the treatment barriers.”
Basque said treatment is important.
“Without it, then all you’re going to do is, even if you arrest the user, maybe they committed their crime because of an addiction that they have to an illegal substance,” he said. “If it’s not treated, then when they’re released, then the chances are better that they’re going to go back to that particular lifestyle.”
Even with limited options, Southern says Compass Behavioral Health is seeing more people addicted to methamphetamines looking for help.
“It can be difficult to determine if someone has a true psychiatric disorder that can be treated with medication or if the problem is purely due to drug use,” Southern said. “With extended use, the brain damage from drug use may be irreversible and then helping the person can be nearly impossible.”
Corinne Boyer covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @corinne_boyer or email [email protected]. 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.
We are giving away the Chicken Soup for the Soul book “Think Positive, Live Happy.”
Listen during a KZ Country Morning with Theresa Trapp Monday, October 7 – Friday, October 11, 2019 for chances to call 785-628-2995 and win. No age requirement to win.
Winners will need to pick up their books at the KZ Country Studio, 2300 Hall, Hays, KS within 30 days of winning.
These 101 true stories will inspire you to think positive to live a happier life.
Everyone can use a little more positive thinking—to create an even better life. Your attitude is a powerful tool, and these stories from real people show you how to think yourself into a more fulfilling, happier life. You’ll read stories about:
making every day count through mindfulness and thankfulness
trying new things and stepping outside your comfort zone
simple phrases that could change your life
turning lemons to lemonade and finding the silver lining in every situation
finding your inner strength and turning adversity into opportunity
counting your blessings and using the power of gratitude
rebooting your life and living with passion and purpose
how volunteering and making a difference can turn your life around
strategies that work for bringing joy back into your life
techniques for managing cancer and other health challenges
*****
Congrats Joyce Hughes, Fred Friess, Terry Hagaman, Don Burlison and Linda Palmberg!
Joyce R. Roberts, 84, died October 3, 2019 in Larned.
She was born August 20, 1935 in Kinsley to Rex and Mildred (Hanna) Schnatterly.
A longtime area resident she worked for AT&T and Southwestern Bell as a telephone operator. She was a member of the First Christian Church of Larned, Christian Women’s Fellowship, prayer group III, and she was a Southwestern Bell Pioneer. She was a fan of the Royals, Chiefs, K-State, and Wichita State and loved to attend ball games. She loved to travel.
On August 22, 1954 she married Otis Lee Roberts at Larned, he preceded her in death on November 7, 1997.
Survivors include; daughter, Kris (Rod) Roberts-Wheaton, Larned; son, Rick (Tatyana Easley) Roberts, Larned; sister Pat Trotter, Wichita; seven grandchildren, Brock (Kari) Roberts, Wichita, Tyler (Stephanie) Roberts, Overland Park, Haley (Ryan) Smith, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Maksim Easley, Wichita, Ricky Roberts, Larned, Natalie (Josh) Black, Washington, D.C., Sarah (J.J.) Jones, Wichita; six great grandchildren, Kellen, Maddox, Natalie, Sarah, Jett, and Piper; nephew, Scott (Sonja) Trotter; niece, Jennifer Trotter.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband and a brother, Rex Schnatterly Jr.
Funeral will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at First Christian Church, Larned, with Pastor Damon Bradley presiding. Visitation 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 8, 2019 at Beckwith Mortuary, Larned. Burial in Larned Cemetery.
Memorials may be given to First Christian Church of Larned, Christian Women’s Fellowship, or Pawnee County Humane Society, in care of Beckwith Mortuary, PO Box 477, Larned, KS 67550.
The FTC complaint filed in federal court also charges two other top AdvoCare promoters, Danny and Diane McDaniel, with unlawfully promoting a pyramid scheme, making deceptive earnings claims, and providing others with the means and instrumentalities to do the same.
The FTC alleged that Texas-based AdvoCare promoted a business opportunity distributing health and wellness products, such as its Spark energy drink, through a network of hundreds of thousands of participants, known in the company as distributors. AdvoCare pitched its business opportunity through conferences, webinars, conference calls, podcasts, social media posts, videos, and print materials, according to the FTC’s complaint.
In its complaint against AdvoCare, former CEO Brian Connolly, and distributors Carlton and Lisa Hardman and Danny and Diane McDaniel, the FTC alleged that the parties falsely claimed to offer a life-changing financial solution that would allow any ordinary person to earn unlimited income, attain financial freedom, and quit their regular job.
In reality, the FTC alleged, the vast majority of AdvoCare distributors have earned no money or lost money.
“Legitimate businesses make money selling products and services, not by recruiting. The drive to recruit, especially when coupled with deceptive and inflated income claims, is the hallmark of an illegal pyramid.” said Andrew Smith, Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The FTC is committed to shutting down illegal pyramid schemes like this and getting money back for consumers whenever possible.”
According to the FTC, AdvoCare operated an illegal pyramid scheme that pushed distributors to focus on recruiting new distributors rather than retail sales to customers. The compensation structure also incentivized distributors to purchase large quantities of AdvoCare products to participate in the business and to recruit a downline of other participants with the same incentives. The clear directive of this structure was, as one AdvoCare distributor explained during the company’s Success School training, to “recruit business builders who recruit business builders who recruit business builders. . . .”
The FTC alleged that under the AdvoCare compensation plan, participants were charged $59 to become a distributor, making them eligible to receive discounts on products, and to sell products to the public. To earn all possible forms of compensation, however, participants had to become “advisors,” which typically required them to spend between $1,200 and $2,400 purchasing AdvoCare products and accumulate thousands of dollars of product purchase volume each year, according to the complaint. The FTC alleged that the income of AdvoCare advisors was based on their success at recruiting, with the highest rewards going to those who recruited the most advisors and generated the most purchase volume from their downline.
To recruit people, the FTC alleged, AdvoCare and the other defendants told distributors to make exaggerated claims about how much money average people could make—as much as hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars a year. The FTC alleged that distributors were told to create emotional narratives in which they struggled financially before they joined AdvoCare, but obtained financial success through AdvoCare. Distributors were also allegedly told to instill fears in potential recruits that they would suffer from regrets later if they declined to invest in AdvoCare.
The FTC alleged that the defendants told consumers that they could realize large incomes by promoting AdvoCare and that their earning capacity was limited only by their effort. For example, AdvoCare promoter Diane McDaniel told consumers that “the sky is the limit. I’m the variable. I get to decide what I truly want according to the effort I put forth” and that “there is incredible profit that can be made through infinity.”
In reality, the FTC alleged, AdvoCare did not offer consumers a viable path to financial freedom. In 2016, 72.3 percent of distributors did not earn any compensation from AdvoCare; another 18 percent earned between one cent and $250; and another 6 percent earned between $250 and $1,000. The annual earnings distribution was nearly identical for 2012 through 2015.
In addition to a $150 million judgment and a permanent ban on multi-level marketing, the settlement order with AdvoCare and Connolly requires them to notify all AdvoCare distributors about the FTC’s lawsuit and settlement, and to advise them that:
they will no longer be able to earn compensation based on purchases of distributors in their downline;
if they had significant losses pursuing their AdvoCare business, they may get some of their money back from the FTC; and
if they decide to discontinue their participation in the business opportunity, AdvoCare offers a 100 percent refund on unused products under existing refund policies.
The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the complaint and stipulated final order/injunction was 5-0. The FTC filed the complaint and final order/injunction in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
NOTE: The Commission files a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the named defendants are violating or are about to violate the law and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. Stipulated final injunctions/orders have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.
Dale L. Thomas, 81, Alamo, Texas formerly of Hays, Kansas, and Woodland Park, Colorado, died peacefully in his home on Tuesday, October 1, 2019.
He was born June 1, 1938 in Solomon, Kansas to Russell James and Hilma Louise (Wann) Thomas.
Dale graduated from Kipp High School in Kipp, Kansas in 1956. After high school, he joined the United States Naval Academy and was an aircraft mechanic with the Heavy Attack Squadron Six from 1956 to1960. Dale had several careers, including barber, frozen food sales, restaurant equipment sales and cabinetmaker. Upon retiring and for the past 25 years, he was a full-time RVer, spending summers in Woodland Park, CO and winters in Alamo, TX, doing RV repair, owning his own business, “Dale’s RV Service”.
Survivors include his wife, Della Sewell-Thomas, of the home; two sons, Jeff and wife, Stacia, of Kenesaw, NE; Brett and wife, Brenda, Houston, TX; stepson Paul Wasinger, Hays, KS; stepdaughter, Michelle Schwenk and husband, Ben, Colorado Springs, CO; brother, Donnie Thomas, Lindsborg, KS; sister, Lila Spout and husband, Melvin, Solomon, KS; seven grandchildren, Zach and wife, Julie Thomas, Haley Thomas, McKenzie Thomas, Adam Thomas, Ryan Thomas, Anna Thomas, Daniel Schwenk; and two great granddaughters, Isabella Hansford and Tatum Thomas.
He was preceded in death by his parents; four sisters, Dorothy Hafner, Grace Reiff, Etta Mann and Marilyn Thomas.
Funeral Services are at 11:00 A.M. Saturday, October 12, 2019 at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kansas 67601. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery, Hays, Kansas with military honors by the Hays V.F.W. Post No. 9076.
Visitation will be from 9:30 to 11:00 A.M. Saturday, at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays. Dale wasn’t one for formal attire and requested that those attending dress casual.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the Parkinson’s Foundation at www.parkinson.org.
Condolences can be sent via e-mail to [email protected] or can be left
by guestbook at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com
The back end of a car parked at a south Salina dealership ended up on wooden blocks after someone stole the wheels from it.
Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester said Friday that sometime between 5 a.m. on Wednesday and 10 a.m. Thursday, someone stole the two back tires and wheels from a 2016 Toyota Corolla belonging to 28-year-old Salina woman, while it was parked at Conklin Cars, 2700 South Ninth Street.
Total loss was just under $1,400, Forrester said.
The car was parked in an area without video surveillance, he added.
We are giving away the Chicken Soup for the Soul book “Think Positive, Live Happy.”
The FTC 
