SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a drive by shooting.
At approximately 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, police responded to a drive-by shooting call at a residence in the 2500 block of north Burns in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson. Upon arrival, officers observed bullet strikes to the home and shell casings.
A 34-year-old woman had transported her 15-year-old son to an area hospital who had been shot in his body for treatment of a non-life-threating injury. Several other individuals were at the home at the time of the incident but were not injured.
Frank Marcum, 86, passed away Tuesday, September 17, 2019 at Solomon Valley Manor in Stockton. He was born September 15, 1933 in Turon, Kansas to Otto and Mildred (Riggs) Marcum. Frank graduated from Hutchinson Junior College with an Associate’s Degree in Geology. He served his country in the Navy from 1950-1953 and the Army from 1953-1955. On July 25, 1957 he was united in marriage to Gladys Ruth Stevenson in Alva, Oklahoma. Frank worked as an oil well pumper for Petroleum Incorporated for many years.
Frank was a member of the VFW and the Plainville Coin and Gun Club. He enjoyed going fishing and camping, but what he enjoyed most was spending time with his family.
Left to cherish his memory is his wife Gladys of the home in Plainville; son Terry Marcum and wife Phyllis of Colorado Springs, CO; daughter Susan Thornton and husband Bill of Lorraine, KS; sister Crystal Burrows of Adams, TN; grandchildren, Brad and Dustin Higdon, Shaun and Brett Thornton, and Sandra Jean; 12 great-grandchildren; and 2 great-great grandchildren.
Frank is preceded in death by his parents, Otto and Mildred; daughter Patricia Swanson; brother, Keith Marcum; and sisters, Lois Walters and Martha Ray.
There will be no public services. Memorials are suggested to KU Medical Center and may be sent in care of Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, 320 SW 2nd ST. Plainville, KS 67663. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.plumeroverlease.com
KANSAS CITY (AP) — An Alaska Airlines flight was forced to land at Kansas City International Airport after an unruly passenger threatened the safety of the aircraft.
Photo courtesy KCI
A statement from Alaska Airlines said flight 411 landed safely in Kansas City Thursday afternoon and the passenger was taken into custody.
The flight was bound from New York to Los Angeles with 177 passengers and six crew members aboard.
The airline said the passenger threatened crew members and the aircraft’s safety.
Federal officials interviewed crew members and continue to investigate the incident. No further details were immediately available.
H. Edward Flentje is professor emeritus at Wichita State University.
A couple weeks ago Governor Laura Kelly made good on her commitment to initiate a comprehensive review of the Kansas tax structure by establishing a Council on Tax Reform, co-chaired by two former state senators, Republican Steve Morris of Hugoton and Democrat Janis Lee of Kensington.
Kelly called on the Tax Council to consider reforms that advance “adequacy, equity, and stability” in taxes and “return to the ‘three-legged stool’…a sensible balance of income, sales, and property tax revenue.” The Council met for the first time earlier this week and is scheduled to deliver an interim report to the 2020 legislative session and a final report to the 2021 legislative session.
Kelly’s action follows up on her veto of multi-million dollar tax cuts favoring big business interests during the recent legislative session and successfully blocking an attempt to override her veto. She immediately drew flak from tax-cutters who claimed that the Council would become a vehicle for tax increases.
So, what is the best path forward on tax policy?
As its first order of business, the Council should affirm the wisdom of the “three-legged stool” of Kansas tax policy, as Kelly prescribed. Balance and diversity in taxes assure lower tax rates overall, reduce competition with other states, and promote fairness based on income.
Actions taken by lawmakers from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s achieved near-perfect balance in state tax structure by the turn of the century. However, the reckless tax experiment threw tax policy out of balance beginning in 2013. Lawmakers moved to rectify the resulting financial mess by abandoning the experiment in 2017, but restoring that balance should guide recommendations of the Tax Council.
The Council should adopt “revenue neutrality” as its second order of business. In other words, current revenues and realistic projections of current revenues should establish an overall cap on recommended revenue adjustments. Revenue neutrality will never mollify the tax-cutting crowd but should help the Council and Kelly establish credibility with the public.
The Council should embrace as its third principle the long-standing benchmark for tax reform espoused by the conservative Tax Foundation, that is, “broaden the tax base and cut tax rates,” which according to the Foundation, simplifies the tax code, removes unfair tax preferences, and creates economic growth.
Easier said, than done, of course.
However, members of the Tax Council should have as required reading the “Tax Expenditure Report,” prepared by the Kansas Department of Revenue. This 30-page report lists nearly $10 billion in various deductions, credits, and exemptions that narrow Kansas tax bases, primarily sales and income tax bases. Many of these make economic sense, but others have outlived their usefulness. Separating the wheat from the chaff among these provisions will require difficult work as each has a political constituency but could open ways forward on tax policy.
Finally, the Tax Council should tell the real “windfall” story and bury the issue for Kelly. Many businesses were gifted their first windfall with total exemptions from state income taxes during the discredited tax experiment, 2013 through 2017, and then their second windfall through trillion-dollar tax cuts at the national level in 2017.
No such businesses should be awarded a third $100 million windfall as the Kansas State Chamber and its dark money allies now shamelessly propose. Their advocacy of more corporate welfare serves neither tax fairness nor economic growth.
H. Edward Flentje is emeritus professor at Wichita State University and served with former Kansas Governors Bennett and Hayden.
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 13-year-old old while the two were staying overnight at a Kansas child welfare office.
Hamer is accused of the sex assault -photo Johnson County Sheriff
Twenty-year-old Michael Hamer accepted a plea deal Thursday to two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. The second charge of indecent liberties with a child was added in exchange for prosecutors dropping a rape charge.
Prosecutors said Hamer assaulted the girl in May 2018 while they were both in the foster system and spending the night at a KVC Health Systems office in Olathe.
The girl was sleeping in the conference room when Hamer assaulted her. The social worker who was supervising them is no longer working for KVC.
Fort Hays State Athletics will welcome seven new members into the Tiger Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 26, 2019. The inductees include Marvin Andrews (men’s basketball), Kent Bauer (men’s track and field), Chris (Biser) Drea (women’s basketball), Bill Hall (baseball), Jack Harms (men’s cross country/track and field), Maddie Holub (softball), and Kelly (Skidmore) Gunning (volleyball). The induction ceremony will take place the morning of October 26 at the Memorial Union Ballroom on the campus of Fort Hays State University at 9:30 am. The inductees will be recognized at halftime of the football game vs. Nebraska-Kearney at 2:00 pm.
Marvin Andrews (Men’s Basketball, 1951-55) Posthumous
Marvin Andrews, a native of Formoso, Kansas, is one of 20 players in FHSU men’s basketball history to score over 1,000 points in his career. Playing from 1951 to 1955, Andrews was a three-time All-CIC selection for the Tigers, earning second-team honors as a sophomore, and first-team honors as a junior and senior. He and teammate Merlyn “Bud” Moeckel were the first two Tigers to reach 1,000 points in a career, occurring during the 1955 season. Andrews transferred to Fort Hays State from Kansas State University after his first semester of college and played for the Tigers in the second semester of his freshman year. He broke the single-season FHSU scoring record as a junior with 357 points, averaging 17.0 points per game over a 21-game season. He broke his own single-season scoring record as a senior in 1955 with 374 points, averaging 18.7 points per game over a 20-game season. Andrews finished with 1,054 points in his three and a half-year career at FHSU, averaging 14.4 points per game in 73 games played. Andrews held the school’s career scoring record for nine years until Sam McDowell passed the mark in 1964, reaching 1,220 points. Beyond his days at FHSU, Andrews taught and coached for one year and then was drafted to the U.S. Army. While in the Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma he played basketball in the Special Services. His team won the Fourth Army Championship and participated in the All-Army Tournament at Port Monmouth, New Jersey. After his years in the service, Andrews returned to coaching and teaching. He finished a master’s degree in 1968 and then went on to serve as a junior high school principal in Cheney, Kansas until his death in 1980.
Kent Bauer (Track and Field, 1959-62)
Kent Bauer, a native of Radium, Kansas, was a member of the FHSU Track and Field squad for four years from 1959 to 1962. Bauer was the NAIA National Champion in the pole vault as a senior in 1962, clearing a height of 14 feet, 1 inch. Bauer was a two-time All-America performer at Fort Hays State, also finishing third in the nation as a freshman in 1959. He was the CIC Champion in the pole vault his final two years as a Tiger. He set the school record at the time in 1962 at 14-feet, 6.5-inches by tying for first at the Missouri Valley AAU meet. Bauer was a recipient of the FHSU Busch Gross Award. Upon graduation from Fort Hays State University and then Wichita State University, Bauer worked as an aircraft engineer and was named Boeing Wichita Engineer of the Year. He still resides in Wichita, Kansas today.
Chris (Biser) Drea (Women’s Basketball, 1986-90)
A native of Plain, Wisconsin, Chris Biser was a three-time All-CSIC performer in women’s basketball, playing from 1986 to 1990. She set the FHSU Women’s Basketball career rebounding record for the program with 901 in 1990, only to be topped a year later when Annette Wiles pushed the record to 961 and then eventually Kate Lehman set a new record of 1,109 in 2015. Biser is one of 20 1,000-point scorers in the program’s history, ranking ninth on the all-time scoring list with 1,321 points, but ranked third on the list at the end of her career. She ranks seventh on the all-time list at FHSU in field goals made with 548 and seventh in blocked shots with 64. She led the team in rebounding three of four years, including an impressive 10.0 rebounds per game as a freshman in 1986-87. She averaged 7.5 per game as a junior and 8.0 per game as a senior to lead the squad. In 1989-90, Biser was an All-District 10 selection and would have easily been an all-conference performer for a fourth straight year, but FHSU did not have a conference that season in its transition from the CSIC to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Beyond her days at FHSU, Biser went on to have a successful coaching career of over 25 years, earning college and high school conference coach of the year honors in her home state of Wisconsin. Currently, she serves as the Director of Community Relations and Marketing at The Richland Hospital in Richland Center, Wisconsin, but resides in her hometown of Plain, Wisconsin.
Jack Harms (Cross Country/Track and Field, 1963-66)
A native of Ellinwood, Kansas, Jack Harms competed for the FHSU cross country and track and field squads from 1963 to 1966. Harms was the NAIA indoor national champion in the 880-yard run in 1966 in a time of 1:55.9. He finished third in the event at nationals during the outdoor season, earning All-America honors for both indoor and outdoor that year. He helped the team to an outdoor conference championship that year, while finishing second at indoor nationals and third at outdoor nationals. Overall, Harms was a four-time All-America performer in track and field and was a member of the FHSU national champion cross country teams in 1963 and 1965. Harms was a member of the mile relay team that placed second nationally in 1965, and a member of the two-mile relay team that placed third nationally during the indoor season of 1966. Along with being part of two national championship teams, he also helped cross country to a second-place finish at nationals in 1964 and a pair of conference championships in his time wearing the black and gold. Now living in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Harms is retired from the British Petroleum Controller’s Department and he also worked for PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the IBM Global Business Group earlier in his career.
Bill Hall (Baseball, 1974-76)
A native of Hays, Kansas, Bill Hall played baseball two years at Fort Hays State from 1973-1974 as a right fielder. He was a two-time all-conference and All-District 10 performer, while claiming All-America honors as a senior in 1974. He led FHSU in batting average as a junior in 1973 at .350, while recording 8 doubles, 1 home run, and 26 RBIs, earning all-conference first team and all-district honorable mention. As a senior in 1974, Hall produced a .316 batting average with 16 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 33 RBIs, and 35 runs scored. He earned All-District 10, All-Area 3, and All-America honors that season. Hall helped the Tigers to an NAIA National Tournament Appearances both years, including an appearance at the championship site in 1974 after the team was champions of Area 3. Hall now resides in Missoula, Montana, where he is a General Agent Manager for Old American Insurance.
Kelly (Skidmore) Gunning (Volleyball, 2002-05)
A native of Aurora, Colorado, Kelly Skidmore played volleyball at Fort Hays State from 2002 to 2005. Skidmore was a two-time All-America selection for the Tiger Volleyball team as a libero. The defensive specialist earned third team honors as a junior in 2004 and second team honors as a senior in 2005, while earning All-Region and All-RMAC First Team honors each year. She was the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year three times from 2003 to 2005. Skidmore owns the FHSU career record for digs at 2,421, the only player in the program’s NCAA Division II history with at least 2,000. She averaged 5.17 digs per set in her career, the only player in the program’s Division II history with an average of 5.0 or better. With 777 digs in 2005 (6.64 per set) and 756 in 2004 (6.15 per set), she owns the two-highest dig totals for a season in the rally scoring era at FHSU. She helped the team to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2003 and 2004. The 2004 team was the most successful in program history, reaching the finals of the NCAA Regional (round of 16), finishing at 31-5 overall. Skidmore now lives in Parker, Colorado with her husband and two children.
Maddie Holub (Softball, 2010-13)
A native of Hays, Kansas, Maddie Holub, is the most decorated player in Fort Hays State Softball history, playing from 2010-2013. At the end of her career in 2013, Holub owned 34 FHSU records (19 pitching, 15 offensive) – career, single-season, and single-game combined, and still owns the majority of those records today. Holub was an NFCA and Daktronics All-America First Team selection in her senior year of 2013, as one of the most dominant players in the nation both in the pitching circle and offensively. For pitching, she finished the year with a 29-4 record, a 1.03 ERA, 26 complete games, 13 shutouts, and 345 strikeouts in 224 innings pitched. She threw six no-hitters that season, including back-to-back perfect games, the first player ever throw perfect games in consecutive starts at any NCAA level. Offensively, she finished with a .426 batting average, 32 extra-bast hits (including 19 home runs), 56 RBIs, 62 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases. For her efforts in 2013, Holub was named both the MIAA Player and Pitcher of the Year, the first player in conference history to earn both in the same year. She was a three-time all-region selection and four-time All-MIAA selection. She threw seven career no-hitters individually and had a hand in a combined no-hitter. For her career, Holub had a 1.97 ERA with 77 wins, 93 complete games, 25 shutouts, 974 strikeouts, and seven saves in the pitching circle, while posting a .372 batting average with 255 hits, 46 home runs, 42 doubles, 7 triples, 160 RBIs, 183 runs scored, and 35 stolen bases. She was also solid in the classroom, earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. Holub went on to play professionally in Italy and in her first game, threw a perfect game in a six-inning contest. Holub went on to throw another no-hitter later that year and finished the season with a 0.78 ERA for Labadini Collecchio. Holub has gone on to a successful coaching career in softball beyond her playing days at FHSU, earning NFCA Assistant Coach of the Year for NCAA Division II at St. Leo (Fla.) University in 2015 and helping the team to regional championship and NCAA Division II World Series appearance in 2018. She coached four years at St. Leo before taking the pitching coach position at Marshall University, where she currently coaches today.
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – No. 22 Fort Hays State Men’s Soccer traveled to play Ouachita Baptist on Thursday evening in a match that ended 2-2 at the conclusion of two overtime periods.
Out of the gates, the Tigers registered the first three shots of the game. Senior forward Santiago Agudelo struck the third shot and began the test of Ouachita goalkeeper Matt Day, who pushed the shot out for a corner kick.
Ouachita Baptist would then go on a fastbreak off of the corner kick. Hector Duron ended the play with a goal, creating a 1-0 lead in favor of Ouachita.
Although Ouachita Baptist snagged the first goal of the match, Fort Hays would continue their relentless performance in the attacking third of the field, registering nine shots in the opening 40 minutes.
Just four minutes later, forward Antonio De La Torre substituted into the game and made an immediate impact. The junior fired a shot at the top right corner of the goal for his first goal of the season to level the scoreboard going into halftime.
De La Torre’s goal marked the fourth shot on target in the match for the black and gold.
Agudelo swiftly opened up the scoring in second half, only requiring 39 seconds to snag his fourth goal of the season and give FHSU a 2-1 lead. The senior beat Day to the middle of the goal on an assist from Arsenio Chamorro, whom substituted into the game coming out of the break.
In the 80th minute, Ouachita Baptist substituted Abraham Lazo into the match and only five minutes later, he would notch a goal of his own. Following a yellow card handed to Moises Peralta, Lazo snuck a shot past senior Cullen Fisch to put the game back to even scoring.
The draw would last to the full-time whistle and through the overtime periods ending in a 2-2 finish.
Fort Hays successfully put on a powerful offensive display, more than tripling Ouachita in the amount of total shots taken (20-6). Fourteen of the shots for FHSU came within the first 54 minutes, where they hit the target six times.
Day handled the persistence of the Tigers’ attack, making six saves throughout the match.
With the tie, Fort Hays moves to 3-3-1 on the season and is now 2-0-1 in conference play, while Ouachita Baptist holds a record of 1-4-2 overall.
FHSU will play Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas on Saturday. The contest is slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A man charged in the shooting death of a former Washburn University football player and the wounding of current New York Giants cornerback Corey Ballentine has pleaded not guilty.
The pleas were entered Thursday on behalf of 18-year-old Francisco Mendez, who faces 12 charges after the April 28 shooting that killed Dwane Simmons.
Mendez is charged with first-degree murder, four counts of attempted murder and seven counts of aggravated robbery. Simmons, Ballentine and three other Washburn players were shot at as they celebrated after Ballentine was drafted by the Giants earlier in the day.
The robbery charges stem from crimes prosecutors say were committed before and after the shooting.
Investigators have said at least three guns were used in the shooting and the investigation is continuing.
Western Plains Arts Association announces that it is among a select group of regional artists and organizations to receive a Mid-America Arts Alliance Regional Touring grant.
This award will support Jana Jae and her band at the Cultural Arts Center in Colby on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 3 p.m. CDT. Jana Jae will also be involved in an outreach works-shop which will be held in the CCC Choir Room at 1 p.m., Oct. 13.
Funding for Jana Jae through the M-AAA Regional Touring grant is drawn from generous underwriting by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, and foundations, corporations, and individuals throughout Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.
Mid-America Arts Alliance is the nation’s oldest regional arts organization and was founded in 1972 for cultural growth in heartland communities. Mid-America Arts Alliance strengthens and supports artists, cultural organizations, and communities throughout our region and beyond. They are especially committed to enriching the cultural life of underserved communities by providing high quality, meaningful, and accessible arts and cultural programs and services.
Todd Stein, M-AAA Chief Executive Officer, and Western Plains Arts Association is to be commended for their commitment to serving the northwest Kansas community with this distinctive event. Audiences in northwest Kansas will have the opportunity to see the exciting work of Jana Jae, many for the first time. Mid-America Arts Alliance is proud to help support this work.
For further Western Plains Arts Association event information, check www.wpaa.us.
For more information about Mid-America Arts Alliance, visit them online at www.maaa.org.
GARDEN CITY, Kan. – The Hays High girls’ golf team placed five in the top 15 and finished second at the Garden City Invitational Thursday at Buffalo Dunes.
The Indians shot a 370 and were 10 shots back of the host Buffaloes.
Taleia McCrae and Sophia Garrison both shot an 88 and finished third and fourth respectively. Sierra Smith was ninth and Katie Dinkel 10th after rounds of 97. Andrea Lopez was 13th with a 102.
Team Finish
1. Garden City 360
2. Hays High 370
3. Valley Center 425
4. Great Bend 428
5. Dodge City 432
6. Liberal 473
Top 15 Medalists
1. Ryli Cook-Stanton County, 71
2. Alyssa McMillen-Garden City, 74
3. Taleia McCrae-Hays High, 88
4. Sophia Garrison-Hays High, 88
5. Grace Yi-Garden City, 90
6. Mati Newman-Valley Center, 91
7. Ryann Warren-Garden City, 94
8. Cailee McMullen-Great Bend, 97
9. Sierra Smith-Hays High, 97
10. Katie Dinkel-Hays High, 97
11. Rian Linenberger-Garden City, 102
12. Emma Kells-Garden City, 102
13. Andrea Lopez-Hays High, 102
14. Tiley Fry-Dodge City, 102
15. Kaylee Reiser-Great Bend, 104
This Saturday’s Fort Hays State University football game against Missouri Southern starts at 7 p.m. at Lewis Field.
Reserved tickets on the west side cost $16, general admission tickets on the east side or behind the end zones cost $12, and kids K-12th grade general admission tickets cost $5.
Tickets can be purchased at the door, online at fhsuathletics.com, or in the Athletic Department located in Cunningham Hall 138.
Once the game is over, there will be a 10 minute countdown until the lights are turned off and the fireworks show will start behind the south end zone.
Sponsors of this year’s show are the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau, Horizon Appliance and Electronics, and J.DAY Fireworks.
McPHERSON, Kan. – The Hays High girls’ cross country team placed six in the top 11 and won the McPherson Invitational The Indians finished 12 points ahead of Salina Central to win the event for a second consecutive year.
Hays was led by freshman Amelia Jaeger who placed second. Allison Shubert was fourth, Landri Dotts sixth, Claire Shippy seventh, Yesenia Maldanado eighth and Jaycine Watson 11th.
The boys finished fourth and were led by Brayden Hines who placed fifth.
Girls Team Scores
1. Hays 24
2. Salina Central 36
3. Hutch 87
4. Buhler 90
Hays High Girls Results
Amelia Jaeger V 21:40:00 2nd Varsity Medalist
Allison Shubert V 22:10:00 4th Varsity Medalist
Landri Dotts V 22:22:00 6th Varsity Medalist
Claire Shippy V 22:29:00 7th Varsity Medalist
Yesenia Maldonado V 22:32:00 8th Varsity Medalist
Jaycine Watson V 23:00:00 11th Varsity Medalist
Michaela Dickman V 23:50:00 1st JV medalist
Lainey Hardman JV 23:52:00 2nd JV medalist
Rachel Windholz JV 24:54:00 3rd JV medalist
Maddie Lohmeyer V 25:08:00 22nd
Elizabeth Dickman JV 26:03:00 7th JV medalist
Kambri Bogart JV 26:37:00 9th JV medalist
Cristina Leos JV 26:43:00 10th JV medalist
Ashlyn Hammerschmidt JV 27:47:00 13th
Boys Team scores
1. Salina Central 39
2. McPherson 54
3. ElDorado 81
4. Hays 87
5. Wichita Heights 91
Hays High Boys Results
Brayden Hines V 19:04:00 5th Varsity Medalist
Grant Brungardt V 20:15:00 17th
Landon Viegra V 20:36:00 20th
Mathew Dempsey V 20:59:00 22nd
Chris Goodale JV 21:00:00 23rd
Nathan Erbert V 21:04:00 24th
Carter Muehleisen JV 21:17:00 2nd JV Medalist
Cyrus Vajnar JV 21:54:00 10th JV Medalist
Ethan Voss JV 22:34:00 13th
Fernando Zarate V 22:41:00 34th
Daimon Lang JV 22:41:00 14th
Brandon Kennemer JV 23:01:00 17th
Ryan Schuckman JV 23:02:00 20th
Logan Chance JV 23:26:00 24th
Jude Tippy JV 24:04:00 27th
Ethan Klausmeyer JV 24:47:00 34th
Marvin Andrews (Men’s Basketball, 1951-55) Posthumous
Kent Bauer (Track and Field, 1959-62)
Chris (Biser) Drea (Women’s Basketball, 1986-90)
Jack Harms (Cross Country/Track and Field, 1963-66)
Bill Hall (Baseball, 1974-76)
Kelly (Skidmore) Gunning (Volleyball, 2002-05)
Maddie Holub (Softball, 2010-13)
