LAS VEGAS (AP) — The U.S. Air Force has warned people against participating in an internet joke suggesting a large crowd of people “storm Area 51,” the top-secret Cold War test site in the Nevada desert.
A prank event on Facebook that’s attracted more than 1 million interested people suggests that a mass of people attempt to run into the mysterious site at 3 a.m. on Sept. 20.
The site is part of the vast Nevada Test and Training Range and has become the center of UFO conspiracy theories.
The Facebook event jokes “they can’t stop all of us” and “Let’s see them aliens.”
Nellis Air Force Base said in a statement that the Air Force is aware of the Facebook posting and says “any attempt to illegally access the area is highly discouraged.”
The Air Force says it does not discuss its security measures and that the test and training range provides “flexible, realistic and multidimensional battlespace” for testing and “advanced training in support of U.S. national interests.”
After decades of government officials refusing to acknowledge Area 51, the CIA released declassified documents in 2013 referring to the 8,000-square mile (20,700-sq. kilometer) installation by name and locating it on a map near the dry Groom Lake bed.
The base has been a testing ground for a host of top-secret aircraft, including the U-2 in the 1950s and later the B-2 stealth bomber.
But secrecy surrounding the site has fueled conspiracy theories among UFO enthusiasts and sprouted a small, alien-themed tourist industry in surrounding desert communities, including alien-themed cafes, an alien-themed motel and an alien-themed brothel.
For three years, Nathan Shepherd called Hays and Fort Hays State University home. After sitting out of football for several years for financial reasons, the Ajax, Ontario, Canada, native took a chance a moved to northwest Kansas to jump start his dream of playing in the NFL.
Nathan Shepherd signs autographs Wednesday at Smoky Hill Country Club
After leaving an indelible mark on the Tiger program that included two bowl game appearances and the school’s first MIAA title, Shepherd realized his dream and was drafted in the third round by the New York Jets.
Nathan Shepherd
Now as he prepares to report to training camp prior to his second season in the NFL, Shepherd returned to Hays along with a television crew from TSN (Canada’s version of ESPN) to retrace his footsteps in Hays as part of a feature on the Canada native.
“You never realize how many people you’ve impacted and how you don’t always get to realize how many people have impacted you” Shepherd said after signing autographs and taking photos with Tiger fans Wednesday at the Smoky Hill Country Club.
“Looking back, there’s so many people, so many stories, so many thank yous to be given that maybe at the time while I was leaving wasn’t able to get done” he said. “This helps me to feel better to come back and give back in a way that I can and to show my gratitude for everything this town’s provided me with.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House easily killed a maverick Democrat’s effort Wednesday to impeach President Donald Trump for his recent racial insults against lawmakers of color , a vote that provided an early snapshot of just how divided Democrats are over ousting him as the 2020 presidential and congressional campaigns rev up.
The Democrats talk big on impeachment, but less than half vote for it. Hypocrisy.
— Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) July 17, 2019
Democrats leaned against the resolution by Texas Rep. Al Greenby 137-95. That showed that so far, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has successfully prevented a Democratic stampede toward impeachment before additional evidence is developed that could win over a public that’s so far skeptical about ousting Trump.
Even so, the roll call underscored that the number of liberal Democrats open to impeachment remains substantial and may be growing. About two dozen more conversions would split the party’s 235-member caucus in half over an issue that could potentially dominate next year’s elections. Until now, just over 80 Democrats had publicly said they were open to starting an inquiry over removing Trump.
“There’s a lot of grief, from a lot of different quarters,” Green, speaking to reporters after the vote, said of the reaction he received from colleagues. “But sometimes you just have to take a stand.”
Democrats voting in favor of the impeachment resolution included some of the party’s most outspoken freshmen, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, but were mostly veteran liberals, including leaders of House Democrats’ black, Hispanic and progressive caucuses. With party leaders looking to give the effort as little oxygen as possible, there was no debate.
As some Democrats feared, the measure’s lopsided 332-95 defeat — the House’s first vote on removing Trump since Democrats took control of the chamber this year — opened the door for him to claim vindication.
“You see the overwhelming vote against impeachment and that’s the end of it,” Trump told reporters as he arrived in North Carolina for a campaign rally. He called the effort the “most ridiculous project I’ve ever been involved in.”
Green’s resolution didn’t mention special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether Trump’s 2016 campaign conspired with Russia to influence that year’s congressional election or whether the president obstructed Mueller’s probe. That inquiry and the questions it raised over Trump’s actions have been the main reasons some Democrats have backed impeachment.
Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters that six House committees are investigating Trump, adding, “That is the serious path we’re on.”
Mueller is scheduled to testify next week to two House committees.
Democrats rejected Trump’s claim that the vote showed he’d been absolved of anything.
“It’s not vindication,” said Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Fla. “It’s that we believe in an orderly process. We’re putting our faith in the Judiciary Committee and the hearing they’re going to hold.”
Every voting Republican favored derailing Green’s measure.
With Democrats preparing to defend their House majority in next year’s elections, Green’s measure forced those in tight districts to choose between upsetting liberals eager to remove Trump and moderates leery of that. Democrats owe their House majority to 39 challengers who won in 2018 in what had been GOP-held districts, places where centrist constituents often predominate.
“It’s not ideal for a lot of people to have to take that vote right now,” one of them, Rep. Katie Hill, D-Calif., said of impeachment. She said “if and when” the House votes on impeaching Trump, it should happen when “we can make sure our constituents understand and can get behind” the move.
Recent polling has shown solid majorities of the public oppose impeachment. Even if the Democratic-run House would vote to impeach Trump, the equivalent of filing formal charges, a trial by the Republican-led Senate would all but certainly acquit him, keeping him in office.
Trump is “unfit to be President, unfit to represent the American values of decency and morality, respectability and civility, honesty and propriety, reputability and integrity, is unfit to defend the ideals that have made America great, unfit to defend liberty and justice for all,” Green’s resolution said.
The measure cites Trump’s recent “racist” comments imploring Democratic congresswomen of color to go back to their native countries. The House voted Tuesday largely along party lines to condemn those statements . His targets were Ocasio-Cortez and Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
All are American and all but Omar were born in the U.S. They’ve also been among the party’s most outspoken advocates of impeachment, and all backed Green’s measure.
Mueller’s 448-page report detailed episodes in which Trump tried to influence his investigation. Mueller said he could not exonerate Trump on obstruction and indicated in a May news conference that it was up to Congress to decide what to do.
Some Democrats are frustrated with the slow pace of their party’s investigations of the president, and impeachment supporters say it would accelerate House probes and bolster their arguments in court. The White House has blocked several witnesses from answering questions.
Efforts by party leaders to dissuade Green from forcing the divisive roll call fell flat, as they did when he forced votes on similar impeachment resolutions in 2017 and 2018.
A couple were vacationing in a national park. The wife expressed her
concern about camping because of bears and said she would feel more
comfortable in a motel. The husband said that he’d like to camp and to
calm her concerns, they’d talk to the park ranger to see what the
likelihood of a bear encounter would be.
The ranger told them, “Well, we haven’t seen any grizzlies in this area
so far this year, or black bears, for that matter.”
The wife shrieked, “There are TWO types of bears out here? How can you
tell the difference? Which one is more dangerous?”
The ranger replied, “Well, that’s easy, see, if the bear CHASES you up a
tree and it comes up after you, it’s a black bear. If it SHAKES the tree
until you fall out, it’s a grizzly.”
Meeting with Mayor Zhifeng Ma in Xinzheng, Henan Province, China are Brittney Squire, Hays Sister Cities/FHSU; Mehran Shahidi, Hays Sister Cities/FHSU; Mayor Zhifeng Ma, Xinzheng; President Tisa Mason, FHSU; Cindy Elliott, FHSU/Sister Cities International
In May 2019, two representatives from the Sister Cities of Hays, Kansas board joined the Fort Hays State University delegation on a trip to China. Sister Cities of Hays is a member of Sister Cities International, the oldest and largest organization of citizen diplomats in the nation. Hays’ sister cities include Santa Maria de las Misiones, Paraguay, and Xinzheng, China.
The purpose of this trip was to participate in the annual commencement ceremonies for Fort Hays State University’s partner institutions. This year marked a major milestone as the delegation celebrated 20 years of partnership with Sias International University.
Mehran Shahidi, director of intercultural integration at FHSU and Brittney Squire, Forsyth Library outreach specialist at FHSU represented Sister Cities and the city of Hays on this trip. During the visit, Shahidi and Squire, along with FHSU President Tisa Mason, and Cindy Elliott, FHSU Assistant Vice President for Global Partnerships and board member for Sister Cities International, met with members of the Xinzheng Municipal Government in the Henan Province of China.
There they met with the Mayor of Xinzheng, Mr. Zhifeng Ma. During this meeting, there was an exchange of information about the city of Hays, FHSU, and the city of Xinzheng. In a discussion about possible collaboration opportunities between the two cities, several items of interest were presented including cultural exchange programs, economic development, telemedicine prospects and artificial intelligence.
“Through this meeting and a previous one with Mayor Ma, I have really noticed the purpose of establishing friendships through one on one relationship — one individual and one community at a time. The conversation and the enthusiasm among all of us once again reminded me of President Eisenhower’s belief that friendship through individuals and communities would make the difference,” said Shahidi.
Shahidi and Squire also presented Mayor Ma with a proclamation from Hays Mayor Henry Schwaller. The proclamation reinforced the desire to maintain a positive relationship and cultural exchange between Hays and Xinzheng. Gifts were exchanged by both parties including items which are native to both areas.
“We were given such a warm welcome in China from our very first stop in Xinzheng. I was so impressed by the Chinese hospitality, and I only hope Hays, Kansas can return the favor one day soon by showing off our own Midwestern charm,” said Squire.
Mayor Ma was invited to bring a delegation to Hays. The Sister Cities board will continue to maintain communication with Xinzheng representatives in order to arrange a visit in the future.
Hays Sister Cities is a committee of local citizen volunteers with a passion for international collaboration. For information on Hays Sister Cities, email [email protected] or find the group on Facebook.
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas chapter of a Muslim civil rights group is calling for the resignation of an Independence, Missouri, city councilman who said during a meeting that Middle Eastern owners of discount smoke shops will “sell anything out the back door.”
Councilman Curt Dougherty made the comment Monday while discussing a proposal to regulate medical marijuana facilities in Independence. He was arguing that the city had rules restricting several types of businesses, including smoke shops run mostly by Middle Easterners.
The Kansas chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations said in a statement Wednesday that Dougherty should resign. CAIR-Kansas Board Chairman Moussa Elbayoumy said the comment showed Dougherty couldn’t represent a diverse constituency.
Dougherty did not immediately respond to an email or phone message seeking comment.
Nathan Young, lead paraprofessional at the Reed Development Center, aids a DSNWK client Wednesday,
Nathan Young works three jobs to support his family.
Even at full-time, he does not make enough at his job at Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas to get by. He also works another 16 hours per week aiding another disabled individual as well as a semi-professional gamer.
Young, lead paraprofessional at the Reed Development Center, works with lower-functioning individuals. He helps his clients with basic care like feeding themselves, toileting and keeping themselves clean.
He said he loves his job, but he wishes he was paid more.
“The thing I like the most is not just the smiles I get everyday with everyday interactions. I am able to help someone to the fullest of my abilities. It just brightens their heart,” Young said.
Young, 31, as a direct support professional, is not alone in his struggles to make ends meet. He is one of many workers at DSNWK who work physically and mentally demanding jobs for low wages.
Jerry Michaud, DSNWK president, said because of state-set reimbursement rates, the wages DSNWK can offer direct care workers is low. This, coupled with low unemployment in northwest Kansas, means it is difficult for DSNWK to recruit and retain employees. The agency constantly has vacancies.
DSNWK has about 345 employees across its 18-county coverage area. As of the end of June, DSNWK had 27 open positions — mostly direct support professionals.
The overall unemployment rate for DSNWK’s coverage area is 2.84 percent, which is very low.
“It means there are not a lot of individuals out there in the workforce, so that is one challenge right off the bat,” Michaud said. “It is a challenge in all our communities, so I think that is something all employers are up against.”
A direct support professional helps a DSNWK client. Direct support professionals are paid only $9 an hour.
How much DSNWK is reimbursed for caring for disabled individuals is complicated. The state assigns disabled individuals to a tier system based on their needs, and then the state reimburses DSNWK based on that tier system. DSNWK serves people on all tiers.
The bottom reimbursement rate is $7.68 per hour. Minimum wage is $7.25. DSNWK recently raised its direct support professional starting pay to $9 an hour.
Michaud acknowledges $9 is not a high wage, but DSNWK still has to make up the difference between $9 an hour and the state reimbursement.
“I will tell you that the rates that are paid don’t cover the cost,” Michaud said. “That is in part of why we approach our counties to help us to fill the gap.
“What we ought to be paying is something different,” he added. “That is part of the equation we haven’t even broached. What is a prevailing wage in this community versus the next community? That is where it become more complicated to try to figure out what that is.”
Turnover is directly tied to wage, Michaud said.
Turn over is high among direct care professionals because of the difficult work and low wages.
“How do you live on a $9 a hour wage?” he said. “Can you find housing? Can you pay for your housing on $9 an hour alone? I am saying these things knowing it is a hard reality.”
The answer, in Young’s case, is you don’t.
Not only is Young working extra jobs, he has also had to reach out for state assistance.
DSNWK offers health insurance benefits to its employees. Young is able to purchase health insurance for himself through DSNWK, but he can’t afford the family plan that would cover his children. They are covered by state insurance.
Young said turnover can be a problem. He sees fellow employees come and go. It is a tough job for not much pay. He said the people who stay are like him — committed to the people who they serve.
“I would like more pay,” he said. “It would definitely financially aid me, but it is not about the money there. I love seeing my friends every day. I know I work for them. They are so much fun to hang out with and help them grow.”
Turnover definitely has an effect on the quality of care that the people DSNWK serve receive.
DSNWK celebrates its 50th anniversary. File photo
“Let us assume for a moment that I am the person who receives services, let’s just say I require personal services — using the restroom, toileting, showering, and those kind of things,” Michaud said. “If you have new people coming and going all of the time, helping you in some of those most personal times, that would be hard. I can’t sugarcoat that.
“It really solidifies making a change or making a difference so we can slow that revolving door and have greater stability. That is why we are doing what we are doing.”
Not only does turnover have ramifications on care, constantly training new employees is costly and time-consuming.
“When you go through that process and a person stays for a month or a few months, that is not necessarily a good thing,” Michaud said.
DSNWK employs university students in Hays. Although those students might not leave due to wage, they usually eventually leave due to graduation.
DSNWK has a capital campaign to address in part some of its employment challenges. However, long-term, Michaud said the reimbursement rates for care need to increase in order to deal with the direct support professional pay issue.
Michaud said increases in reimbursement rates have not kept up with inflation and neither have wages. From 2008 until a couple of years ago, state reimbursement rates remained flat.
“As a state, we’ve got to find a way to have a realistic funding structure that is practical as far as the ability to hire, recruit and retain a workforce that can provide these vital services. I think the state understands this,” Michaud said.
The state has had to increase wages on the institutional side at facilities, including Larned State Hospital and Osawatomie.
On a related issue, the state has tried to reduce the number of disabled individuals waiting for Medicaid-funded services. There are 107 people on that list in DSNWK’s coverage area and more than 4,000 people on the list statewide.
The Legislature this spring allocated more funding to decrease two of the Medicaid waiting lists. One-hundred seven people were removed from the wait list statewide with that funding. Only one of those people was from northwest Kansas.
Although the state needs to reduce the waiting list, it also needs to address the wage issue., Michaud said. If more people come into the system without increasing wages, DSNWK and other agencies like it in the state will have capacity problems, he said.
DSNWK is taking steps internally to fill its need for employees. This includes recruiting employees human resources believe will feel fulfilled working with people and tapping untraditional markets, such as retirees.
The agency is also engaged in a capital campaign it hopes will partially address the wage gap, Michaud said.
But for every step forward, there seems to be a step back. Due to a budget shortfall in Ellis County, the county cut $25,000 in funding for the DSNWK and another $10,000 in funding from ACCESS, general transportation, which DSNWK manages.
The ACCESS cuts also mean a loss in KDOT matching funds. The total loss to the agency will be $57,000 for the coming budget year.
Michaud said the DSNWK has limited means to address those funding cuts, and it definitely does not help its struggle to increase wages.
For those interested in employment with DSNWK, you can visit its website. If you are interested in donating to DSNWK click here.
Sternberg outreach coordinator Ian Trevethan discusses the fictional creatures of the “Star Wars” saga and how they relate to real animals. Photos courtesy of Sternberg Museum
Sternberg Museum of Natural History
Since its premiere in 1977, “Star Wars” has become a staple in many cultures.
Vulptex (crystal fox)
It has connected people all over the world, making it one of the most successful franchises. Not only has it impacted our culture, but our science as well.
The connection between science fiction and actual science has not only helped people have a better understanding of science, but has given them an appreciation for it.
Sternberg outreach coordinator Ian Trevethan has found this connection to be a useful teaching tool to get people excited about science. This summer, Trevethan has been working on a project to show people the connections between “Star Wars” animals and real animals.
The project has led Trevethan to get creative. To help show off the marvelous animals of the “Star Wars” Universe, he has created a Vulptex (crystal fox), seen from “Episode VIII: The Last Jedi,” and a Taun-Taun, seen in “Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.” The fox in the story lives on a mineralized planet.
“The minerals on this planet, the salt, basically crystalize on this animal’s fur, and you have a crystal critter,” Trevethan told Mike Koerner in a Discover Under the Dome video interview.
It took Trevethan six months of work using thousands of crystals to hand make the creature.
In June Sternberg Outreach coordinator Ian Trevethan took his creations to Smallville Con 2019 and participated in a Zoology of Star Wars panel.
In June, Trevethan took his creations to Smallville Con 2019 in Hutchinson and participated in a Zoology of Star Wars panel.
His future plans for these fictional critters is to use them for his outreach programs this summer, teaching the public how to look for the correlations between them and the real animals that inspired them.
He wants people to start thinking critically, asking questions like, “How is the environment affecting the animal?” “Why did the fox get crystals on its fur?” “What helps the Taun-Taun move so quickly over the snow?”
Taun-Taun
By exercising this critical thinking skill, people can start to understand how to apply it to real animals and the environment we live in today. To see if Trevethan will be in a town near you, follow Sternberg social media or contact your local library to see if they will be hosting Ian Trevethan this summer.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Hutchinson Correctional Facility inmate was taken to a Wichita hospital after he fell while working on the Kansas State Fairgrounds.
Boothby has two previous convictions for aggravated assault, one for criminal threat and for flee and attempt to elude police, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections
Christopher Boothby, 38, was on some type of hydraulic lift working on a flag pole when he fell about 15 feet and hit his head, according to Hutchinson Police.
He was first taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center then transported to Via Christi St. Francis in Wichita.
He has been at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility since March after a move from the El Dorado Correctional Facility.
Traffic meets at the current U.S. 50/U.S. 281 intersection, which is being converted to a roundabout.
By TIM POTTER KDOT
On a summer day, the intersection of U.S. 50 and U.S. 281 looks and sounds like a busy place for a remote spot.
Just beyond the intersection, in Stafford County, it’s wide-open country – 3 miles south of St. John, 48 miles west of Hutchinson, 28 miles south of Great Bend. It’s a quilt of tree lines and crops, cattle and cattails. For stretches, the only movement on the hot pavement is tiny toads trying to hop from one side to another.
At the intersection of the two highways, traffic across a wide expanse of south-central Kansas converges, engines whirring, gears shifting. Big rigs rumble straight through without having to stop, blowing east and west on U.S. 50, while north and south traffic on U.S. 281 is signaled to stop before rolling on. At times, several vehicles line up before east-west traffic clears.
But everything about that key intersection is about to change in a big way: Around four weeks from now, the first key temporary change will be that traffic in all directions will have to stop before proceeding. That’s so construction can continue on a roundabout interchange.
The Kansas Department of Transportation is overseeing the project. Venture Corp., of Great Bend, is the primary contractor for the $5.2 million project.
The roundabout is designed to improve safety – with less chance of a high-speed, T-bone collision – and to ease the way for oversized trailers carrying, for example, huge wind-farm parts. Now, big loads have a hard time maneuvering through the square interchange.
Construction Engineer James Middleton, left, and Engineering Technician Specialist Doug Coates check roundabout plans.
Roundabouts help improve safety because they cause traffic to slow down, said James Middleton, a South Central Kansas Construction Engineer based in Pratt. The 15-year KDOT veteran is overseeing inspection of the interchange project. The project coordinator is Doug Coates, Engineering Technician Specialist has more than 30 years of field experience.
The roundabout will be composed of two spheres: a diamond-shaped outer road for the largest loads and a separate circular road inside the diamond for regular vehicles. Vehicles enter the circle by yielding to the left.
Crews are building legs of the diamond now. For a while, drivers will be using temporary roadway at the intersection. Traffic will be shifted around as the roundabout gets constructed in phases.
For visibility, the completed roundabout will be illuminated with 16 street lights – four at each approach.
The contractor’s schedule has a completion date of Dec. 13.
Check out our drone video of the project below:
Learn more about roundabouts and why KDOT uses them HERE.
