Year: 2019
About 30 dogs rescued from filthy home in south-central Kansas
KINGMAN, Kan. (AP) — The Humane Society says about 30 dogs were rescued from an alleged animal cruelty situation in south-central Kansas
The organization said in a news release the animals were removed Wednesday from a residential property in Kingman County. The exact location wasn’t disclosed.
The animals were found when the Kingman County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at the property after concerns were raised about the animals’ welfare.
The release says the dogs appeared to have skin conditions from living in a filthy environment. Some of the dogs were kept in makeshift pens and crawled under trailers for shade.
The animals will be examined and taken to an undisclosed location.
Kingman County law enforcement and several animal advocacy groups helped with the rescue.
Ellis City Council approves submission of waterline project grant application
By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
ELLIS — The Ellis City Council approved the submission of a Community Development Block Grant application for citywide waterline improvements at Tuesday’s meeting.
The application was narrowly denied in a prior submission.
“CBDG is competitive. It’s rated against all other water and sewer categories across the state,” Justine Benoit, grant administrator with Northwest Kansas Planning and Development, told the council. “Last year, there were 28 applications and 12 were funded.”
“We were number 13 or 14. We were right on the bubble,” City Clerk Amy Burton said.
Benoit told the council a total of $6.8 million in grant money was given out last year for water system improvements.
The project is based on an engineering survey completed and approved by the state in 2015 and this is the last cycle available for the city to submit a grant application before a new survey would need to be completed.
“That’s why we wanted to resubmit this application one more time,” Burton said
The application is due on Sept. 27 and awards are to be announced on Jan. 17, Benoit said.
“For this project, we have four waterlines in mind,” she said.
Several hydrants are also projected to be replaced with the project.
The total project is estimated to cost $824,225, with the grant covering half. The remaining cost would be paid through city funds that were budgeted for the project.
In order to qualify for the grant, the project must be completed within two years.
During the meeting, the council took action on three agenda items related to the project: a resolution to approve documents for the project’s grant application; approval a contract with the NKPDC to complete and submit the grant documents; and authorized the mayor to sign any additional CBDG documents.
All three were unanimously approved by the council.
Only one last step remains before the grant can be submitted, the approval of the project engineer’s contract. He is scheduled to attend the next city council meeting.
Cerner laying off workers in Kansas City, cutting expenses
KANSAS CITY (AP) — Cerner Corp. will lay off 255 workers as part of a wider effort to cut costs.
photo by ELANA GORDON
Cerner officials said the layoffs will occur in the Kansas City area and across the country. The affected employees were told Wednesday that their last official day will be Nov. 5.
The health care technologies company is Kansas City’s largest employer, with about 14,000 workers in the area. It has a global workforce of about 30,000.
Cerner is currently considering ways to diversify and is undergoing a review of its operations. CFO Marc Naughton said the company wants to cut more than $200 million in expenses.
The company continues to grow. Cerner has already hired several thousand workers this year and plans to hire hundreds this year.
Division II Showcase: Fort Hays State at Central Missouri – How to watch
The football season opener between Fort Hays State and Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Mo., on Thursday night (Sept. 5) is part of the NCAA Division II Showcase. The game will be available live from multiple local television providers, and available for FREE on several social media platforms. The game will still be available for MIAA Network subscribers who have purchased season packages. See how you can catch the #11/8 ranked Tigers in their season opener on the road Thursday night at 7 pm.
Local Television Live Options
Eagle Communications: Channels 204 (SD) and 601 (HD) for customers with a digital receiver. The game will be available in the Kansas communities of: Hays, Ellis, Munjor, Russell, Victoria, WaKeeney, Abilene, Bennington, Chapman, Clay Center, Ellsworth, Enterprise, Florence, Hillsboro, Kanopolis, Lincoln, Marion, Minneapolis, Solomon, and Wakefield.
Nex-Tech: Channels 109 (SD) and 609 (HD) depending on the subscriber’s system.
**Note** Both Eagle and Nex-Tech will have the game on the YurView Kansas channel, which is the station for the channels listed above.
Statewide Television Live Options
YurView Kansas
Midco Sports Network Kansas
Other Television Options
KMOS-TV (LIVE)
Yurview Omaha (LIVE)
Spectrum Sports KC (TAPE DELAY; see replay times below)
-Monday, Sept. 9: Noon; 7 p.m. CT
-Tuesday, Sept. 10: 10:30 p.m. CT
-Wednesday, Sept. 11: 6 a.m. CT
-Thursday, Sept. 12: 2 p.m. CT
-Sunday, Sept. 15: 1 a.m. CT
YurView Oklahoma and Cox Sports Television (DELAYED; see CST replay time below)
-YurView Oklahoma Extra: 1:30 p.m. CT on Friday, Sept. 6.
-Cox Sports Television will air the game on tape delay on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 12 p.m. CT.
Live FREE Viewing Options on Social Media
Twitter – @NCAADII
Facebook – facebook.com/NCAADivisionII or facebook.com/fhsuathletics
MIAA Network – https://themiaanetwork.com/fhsutigers/
For those who have already purchased a subscription package to the MIAA Network, you can still view the game as normal at the link above.
— FHSU Sports Information —
Gerald W. Bredemeier
Phillipsburg resident Gerald W. Bredemeier passed away Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019 at the Phillips County Hospital in Phillipsburg, KS at the age of 93.
He was born March 19, 1926 in Phillips County, the son of William H. & Lillie M. (Miller) Bredemeier. On Jan. 23, 1992, Gerald married Lois Miller in Phillipsburg. She survives.
Other survivors include his sons, Mark of Colby, KS and John of Hutchinson, KS; daughters, Jeri Bredemeier of Lincoln, NE and Mary Bredemeier of Denver, CO; 13 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. in the First Lutheran Church, Phillipsburg, with Pastor James Peterson officiating. Burial will follow in the Fairview Cemetery, Phillipsburg.
Visitation will be Thursday from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. and Friday from 1:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, where the family will greet friends Friday evening from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Memorial contributions may be given to the Orphan Grain Train or the Phillipsburg City Library. Online condolences to: www.olliffboeve.com.
Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, is in charge of arrangements.
Kansas man dies after SUV strikes a bridge pillar
BROWN COUNTY — One person died in an accident just after 10a.m. Wednesday in Brown County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Chevy Suburban driven by Michael P. McMillan, 70, Fairview, Kansas, was eastbound on U.S. 36 at U.S. 75.
The SUV left the roadway to the south and struck the U.S. 75 bridge pillar.
McMillan was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Chapel Oaks in Hiawatha. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
Valarie Sue Duff
Valarie Sue Duff, age 70, passed away on Saturday, August 31, 2019 at her home in Scott City, Kansas. She was born on May 2, 1949 in Goodland, Kansas, the daughter of Clarence and Betty Cloyd Harris. A resident of Scott City, Kansas since 1971 moving from Sharon Springs, Kansas, she worked at Beef Belt Feeders in the office and driving a feed truck.
She attended the Prairie View Church of the Brethren in Friend, Kansas.
On December 24, 1982 she married David Duff in Sharon Springs, Kansas. He survives.
Survivors include her Husband – David Duff of Scott City, Kansas, One Son – Darren & Kris Duff of Scott City, Kansas, Two Daughters – Gina & Michael Rodriguez of Dodge City, Kansas, Dina Craft of Scott City, Kansas, Eleven Nephews, One Niece and Numerous Great Nieces & Nephews, Ten Grandchildren and Four Great Grandchildren
She was preceded in death by her Parents, One Son – Daryl Duff and One Sister – Janie Wade.
A celebration of life service will be held Saturday, September 14, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. at the Prairie View Church of the Brethren in Friend, Kansas with Pastor Jon Tuttle presiding.
Inurnment will be in the Scott County Cemetery in Scott City, Kansas.
Memorials can be made out to the St. Catherine Hospice in care of Price & Sons Funeral Homes.
There will be no calling times.
Kan. treasurer drops Senate bid to challenge GOP Rep. Watkins
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ Republican state treasurer on Wednesday abandoned a campaign for an open Senate seat to challenge a GOP freshman congressman that he describes as vulnerable to Democratic defeat.
Treasurer Jake LaTurner’s announcement came little more than a week after former GOP Gov. Jeff Colyer publicly called on him to run for the 2nd District seat in eastern Kansas that Rep. Steve Watkins narrowly won last year. Watkins has faced internet rumors and speculation that he would resign but has tweeted that he won’t step down.
Republicans in Kansas’ Second Congressional District need a candidate that can win the general election in 2020.
I call on #SEK native @JakeLaTurner to seek the Republican nomination for the 2nd Congressional District and Republicans across Kansas to unite behind his campaign. pic.twitter.com/cPhsZfSAMB
— Dr. Jeff Colyer (@DrJeffColyer) August 27, 2019
LaTurner said in an Associated Press interview before his announcement that the speculation played no role in his decision and that he takes Watkins at his word that he will not resign. Instead, LaTurner said he worries that if Watkins is the GOP nominee, Democrats will pick up the seat, as they nearly did in 2018.
“It should not be a seat that is in play,” LaTurner said. “It was in play, big-time, this last election, and it’s going to be in play again if he’s the nominee for the party.”
Watkins, a former Army officer and military contractor, won by less than a percentage point as a political unknown who emerged from a crowded GOP primary. President Donald Trump carried the district easily in 2016, and both LaTurner and Colyer have cited the difference between Trump’s showing and Watkins’ result two years later.
Republican Rep. Lynn Jenkins held the seat for a decade after ousting a one-term Democratic incumbent in 2008, and averaged nearly 60 percent of the vote in four races for re-election. Before that, the seat had been held by Republicans for 12 years. In the 2018 general election, Watkins faced Democrat Paul Davis, a former legislative leader with a statewide profile, because he nearly won the 2014 governor’s race.
Watkins’ campaign has suggested on Twitter that defeating Davis in a nationally targeted race shows that the 42-year-old congressman is a strong candidate for re-election.
The race will be “a life of service versus a life of self-service,” Watkins spokesman Bryan Piligra said in a statement Wednesday.
“Jake LaTurner’s entire career has been political ladder-climbing — and that climb ends in August,” Piligra said, referencing the primary next year.
Local GOP leaders expressed misgivings about Watkins ahead of the 2018 primary, though many said he later won them over after capturing the nomination with less than 27 percent of the vote. Watkins’ campaign said he has voted with Trump some 93 percent of the time.
But University of Kansas political scientist Patrick Miller said last year’s election results told some Republicans that Watkins is “someone you can take down.”
“The blood has been in the water,” Miller said. “Watkins was ripe for a primary challenger to emerge even before any of these rumors started swirling.”
The only Democrat running so far is Abbie Hodgson, a 37-year-old former speechwriter for Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who later worked for the Pew Charitable Trusts in Washington.
LaTurner, 31, is a former Jenkins staffer who was elected to the Kansas Senate in 2012. He served there until being appointed to fill a vacancy in the treasurer’s office in 2017, and won a full, four-year term as treasurer last year. LaTurner launched his U.S. Senate campaign only days after four-term GOP Sen. Pat Roberts announced in January that he wasn’t seeking re-election in 2020.
Colyer also urged LaTurner to switch races because the field in the U.S. Senate contest already included six candidates, including Kris Kobach, nationally known for advocating tough immigration policies. Many Republicans fear Kobach, the former Kansas secretary of state, will win the nomination, alienate moderates and put a normally safe GOP seat at risk.
GOP Rep. Roger Marshall of western Kansas has said he will discuss his plans during an event Saturday at the Kansas State Fair, and he’s expected to jump into the Senate race.
Kobach lost the governor’s race last year to Democrat Laura Kelly after narrowly defeating Colyer in the GOP primary. Kobach’s critics within the GOP argue that he benefits from a crowded field and fractured vote.
LaTurner said such concerns were not a factor in his decision. He said he focused on how Watkins could “turn the (House) seat over to a liberal Democrat.”
Pastor Harlan Robert Palser
Pastor Harlan Robert Palser, 87, of Russell, Kansas, passed away Tuesday morning, August 3, 2019 at the Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kansas.
Harlan was born January 10, 1932 in the Davis Creek community of Rural North Loup, Nebraska in Valley County. He was born the second of four children to Carrol and Grace (Beck) Palser. He attended the Davis Creek School until in the ninth grade. Subsequently he attended high school in Loup City and Big Springs and graduated from the Scotia High School in 1949. Harlan was engaged in the family farm until, in view of planning to marry, he took employment on the Glenn Bremmer Farm at North Loup. After marriage he worked for W.O. Zangger and Son also at North Loup.
On June 1, 1951, Harlan was united in marriage to Evelyn Ruth Brown of North Loup. A daughter, Ellen Jean, was born to them on March 9, 1952. In August of 1952 Harlan, as well as his wife, Evelyn, received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and were later baptized by immersion at First Baptist church of North Loup from 1953 to 1955.
With a farm rented and a farm loan in place in January 0f 1955, he turned them both back and took employment with the J.R. Watkins Co. as a Field Man in Iowa in order to be available to pursue full-time Christian ministry. The family lived in Corning, Iowa until they moved to Omaha, Nebraska where he pursued further education at the Omaha Baptist Bible College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1959. During these years he was employed in carpentry and other phases of the building industry. In June of 1959, the family moved to Winifred, Kansas where Harlan had been called as pastor of the Winifred Baptist Church. He was ordained by the Winifred Baptist Church of August 3, 1960. After pasturing at the Winifred for four years Harlan was called to serve as pastor of the First Baptist church of Wilson, Kansas, where he pastured until November of 1970 at which time he and the family moved to Winona Lake, Indiana where Harlan enrolled in Grace Theological Seminary to pursue graduate study. A variety of ministries were performed in the area during the years at Winona Lake.
After receiving the Master of Divinity degree from Grace Theological Seminary he was called to pastor the Berean Baptist Church of Boone, Iowa where he served for fourteen years until April of 1992. Evelyn Palser, His wife of 30 years passed away on January 11, 1980. On, July 23, 1981, he was united in marriage to Darlene Janda Luerman of Dorrance, Kansas. Following the ministry at Boone Reverend Pasler was called to the Grace Baptist Church of Corning, Iowa, where he served until October of 1994 at which time he retired from full-time pastoral ministry.
In retirement, Harlan and Darlene resided in Russell, Kansas, where he engaged in pulpit supply ministry, Bible class teaching in Bible Baptist Church of which they were members and Pastor of Stockton Baptist Church. He also returned to the vocation which he intended to pursue as a young man, that of farming at the Darwin Steinle farm.
Surviving family include his wife 38 years, Darlene of the home; daughter, Ellen Kroeger (Richard) of Apex, North Carolina; three grandchildren; step daughters, Kathy Hickert (Bill) of Russell, Kansas, Trudy Boyd (Jim) of Ankeny, Iowa and Cindy Suppes (Kelvin) of LaCrosse, Kansas; and 11 additional grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren.
Harlan was preceded in death by his parents, first wife Evelyn, brothers Hillis Palser and William Palser, and sister Charlene Lewandowski.
Celebration of Pastor Harlan’s Life will be held at 10:30 AM, Friday, September 6, 2019 at the First Baptist Church of Wilson. Graveside Service will be held at 11:30 AM, Saturday, September 7, 2019 at the Hillside Cemetery in North Loup, Nebraska. Visitation will be held from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Thursday, September 5, 2019 at Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, with the family present to greet friends from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Memorials have been established with the First Baptist Church of Wilson or Bible Baptist Church of Russell. Contributions and condolences may be sent to Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, who is in charge of these arrangements.
Magdelena ‘Lena’ Zerr
Magdelena “Lena” Zerr, age 93, of Grainfield, KS, passed away on Friday, August 30, 2019. Lena was born in Gove County on March 18, 1926 to Ben and Juliana (Kuntz) Heier. Ben & Juliana were married on February 7, 1921 and Juliana passed away on March 24, 1935. Ben then married Margaret (Zerr) on May 11, 1936. Lena graduated from 8th grade at East Sunny Slope, a country school in Gove County.
Lena Heier was united in marriage to Leo Zerr on October 1, 1946 in Grainfield. They enjoyed fifty years of marriage before Leo’s passing on November 10, 1996. Lena worked as a farm wife and home maker. She enjoyed cooking, gardening, sewing, KU basketball, soap operas, game shows, playing cards, polka music, and country music. Lena was a member of the St. Agnes Catholic Church ladies in Grainfield. She lived on her farm up to the age of 92. She then moved to Hays and lived at Via Christi Village of Hays, KS where she passed away.
Lena is survived by her children, Maryann Kaiser of Bennington, Willie Zerr of Minneapolis, Esther Leiker of Gardner, Kathy Ziegler and husband Don of Winfield, Louise Hein and husband Dave of LaCrosse, Micki Quint and husband Ted of Hays, Flo Quint and husband Ron of Quinter, Joan Wasinger of Salina, Carol Weber and husband Butch of Grainfield, Charlie Robben of Kansas City, MO; twenty-seven grandchildren; thirty-five great grandchildren; half-brothers, Felix Heier and wife Catherine of WaKeeney, and Tom Heier of Oakley; and half-sister Tina Bockwinkel of Oakley.
Lena was preceded in death by her husband Leo; her parents; six brothers, Bill, Augustine, Frank, Alfred, Edwin and Wilmer; two sisters, Margaret Heier and Antonia Weber; a half-brother Wilmer Nicholas Heier; and a son-in-law Norbert Kaiser.
Kan. native who found Titanic wreckage is searching for Earhart’s plane
ATCHISON, Kan. —Ocean explorer and Kansas native Dr. Robert Ballard, known for his work to find the wreckage of the Titanic, recently returned from his expedition to find Amelia Earhart’s plane in the South Pacific.
Ballard, 77, who was born in Wichita, spoke to students and others at Atchison High School Tuesday about his life and amazing work.
Kansas Senator Jerry Moran hosted the event.
Watch a replay of the lecture and discussion with the team of scientists aboard Ballard’s ship in the ocean.
Mental exam ordered for KC man charged in 2 women’s deaths
HARRISONVILLE, Mo. (AP) — A judge has ordered a mental evaluation for a man who is charged in the deaths of two women who disappeared nearly a decade apart.
A Cass County judge agreed Tuesday to the request from attorneys for Kylr Yust of Kansas City. His defense team says he suffers from a mental disease or defect and may lack the competence to stand trial. In granting the request for a mental exam, the judge said he wanted the trial to proceed as scheduled.
Yust is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of abandoning a corpse in the deaths of 21-year-old Jessica Runions, of Raymore, and 17-year-old Kara Kopetsky, of Belton. Their remains were found in 2017 in a wooded area in rural Cass County.