Office of the Ellis County Treasurer
Click to enlarge or download PDF file HERE.
Year: 2019
DEA agents help arrest 3 in Kansas on drug, weapons charges
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects on drug and weapons charges.
On Tuesday, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement Task Force (DETF) with the assistance of DEA agents served a narcotic search warrant in the 600 Block of SE 35th Street, according to Sgt. Todd Stallbaumer.
Deputies seized Methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, prescription drugs and a firearm.
Lisa M. Kisner, 38, of Topeka, who was armed with a firearm, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections for Possession of Methamphetamine, Criminal Possession of a Firearm, Child Endangerment, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Her school age child was at home during the investigation and was placed into police protective custody along with another child who was at school at the time of the search warrant.
Robert Lininger, 49, of Topeka, was also at the residence and was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections for Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Marijuana.
Marquan O. Byrd, 19, of Topeka, was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections for Distribution of Marijuana.
Rosella Catherine ‘Sally’ Austerman
Rosella Catherine “Sally” Austerman, daughter of Nickolas and Regina (Mick) Gasper, was born December 11, 1924, in Tipton, Kansas, and passed away peacefully at her home in Norton, Kansas, on October 1, 2019, at the age of 94.
Sally grew up in the Tipton community and attended the local schools, graduating from the Tipton High School with the class of 1943. On October 8, 1946, Sally married her sweetheart, Henry “Hank” Austerman in Tipton. They made their home in Bird City, New Almelo, and Wichita, Kansas, before moving to Logan, Kansas, in 1954, where they raised their family of four children and Sally served as a cook in the Logan schools for many years. In 1975, Sally and Hank moved to Norton, where they made their home until Hank’s death on July 28, 2015. Sally remained in their home where she enjoyed spending time with family and special friends.
Sally was an active member of the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Norton. She enjoyed playing golf and crocheting, and in her later years she enjoyed playing bingo, and working in her vegetable and flower gardens. Sally loved her family, and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were her pride and joy.
Survivors include: two sons, Randy, and wife, Donna Austerman, Monument, Colorado; Ron Austerman, Fountain Hills, Arizona; two daughters, Shirley, and husband, Darrell Gottschalk, Wakeeney, Kansas; Sandra, and husband, Terry Gottschalk, Logan, Kansas; one sister-in-law, Helena Gasper, Tipton, Kansas; 10 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren, Amy (and the late Farron) Leiker – Brianna, Morgan, Thomas; Tracy (Chad) Dague – Ethan, Brandon, Jenna, Kaylee; Renae (Jake) Wellbrock – Kayler, Drew, Makenna; Michael (Jana) Austerman – Kaitlyn, Kylee; Ryan (Alicia) Austerman; Caroline Austerman and Matthew Austerman; Terra (Steve) Brown – Cody, Chelsi; Clint (Kati) Gottschalk – Karson, Gavin, Easton, Graci, Jeffrey, Angel Naudya Jo; Trent (Ashley) Gottschalk – Camille, Taden, Conner; numerous nieces and nephews, several other relatives and friends.
Sally was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, one son-in-law, Dave Bowers, one grandson-in-law, Farron Leiker, one great-granddaughter, Naudya Jo Gottschalk, six brothers, Theodore, John, Leo, Walter, Peter, and Felix, four sisters, Katherine Schroeder, Matilda Muths, Pauline Kohn, and Caroline Austerman, two brothers-in-law, Carl (Louise) Austerman, and Rex Austerman, two sisters-in-law, Zita (Dale) Conley, and Cresentia Gasper.
VISITATION – Friday, October 4, 2019 – 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Enfield Funeral Home
ROSARY SERVICE – Friday, October 4, 2019—7:00 p.m.
PLACE – Enfield Funeral Home – 215 W. Main – Norton, KS
MASS OF THE CHRISTIAN BURIAL – Saturday, October 5, 2019 – 10:00 a.m.
PLACE – St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church – Norton, KS
INTERMENT – St. Joseph Cemetery – New Almelo, KS
MEMORIALS – St. Joseph Cemetery in New Almela or St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Norton
Kansas senators see impeachment as partisan distraction
By JOHN HANNA
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ two Republican senators argued Wednesday that the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump arises from partisan opposition to the president and said it is preventing Congress from taking up important legislative business.
Sen. Jerry Moran said he can’t yet draw conclusions from a whistleblower’s complaint that disclosed a call by Trump in July to Ukraine’s president. A rough transcript of the call released by the White House before the complaint’s text became public showed Trump pressed for an investigation of Democratic rival and ex-Vice President Joe Biden and Biden’s son Hunter.
Moran suggested the 2020 presidential election is the proper vehicle for deciding whether Trump remains in office and said some Democrats in the House have favored impeaching Trump “almost since the day he was elected.
“It seems to me that the wolf has been cried so many times,” he said.
Moran hosted U.S. Attorney General William Barr for tours of law enforcement laboratories and training centers in Topeka and Wichita, and Barr participated in a closed discussion with law enforcement officials at Wichita State University about fighting crime. Barr ignored a shouted question about whether he had spoken with Trump or personal attorney Rudy Giuliani about Ukraine.
“It’s troublesome to me that we can’t elect a president, allow that president _ work with that president for the next four years and try to move the country forward and advance an agenda,” Moran told reporters after the round table. “We need a country in which we’re working together and not pulled apart.”
Roberts said in a statement that “the left” doesn’t want Trump to be president and, “That is their sole focus.” He said he wants to work on issues such as trade and health care.
“The rest of this is political theater,” he said.
Before Barr’s and Moran’s talk with law enforcement officials, about 20 people protested outside the law enforcement training center at Wichita State, where it was held.
They held signs with slogans such as “Barr should be disbarred,” and one with a cartoon portraying Barr as Trump’s emotional support dog. Donna Wirth, a retired small business owner and community activist, said she “absolutely” supports the impeachment inquiry.
“We want our country back,” she said. “I’m tired of seeing each of these instances of corruption coming up and nobody being held accountable.”
___
KZ Country Cheesy Joke of the Day 10/3/19
Q: Why did the tomato turn red?
A: It saw the salad dressing!
Join fans of 99 KZ Country on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/99KZCountry
Civic Dinners participants: Fix housing, school infrastructure and stop Hays ‘brain drain’
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Housing was among the top concerns a group of Hays residents raised during an informal conversation group known as Civic Dinners.
About 80 cities across the country will participating in the Civic Dinners program in the month of October. Hays conducted its first set of group discussions on Tuesday night at Gella’s. Another Civic Dinner will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7, also at Gella’s. You can register at www.civicdinners.com/tlc-hays. Please bring money to purchase your dinner.
The discussion centered around several basic questions with each person in attendance given a few minutes to answer. Those participating Tuesday included, Melissa Dixon, Hays CVB, host; Mike Morley, Midwest Energy; Errol Wuertz, Landmark Realty; Donnette Noble, FHSU; Grady Dixon, FHSU; Tom Lippert, FHSU; Chad Meitner, TMP; Aubree Broyles, Nex-Tech; Ruth Deines, Friends of Hays Public Library; and Cristina Janney, Hays Post/Eagle Radio.
Meitner said he had sticker shock when he and his family were searching for housing.
Broyles also said she had friends who were struggling with the real estate market in Hays.
Wuertz, a longtime Hays resident and real estate agent, said he had a family that has been looking for a home for four months, and they have not been able to find anything they want to buy.
As he talks to developers, Wuertz said, they tell him it is hard to build in Hays. In a larger community, a developer might build a whole development, but in Hays the same developer might only be able to build and sell one house at a time. Developers can build a lower prices if they can purchase materials in bulk and build more houses at once.
Grady Dixon said he would like to see more work done to renovate and beautify existing homes in the city.
“If you see a single house on a block renovated,” he said, “it can change the character of the whole block.”
Wuertz noted Manhattan has a rental inspection program, but no such program exists in Hays.
The group also discussed how the lack of housing affects the ability for employers in Hays to recruit and retain employees. Wuertz said the First Care Clinic board is trying to recruit a dentist but is having difficulty getting someone to come to Hays.
Morley said Hays has a brain drain. Hays’ senior population is increasing as retirees move into town from more rural areas to be closer to services such as HaysMed. More babies are also being born in Hays. However, Hays is seeing a domestic migration out of the community of young to middle-age adults.
To keep Hays vibrant, Morley said Hays needs to stop that migration.
The group discussed a couple of quality of life issues that were essential to stop the exodus. One of those issues is schools. Several group members said they were disappointed two school bond issues have failed in the last three years.
Morley said he moved his family to Hays over places like Wichita and Dallas because of the quality of the schools.
“We pay $40,000 to $50,000 per year to FHSU to use their football field,” he said. “The first bond issue had a new turf field. We could have paid for that two times over in what we are paying FHSU. How many ankles and knees have been destroyed on that field. Hays and TMP could share a field if only people would look to the future.
“We could have paid 1.5 percent when interest rates were low, but now we can pay 4 percent. We end up paying more for less.”
Other quality of life issues the group discussed were the need for more shopping, diversity in dining options, a new senior center, a local architecture firm and a homeless shelter.
Melissa Dixon expressed frustration the community dissolved its beautification committee. She said the north and south entrances to the city don’t tell the whole story of Hays. People often don’t get to see downtown or the other things to do in Hays because of that. They never make it off the Interstate, she said.
As the CVB director, she is constantly fighting the perception there is nothing to do in Hays.
Deines, a transplant from Lawrence, said she struggles to learn about news and events in Hays.
The theme for the night was “What makes your city lovable?” so the group also talked about aspects of Hays they love or bring them joy.
Noble, who moved to Hays three months ago to work at FHSU, said she appreciates her three-minute commute. When she lived outside of Chicago, she spent 20 minutes on a train every work day.
“I think people have been engaging me, and there are some very joyful people here,” she said. “For a city so small in a town that is supposedly in the middle of nowhere, there is an art community. A week ago, I want to Rockalooa, and loved that. I love the diversity here.”
Grady Dixon also said he appreciated the city’s design and the ease of getting around.
“The city is functional in its design,” he said. “We are a small city, but there are other cities our size or smaller that have traffic.”
Several of the group members, including Meitner, said they appreciated how giving and involved people are in the community.
Lippert said he loves Hays, but residents need to continue to address quality of life issues.
“We need to have foresight to be good stewards of our future,” he said.
Several members of the group expressed frustration to the reaction to the Vine Street roundabouts and the bike path path project before that, both of which they said they supported.
Other aspects of Hays the group thought made it a great place to live were the dog park, Hays Public Library, a vibrant downtown, the Downtown Hays Market and the community’s diversity.
In addition to an eight-person adult group, seven children participated in their own discussion group.
This group include Brianna Griffith, ninth grade, Hays High School; Tyra Loffredi, ninth grade, Hays High School; Gilda Torres-Allen, ninth grade, Hays High School; Tayshaun Birch, 11th grade, Hays High School; Sage Talkington, seventh grade, homeschooled; Brooks Dixon, third grade, Lincoln Elementary; and Delia Dixon, sixth grade, Hays Middle School.
Their group was facilitated by Jane Talkington, assistant professor of management at FHSU.
According to Talkington, the youth said what they love about Hays is the different personalities of the people of Hays, its rich history, their curly hair that got curlier and wilder in the wind, people are nice, people are good, the high school teachers are great (special shout out to Ms. Codi Fenwick, debate teacher), the famous people from Hays area (like Dennis Hopper) and the fabulous and kid-friendly public library downtown.
They also said they were proud of Jana’s Campaign.
They saw infrastructure of public facilities, such as the leaky high school building as a community challenge.
The students said they wanted a bookstore, skating rink, ice hockey rink, more stable weather and equality. They also wanted the culture of Hays to value the individual and eliminate discrimination based on weight or color of skin.
DA charges Kan. mother, boyfriend with murder in child’s death
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities investigating a mother and boyfriend in the death of a child and have filed murder charges.
The case was presented Wednesday to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office, according to officer Charley Davidson.
Bernardo Gonzalez-Mejia, 31, Wichita is now being held on charges of felony murder and child abuse and the boy’s mother Stephanie Aviles, 24, Wichita on charges of felony murder and aggravated child endangerment in the death of 2-year-old Jacob Aviles.
An autopsy completed on Jacob by the Regional Forensic Science Center led to the new charges, according to Davidson.
At approximately 11 a.m. on Sunday, officers responded to an assist fire call at a residence in the 1100 block of west Munnell, regarding Jacob not breathing.
Upon arrival, officers, firefighters and Sedgwick County Emergency Medical Services staff contacted Jacob and medical treatment was performed. Jacob was pronounced dead on the scene.
Through the investigation, Jacob was found to have extensive bruising on his body.
————
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of a child and have made two arrests.
Just after 11a.m. Sunday, police responded to a residence in the 1100 Block of Munnell in Wichita where a two-year-old boy was not breathing, according to Captain Brent Allred. Despite efforts by police, fire and EMS crews, the child was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators found the child had extensive bruising all over his body. This led to the arrest of the boy’s mother Stephanie Avilas, 24, for alleged aggravated child endangerment and her boyfriend Bernardo Gonzalez-Mejia, 31, Wichita for alleged child abuse, according to Allred.
The mother had called 911. She was on an errand and not home at the time and the boyfriend had contacted her about the child not breathing. Gonzalez-Mejia and the 2-year-old were home alone at the time of the incident.
An autopsy is scheduled to determine the cause of death. That will determine if additional charges will be filed, according to Allred. He did not release the boys’s name.
Two other children in the home a 6-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl are in police protective custody, according to Allred.
There was one report from the Department of Children’s Familes in 2015 on the family. It did not involve abuse, according to Allred.
🎥 Hays alley cleanup starts Oct. 21
CITY OF HAYS
The 2019 Annual Alley Cleanup will consist of one and only one sweep through the city beginning Mon., October 21.
No set schedule has been established; however, residential curbside services will be first with residential regular alley services following.
The city-wide general schedule for alley services will start after curbside collections are completed. The number of employees committed to the task may vary from day to day; therefore, crews are unable to predict when they will be by a residence. City crews have a 20-minute time limit per residence. Any items remaining after 20 minutes of pickup will be the responsibility of the property owner.
As in years past, the city WILL NOT pick up tires and hazardous waste. Tires should be disposed of at the Ellis County Landfill, and hazardous waste items should be disposed of at the Ellis County Hazardous Waste Facility. Please call 628-9460 or 628-9449 for detailed information.
The annual Alley Cleanup Program is an opportunity for residents to discard items that would not be picked up in normal trash collection. Alley cleanup is for city of Hays residential customers paying for refuse services.
Waste should be placed in four separate piles in preparation of the alley cleanup.
The piles should be organized in the following manner:
1. Tree limbs and brush (no longer than 12 feet in length or 6 inches in diameter); bamboo bundled in 4’ lengths; all yard and garden waste MUST be bagged
2. Construction and Demolition Debris, i.e., lumber, drywall, bricks, sinks, wires, etc. (please pull or bend over nails and place small quantities of concrete, bricks, and plaster in containers)
3. White Goods/Metals, i.e., guttering, siding, washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, metal swing sets, propane tanks for grills, etc.
4. Municipal Waste (all other items), i.e., furniture, carpet, TVs, computers, etc.
**TO AVOID WRONGFUL PICK UP, “TREASURED ITEMS” SHOULD BE TAGGED OR REMOVED FROM THE COLLECTION AREA**
To avoid creating a nuisance, please DO NOT set any items out before October 7.
Help make the city of Hays alleys clean and safe for all.
Free disposal of tree limbs is available for Hays residents at the Ellis County Sanitary Landfill, 1515 W 55th, Monday to Friday – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Gove Co. represents ‘The Aging Farmland’ in national study of rural America
QUINTER — In March, a reporters from the Wall Street Journal and George Washington University, along with a film/photo crew from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation visited Gove County. As part of their national study entitled “A New Portrait of Rural America,” Gove County represented “The Aging Farmland.”
This group traveled all spring throughout the United States, compiling data and stories about rural America. They presented their findings in their entirety on September 26 in Washington DC. Select community leaders from across rural America were asked to participate in a panel discussion as part of the event releasing the study.
Ericka Nicholson, Gove County economic development director, was invited and attended, expanding on the story of Gove County through a panel discussion and Q&A session following the study’s release.
The study was commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with a purpose listed as follows: This is what American Communities Project (ACP) sets out to do. A combined social science/journalism effort based at The George Washington University’s School of Media & Public Affairs, the ACP uses a vast array of data – from election results and economic numbers to consumer survey and polling – to break communities into different types for analysis. The primary point: Even in the age of the Web, people in different places experience the world very differently.
Working with academics, the ACP used a wide range of different factors – everything from income to race and ethnicity to education to religious affiliation – and a clustering technique to identify 15 types of counties, everything from big cities to aging farmlands. It has mapped those types to show where the country’s political, socio-economic and cultural fissures are.
The result is an unprecedented growing attempt to understand the subtleties and complexities of the United States as the country reimagines its future and its place in the world. The project correlates economic and demographic data to election results and consumer data to see what is moving those different communities and to see who is struggling and who is thriving in the 21st Century United States.
The ACP’s 15 community types: African American South, Aging Farmlands, Big Cities, College Towns, Evangelical Hubs, Exurbs, Graying America, Hispanic Centers, LDS Enclaves, Middle Suburbs, Military Posts, Native American Lands, Rural Middle America, Urban Suburbs, and Working Class Country.
Highlighted in the Aging Farmland report is the surprising story of success found in healthcare delivery in Gove County.
Adding to the piece is a section about the advances in the Wheatland High School “hands on” educational offerings, and instructor (and local farmer) Mark Heier’s efforts to engage his students in these courses.
Also spotlighted is Gordon Jamison’s cattle and horse operation and how he has adapted his ranching business to evolve with the changing industry.
Kassie Remington (on behalf of Kansas Farm Bureau) contributes agricultural narrative to the piece as well as adding her own family’s farming and ranching business narrative.
Nicole Godek and Kay Haffner contribute to the report by discussing the founding and growth of the GCDC, and Godek ’s web based network of rural communities called Love Small Town America.
Nicholson’s contribution focuses on how many residents in very rural America must wear several hats, and reinvest in their communities.
“It was encouraging to see so many people filling the room who are genuinely interested in what is going on in very rural America,” she said.
“It is easy to tell the story of the people in our area and people are genuinely interested to hear that story. It is hopeful to me that so many are truly interested in this study of rural America. There were representatives there from the Wall Street Journal, Politico, NBC, HRSA, NACo, FDA, EPA, USDA and many more.
“I enjoyed meeting the other community leaders from this report. We all decided that while our struggles in rural America are similar, our tools, processes and methods of fighting for our communities are all very different,” Nicholson added.
To view the Entire American Communities Report you can visit https://www.americancommunities.org/.
To view the Gove County segment you can visit https://www.americancommunities.org/chapter/gove-county-kansas-aging-farmland/.
There is also a link to the televised event on the ACP webpage.
– SUBMITTED –
Three-day weather outlook
Warden has ‘interim’ tag removed from title at Norton prison
Acting Corrections Secretary Jeff Zmuda announced today the appointment of two longtime Kansas Department of Corrections administrators to lead Norton and Topeka correctional facilities, effective Oct. 6.
Gloria Geither, the agency’s case management and mentoring director, will serve as warden for Topeka Correctional Facility while Norton Correctional Facility Acting Warden Hazel Peterson will permanently take the helm at Norton.
“We are fortunate to draw upon the experience of two corrections veterans who have a dedication to improving the lives of our offenders and a commitment to staff,” Zmuda said. “Both Gloria and Hazel are trusted leaders within the agency who have a strong understanding of our challenges and a desire to make Kansas safer.”
The appointments of Geither and Peterson follow Shannon Meyer being named as warden for the state’s oldest facility for male offenders, Lansing Correctional Facility, in August. The leadership at three of the state’s eight adult correctional facilities now will be held by women, the largest number in the agency’s history.
Geither replaces the vacancy left by Meyer’s move from Topeka Correctional Facility, the state’s only women’s prison. Currently, the facility has a population of 902.
Previously, Geither oversaw the agency’s Mentoring4Success program and efforts to improve risk-reduction strategies to improve recidivism and overall prison admissions.
Geither began her career with the KDOC in 1990 at Topeka Correctional Facility as the director of the women’s activities and learning center. She would go on to serve as the agency’s director of religious services.
Geither received her bachelor’s degree in administration of justice with an emphasis in corrections and a minor in sociology from Wichita State University. She received her master’s degree in public administration from the University of Kansas.
Peterson’s appointment comes following former Warden Joel Hrabe’s move to Corrections’ deputy secretary of facility management. Norton Correctional Facility houses low-medium and minimum-custody male offenders and has a current population of 971.
Peterson began her career at Norton in 1992 while working in the food service area. She became a corrections counselor in 1996 and steadily rose through the ranks to become a corrections manager in 2004. During her career, Peterson has been recognized for her work in classification and in re-entry and risk-reduction programming and services. In 2018, Peterson was named a deputy warden at Norton.
Peterson attended Barton Community College and completed the KDOC Leadership Academy.
— KDOC
‘First lady of country fiddle’ will perform in Colby
COLBY — A fiddler made famous with Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, and later the Saturday night television hit show “Hee Haw” will spotlight the stage at Colby Community College’s Cultural Arts Center, Sunday, Oct. 13 at 3 p.m. CDT. Jana Jae, known as the first lady of country fiddle, will have a workshop ahead of the show in the CCC choir room for anyone interested, starting 1 p.m., and will also include a discussion of her life-time music and performing career.
This 50th Anniversary Western Plains Arts Association project is generously funded with a public grant from the Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the state arts agencies of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.
In addition, the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, Logan, and the Greater Northwest Kansas Community Foundation —Dane Hansen Community Grant for Thomas County, and the Seele Foundation, are major contributors to this year’s WPAA season.
Like most entertainers who have reached stardom, Jana Jae’s success is the result of hard work perfecting raw talent. Musical talent runs through the family. Her parents studied at New York’s famed Juilliard School of Music, and Jana was introduced to the classical study of the violin, on a one-eighth sized instrument, at the age of two. Then, thanks to the direction and inspiration of her grandfather, an accomplished champion fiddler in his own right, Jana also learned to love playing by ear.
She virtually grew up jamming with and learning from some of the best in the business while living in western Idaho, not far from Weiser, the site of the National Old-time Fiddlers’ Contest. Soon she had honed her skill of fiddling into a fine art and won the Ladies National Championship several times.
She also continued her classical training, winning scholarships to Interlochen and the International String Congress. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in music and studied abroad at the Vienna Academy of Music. She taught music for several years until she felt inspired to take her unique blend of music on the road.
Jana and her trademark blue fiddle soon took the world of country music by storm. She got her big break at a Buck Owens concert in Redding, Calif., when she was invited to take the stage and play “Orange Blossom Special.” Owens was one of the first “big names” to recognize her talents and offered her a job as the first female member of his “Buckaroos” band. She later became part of the regular team of performers on the “Hee Haw” show and has appeared with such country music greats as Chet Atkins, Roy Clark, Ray Stevens, The Oakridge Boys, Mel Tillis, Ricky Skaggs and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Jana has built a solid solo career, drawing upon her diverse musical background. Her one-of-a-kind style blends country fiddling, western swing, bluegrass, pop and the classics, producing thrilling performances and critical acclaim. But her enthusiastic following isn’t limited only to this country. She has consistently proved her ability to cross over into other genres and has earned a reputation and large international following performing at such renowned events as the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and the Wembley Festival in England as well as the New Orleans Jazz Festival. She has toured Japan, the Philippines, Australia, Africa, Brazil and continues to perform abroad. Jana is known for her pure, clear voice, showmanship, friendly sense of humor and natural communication with any audience combine for a dynamite concert.
Jana is an in-demand fiddle master having performed at Montreux Jazz Festival, Wembley Festival, New Orleans Jazz Festival and the largest out door theatre in the world “Aspecta” in Japan. Jana is a sought after fiddle player hosting her own “Fiddle Camp” – teaching the techniques that made her famous.
She is a member of: National Fiddler Hall of Fame, Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, National Western Swing Hall of Fame, Idaho Hall of Fame, Mid-America Old Time Fiddler’s Hall of Fame, and an Oklahoma Governor’s Arts Award recipient.
— WPAA
Woman from Hays hospitalized after SUV rolls
ELLIS COUNTY— One person was injured in an accident just before 9:30p.m. Wednesday in Ellis County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Chevy Trailblazer driven by Pletcher, Brittany N. Pletcher, 26, Hays, was westbound on Highway 40 one mile west of Yocemento Avenue.
The driver swerved to avoid an opossum, lost control and entered the south ditch. The vehicle rolled once coming to rest on its wheels.
EMS transported Pletcher to Hays Medical Center. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.