WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Wichita City Council has approved a public financing package worth about a $35.5 million to subsidize the creation of a medical school.
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The package approved Tuesday will help create a campus for training osteopathic physicians. Called the Kansas Health Science Center, the new school will be built in the former Finney State Office Building. Once the center of state government in Wichita, the building was abandoned in favor of leasing privately owned office space across Wichita.
Plans also call for three other buildings to be transformed — one into student housing, another into a dining hall and culinary center and the third into a boutique hotel.
The bulk of the money for the development will come from tax abatements.
TOPEKA— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have identified the two victims.
Police on the scene of the investigation Tuesday photo courtesy WIBW TV
Just after 3 p.m. Tuesday the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center began receiving reports of a possible shooting in the 2400 block of SE Maryland Avenue in Topeka, according to Lt. Andrew Beightel.
Upon Officers arrival they located two individuals identified as 21-year-old Reginald L. McKinney Jr., and 15-year-old Owen M. Hughes suffering from life-threating injuries.
Both were pronounced deceased by medical personnel on scene. Investigators continue working to develop suspect information.
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TOPEKA— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting that left two dead in Topeka.
Just after 3 p.m. Tuesday the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center began receiving reports of a possible shooting in the 2400 block of SE Maryland Avenue in Topeka, according to Lt. Andrew Beightel.
Upon Officers arrival they located two individuals suffering from life-threating injuries. Both were pronounced deceased by medical personnel on scene. The identities of the deceased individuals are being withheld pending proper next of kin notifications. Investigators continue working to develop suspect information.
Sue Jeannie Murphy, 82, passed away November 6, 2019, at Western Plains Medical Complex, Dodge City, KS.
She was born August 2, 1937, in Hodgeman County, the daughter of Lawrence and Dorothy Narey Whipple. She was a registered nurse and art teacher.
On August 18, 1960, she married Dr. Bob Murphy in Great Bend. He preceded her in death.
Survivors include: son, Steven (Silvana) Murphy, Fort Worth, Texas; daughter, Susan Murphy, Wichita, KS; brother, Jerry Whipple, Jetmore, KS; two sisters, Joyce Ochs, Jetmore, KS, Jo Dempsey, Mankato, KS and four grandchildren, Colton Murphy, Brenna Murphy, Keegan Murphy and Erin Murphy.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband and a sister, Jan Hornung.
Rosary will be 9:00 a.m. Saturday, November 16, 2019, followed by a funeral Mass, 10 a.m. at the St. Lawrence Catholic Church, Jetmore, with Father John Forkuoh presiding. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Beckwith Funeral Home, Jetmore. Burial will be at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, November 16, 2019 at Larned Cemetery, Larned, KS, with Father Bernard Felix presiding.
Memorials may be given to the St. Lawrence Catholic Church, Jetmore, or the Ford County Humane Society in care of Beckwith Funeral Home, Box 663 Jetmore, KS. 67854.
JEFFERSON COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for alleged child abuse.
Odom photo Jefferson Co.
Just before noon Sunday, deputies responded to report of a child in cardiac arrest in the 100 Block of South Cedar Street in Perry, according to Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Herrig. First responders located a 3-year-old girl and transported her to Children’s Mercy in Kansas City.
Deputies arrested 23-year-old Zachary Odom and booked him into the Jefferson County jail on a requested charge of child abuse.
Odom is expected to make his first court appearance Wednesday. He remains jailed without bond. The child is expected to make a full recovery, according to Herrig.
The House Intelligence Committee meeting room moments before the impeachment hearing started Wednesday -photo courtesy CSPAN
America and the rest of the world will have the chance to see and hear for themselves for the first time about President Donald Trump’s actions toward Ukraine and consider whether they are, in fact, impeachable offenses.
It’s a remarkable moment, even for a White House full of them.
All on TV, committee leaders will set the stage, then comes the main feature: Two seasoned diplomats, William Taylor, the graying former infantry officer now charge d’affaires in Ukraine, and George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary in Washington, telling the striking, if sometimes complicated story of a president allegedly using foreign policy for personal and political gain ahead of the 2020 election.
So far, the narrative is splitting Americans, mostly along the same lines as Trump’s unusual presidency. The Constitution sets a dramatic, but vague, bar for impeachment, and there’s no consensus yet that Trump’s actions at the heart of the inquiry meet the threshold of “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
Whether Wednesday’s proceedings begin to end a presidency or help secure Trump’s position, it’s certain that his chaotic term has finally arrived at a place he cannot control and a force, the constitutional system of checks and balances, that he cannot ignore.
The country has been here just three times before, and never against the backdrop of social media and real-time commentary, including from the Republican president himself.
“These hearings will address subjects of profound consequence for the Nation and the functioning of our government under the Constitution,” said Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee leading the inquiry, in a memo to lawmakers.
Schiff called it a “solemn undertaking,” and counseled colleagues to “approach these proceedings with the seriousness of purpose and love of country that they demand.”
“Total impeachment scam,” tweeted the president, as he does virtually every day.
Impeachments are rare, historians say, because they amount to nothing short of the nullification of an election. Starting down this road poses risks for both Democrats and Republicans as proceedings push into the 2020 campaign.
Unlike the Watergate hearings and Richard Nixon, there is not yet a “cancer on the presidency” moment galvanizing public opinion. Nor is there the national shrug, as happened when Bill Clinton’s impeachment ultimately didn’t result in his removal from office. It’s perhaps most like the partisanship-infused impeachment of Andrew Johnson after the Civil War.
Trump calls the whole thing a “witch hunt,” a retort that echoes Nixon’s own defense. Republicans say Democrats have been trying to get rid of this president since he took office, starting with former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference to help Trump in the 2016 election.
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was initially reluctant to launch a formal impeachment inquiry. As Democrats took control of the House in January, Pelosi said impeachment would be “too divisive” for the country. Trump, she said, was simply “not worth it.”
After Mueller’s appearance on Capitol Hill in July for the end of the Russia probe, the door to impeachment proceedings seemed closed.
But the next day Trump got on the phone.
For the past month, witness after witness has testified under oath about his July 25 phone call with Ukraine’s newly elected president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and the alarms it set off in U.S. diplomatic and national security circles.
In a secure room in the Capitol basement, current and former officials have been telling lawmakers what they know. They’ve said an earlier Trump call in April congratulating Zelenskiy on his election victory seemed fine. The former U.S. reality TV host and the young Ukrainian comedian hit it off.
But in the July call, things turned.
An anonymous whistleblower first alerted officials to the phone call. “I have received information from multiple U.S. Government officials that the President of the United States is using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 election,” the person wrote in August to the House and Senate Intelligence committees. Democrats fought for the letter to be released to them as required.
“I am deeply concerned,” the whistleblower wrote.
Trump insisted the call was “perfect.” The White House released a rough transcript. Pelosi, given the nod from her most centrist freshman lawmakers, opened the inquiry.
“The president has his opportunity to prove his innocence,” she told Noticias Telemundo on Tuesday.
Defying White House orders not to appear, witnesses have testified that Trump’s acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, was withholding U.S. military aid to the budding democracy until the new Ukraine government conducted investigations Trump wanted into Democrats in the 2016 election and his potential 2020 rival, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter.
It was all part of what Taylor, the long-serving top diplomat in Ukraine, called the “irregular” foreign policy being led by Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, outside of traditional channels.
Taylor said it was “crazy” that the Trump administration was withholding U.S. military assistance to the East European ally over the political investigations, with Russian forces on Ukraine’s border on watch for a moment of weakness.
Kent, the bowtie-wearing State Department official, told investigators there were three things Trump wanted of Ukraine: “Investigations, Biden, Clinton.”
On Friday, the public is scheduled to hear from Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, who told investigators she was warned to “watch my back” as Trump undercut and then recalled her.
Eight more witnesses will testify in public hearings next week.
“What this affords is the opportunity for the cream of our diplomatic corps to tell the American people a clear and consistent story of what the president did,” said Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., a member of the Intelligence panel.
“It takes a lot of courage to do what they are doing,” he said, “and they are probably just going to be abused for it.”
Republicans, led on the panel by Rep. Devin Nunes, a longtime Trump ally from California, will argue that none of those witnesses has first-hand knowledge of the president’s actions. They will say Ukraine never felt pressured and the aid money eventually flowed, in September.
Yet Republicans are struggling to form a unified defense of Trump. Instead they often fall back on criticism of the process.
Some Republicans align with Trump’s view, which is outside of mainstream intelligence findings, that Ukraine was involved in 2016 U.S. election interference. They want to hear from Hunter Biden, who served on the board of a gas company in Ukraine, Burisma, while his father was the vice president. And they are trying to bring forward the still-anonymous whistleblower, whose identity Democrats have vowed to protect.
The framers of the Constitution provided few details about how the impeachment proceedings should be run, leaving much for Congress to decide. Democrats say the White House’s refusal to provide witnesses or produce documents is obstruction and itself impeachable.
Hearings are expected to continue and will shift, likely by Thanksgiving, to the Judiciary Committee to consider actual articles of impeachment.
The House, which is controlled by Democrats, is expected to vote by Christmas.
That would launch a trial in the Senate, where Republicans have the majority, in the new year.
Hays Post and Eagle Radio are seeking nominations for Teacher of the Month for 2019-20!
Through April, Hays Post will solicit nominations from through the area from parents, students and colleagues. Nominate your favorite educator by sending the following information to [email protected].
• Your name and telephone number (will not be published).
• Teacher’s name
• Teacher’s school
• Tell us why you are nominating this teacher
Regardless of the outcome, Saturday’s game at Northeastern State will be the final of the season for the Fort Hays State football team. Coach Chris Brown announced Tuesday during his weekly press conference that his team will not be going to any bowl game even if the Tigers are invited.
“Our goal this year and our expectations this year was to win the conference and get to the playoffs and win in the playoffs. A bowl was not going to be an option for us,” Brown said. “That we would not take a bowl game or play in a bowl game because that’s not who we are not right now.”
“Our expectations are playoffs and winning conference championships and we said that from the get-go that we would not play in a bowl game.” Brown said. “I told our team yesterday (Monday) that this is going to be our last game.”
FHSU fell out of the NCAA II Super Region Three rankings after their double-overtime loss to Northwest Missouri State Saturday, ending their hopes of a third straight playoff appearance.
Brown has guided to the Tigers to the postseason each of the last four seasons. In 2015 the Tigers lost to Minnesota Duluth in the Mineral Water Bowl, their first postseason appearance since 1995. The following season they beat Eastern New Mexico in the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl.
The last two seasons the Tigers have advanced to the NCAA II Playoffs, losing at home to Ferris State in the second round in 2017 and falling in the first round at Indianapolis last season.
Fort Hays State closes out their season Saturday at winless Northestern State. Kickoff is at 2 p.m.
RILEY COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities were on the scene of a reported hostage situation in Manhattan early Wednesday.
Officers set up a perimeter in the 700 Block of Lee Street in Manhattan around Lee Elementary School, according to a social media report.
Just before 1a.m, a call came into the Riley County Police Department from a man who said he was inside the school with a hostage.
Just before 7a.m. police entered and began clearing the building. The man who made the original call continued to contact RCPD and an area news station stating he had committed several felony crimes and was holding hostage at gunpoint, according to police.
After an investigation by the RCPD, authorities do not believe any of this occurred. Police believe the suspect making the claims was not local and “fabricating the story to gain notoriety and receive air time on news stations.”
The RCPD believes the school and residents in the area are safe.
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RILEY COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are on the scene of a reported hostage situation in Manhattan.
Officers have set up a perimeter in the 700 Block of Lee Street in Manhattan around Lee Elementary School, according to a social media report.
Just before 1a.m, a call came into the Riley County Police Department from a man who said he was inside the school with a hostage. Officers responded to the scene and continue to work to verify if there is someone in the building and a hostage situation. Police are asking the public to avoid the area.
The RCPD is working with USD 383 administration as the situation develops.
A grocer put up a sign that read “Eggplants, 25 cents each — three for a dollar.”
All day long, customers came in exclaiming: “Don’t be ridiculous! I
should get four for a dollar!”
Meekly the grocer agreed and packaged four eggplants. The tailor next
door had been watching these antics and finally asked the grocer,
“Aren’t you going to fix the mistake on your sign?”
“What mistake?” the grocer asked. “Before I put up that sign no one ever
bought more than one eggplant.”
By KIM BALDWIN McPherson County farmer and rancher
I have many childhood memories of taking road trips with my family. Some trips involved a nice Sunday drive taking the back roads and seeing new sites. Other trips involved crossing multiple state lines, overnight stops in small towns and eating picnic lunches at rest areas.
These trips allowed me to see much of the United States — oftentimes many parts of this country far beyond the interstates.
It’s an approach I do with my children today to change the scenery and see new things and places from time to time. We like to call them adventure trips. Some of our adventure trips have taken just an hour while others have required an overnight stop.
These trips have allowed my children and myself to explore nearby counties, visit historical sites and see new places together. It has allowed us the opportunity to explore some great parks, walk through neat museums and experience small communities that we’d otherwise probably not visit.
My husband recently purchased a farm implement located a few hours north of us in Nebraska. We could have had the seller deliver it to us for a fee, or we could go get it and bring it home. We decided to go get it. My daughter and I joined my husband and hit the road on a Saturday morning.
When we got to our destination, I began noticing the signs identifying all of what this town had to offer: ball fields, downtown, park and the “World’s Largest Porch Swing.” This was becoming my kind of trip!
After we got the implement loaded and strapped down for the drive home, we decided to follow the signs to see the world’s largest porch swing for ourselves. It was impressive. My daughter thought it was fun to swing on this enormous contraption. You had plenty of room to decide where you wanted to sit. And once you made your seating selection, you would begin the process of getting the seat to sway back and forth.
After a few minutes of experiencing this swing, my daughter and I went to explore the city playground. She played for at least 30 minutes. From climbing ladders, navigating rock walls and sliding down giant slides, it was a fun little pit stop before heading home. It was a great area that was clearly a source of pride for this particular community.
The experience made an impression on my daughter. When we returned home she told her older brother of the swing, and the playground and even the public restroom that was within the firehouse.
After telling about her experience she asked me when we could take her brother back to the swing. She wanted to take him on an adventure trip. We would have never even known of this fun little town had it not been for pulling off the highway and exploring.
We would have never known the world’s largest porch swing was just a few hours north of our farm, and we would not have created some great memories had we just loaded up that piece of equipment and turned right around and headed home.
So often, I feel, we think the destination is the goal of a journey. But maybe the goal should be something different. Maybe the journey should allow for some exploration and discovery along the way.
There are some hidden gems in rural America, all you have to do is allow yourself some time and some alternative routes to explore and enjoy.
“Insight” is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.
RUSSELL — The Russell County Association of Churches will host the annual Community Thanksgiving Service at St. John Lutheran Church, 425 N. Main, Russell, at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24. Community members wishing to sing with the Community Choir are asked to arrive at St. John by 5:45 p.m. that evening for rehearsal.
Pastor Michael Ketchens of Trinity United Methodist Church will deliver the Thanksgiving message. The offering taken during this service will benefit the Russell County Food Pantry.
“ Thanks to the generosity of sponsors, the Community Thanksgiving Service will be broadcast live on KRSL Russell Radio (990 AM and 98.1 FM) and rebroadcast on Thanksgiving Day at 10 a.m.,” the church said a news release.
For more information, contact St. John Lutheran Church at (785) 483-5358.
