OSAGE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a dog attack that sent a child to the hospital.
Just after 4p.m.m June 23, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office and Osage County EMS responded to 1954 W. 253rd in rural Lyndon after report of a dog bite, according to Sheriff Laurie Dunn.
EMS transported a juvenile victim in critical condition to Stormont Vail Hospital. The dog and the juvenile both reside at the residence. The sheriff’s office released no new information on the child’s condition Wednesday.
NEW YORK (AP) – Comedian and actor Sebastian Maniscalco will host MTV’s 2019 Video Music Awards.
He’ll be joined at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Aug. 26 by some of the industry’s biggest stars as they celebrate the year’s music videos.
Executive producer Bruce Gillmer says Maniscalco’s “comedic spin on relatable topics will make this year’s show truly unforgettable.”
Maniscalco is currently on his North American “You Bother Me” tour.
The 45-year-old was the 2018 Billboard “Comedian of the Year” and made his feature film debut last year in the Oscar-winning “Green Book.”
He’ll next be seen on Netflix in Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” with Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci.
LOS ANGELES (AP) – The Dixie Chicks took the long way around, but they’re returning with new music soon after a 13-year hiatus.
The award-winning group’s lead singer, Natalie Maines, took to Instagram recently to tease a new album.
Using a baby filter, Maines exclaims “Dixie Chicks!” Bandmates Emily Robison and Martie Maguire then say “Album” and “Coming.” Their producer, Jack Antonoff, says “Someday.”
Their representative has not responded to an email seeking comment on the upcoming album.
The Dixie Chicks’ last album in 2006, “Taking the Long Way,” won the Grammy award for Album of the Year.
The group received both support and severe backlash in 2003 after Maines told a London audience that they were ashamed President George W. Bush was from Texas.
Karla R. Wishnuck, age 50, of Ellis, Kansas, passed away Tuesday, June 25, 2019, at the Good Samaritan Society, Ellis.
Memorial services will be 10:00 AM on Saturday, June 29, 2019, at Keithley Funeral Chapel, 400 E. 17th Ellis, KS 67637. Inurnment will follow in the St. Mary’s Cemetery, Ellis.
Virginia (VanSickle) Johnson, age 96, of Hays, Kansas passed away June 25, 2019 in Hays. Virginia was born in Kansas City, Kansas to H.D. VanSickle and Ruth Bolte VanSickle. They moved to Strong City, Kansas where she graduated from Strong City High School. She worked at Kools Drug Store, Cottonwood, Kansas and the Chase County Courthouse.
She married Gerald E. Johnson of Matfield Green, Kansas. They had two daughters, Geralyn (Michael) Ament, Mesa, Arizona, and Lucinda (John) Borra, Hays, Kansas. She was a wonderful wife, mother, homemaker, dressmaker, cook, volunteer, member of the American Legion Auxiliary, member of the Order of Eastern Star and Strong City Methodist Church.
Gerald’s work on the Kansas Turnpike caused Virginia and her girls to move frequently across Kansas, making many wonderful friends.
She is survived by her daughters, four grandchildren: Matthew (Mary Lynn) Ament, Glendale, AZ, Aaron (Casey) Ament, Mesa, AZ, Sarah (Bryan) Ament Wisda, Scottsdale, AZ and Joseph Borra, Hays, KS. Four great-grandchildren: Colby and McKenzie Ament and Cale and Dane Wisda.
Graveside services will be 2 PM on Saturday, June 29, 2019 at the Strong City Cemetery, Strong City, KS
Condolences may be left on Virginia’s tribute page at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or by email at [email protected]
Services under the direction of Keithley Funeral Homes and Crematory, Hays, KS and Brown-Bennett-Alexander Funeral Home, Cottonwood Falls, KS.
Richard Lovin, age 69, Ellis, passed away Tuesday, June 25, 2019 at Good Samaritan Society, Hays.
Services will be 10:30 a.m., Friday, June 28, 2019 at Schmitt Funeral Home, WaKeeney. Burial will be in the WaKeeney City Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 9:00 to service time at the funeral home on Friday.
Memorial contributions are suggested to Richard Lovin Memorial Fund. Donations made to the fund may be sent to Schmitt Funeral Home, 336 North 12th, WaKeeney, KS 67672.
For those attending the service, the family encourages you to wear either Kansas State Wildcats or Kansas City Chiefs shirts.
TOPEKA, KAN. – A former president of a credit union in Kansas was sentenced today to three years on supervised release, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister. In addition, the defendant agreed to pay approximately $39,895 in restitution.
Connie Marie Kent, 52, Topeka, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of theft from a credit union. In her plea, she admitted the crime occurred while she was an officer and employee of 1st Kansas Credit Union, formerly the Post Office Credit Union on Topeka. Membership in the credit union was limited to government employees.
The Geary County Sheriff’s Department has identified the victim in Tuesday’s ATV as Mark Jackson, 48, Milford.
Authorities said Jackson was on his ATV spraying a field off Ava Road when it overturned and rolled down an embankment. Jackson was found pinned under the ATV.
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GEARY COUNTY —One person died in an accident Tuesday in Geary County.
Just after 4:30p.m., sheriff’s deputies responded to report of a man pinned under an ATV, according to a media release.
The man identified as a Milford resident was pronounced dead at the scene. The sheriff’s department has not released his name or additional details of the accident.
Ryan Rymer filed to run for a seat on the Hays City Commission shortly before the June 3 noon deadline.
A Hays resident since 1997, Rymer became acutely aware of the city’s operations when discussion ramped up about improvements to the the North Vine Street Corridor.
The plan is to install four traffic roundabouts on Vine at 32nd/33rd, 37th, and 41st Streets, and a partial roundabout at the eastbound exit ramp of Interstate 70. In addition, the corridor project calls for W. 37th to be extended west to the new development area and for West 41st – the west frontage road – to be realigned to meet West 37th.
Rymer lives in the 100 block of West 37th and opposes the proposed street extension. He has rallied other residents in the neighborhood to provide safe alternate solutions to the city’s plan to connect 37th to Vine Street.
“My interest in local politics came as I went before the city commission pertaining to the roundabout project,” Rymer told Hays Post. “When Sandy Jacobs stated in the meeting that some in the delegation should consider serving on the commission, an epiphany struck me. With my experience and leadership record, this is certainly a possibility.”
Rymer is employed as the ER coordinator for Russell Regional Hospital, where he has worked as an ER nurse for 11 years.
“My focus has been on providing the best emergent care for citizens of the county, and we’ve made a significant impact for quality improvement on heart, stroke, trauma and sepsis patients,” Rymer said.
In addition, Ryan serves in the U.S. Army Reserves. He attained the rank of major in 2015 and has served a total of 27 years both as enlisted and officer. During his most recent mobilization, he was stationed in Landstuhl, Germany, where he was in charge of the Deployed Warrior Medical Management Center. The DWMMC was responsible for the coordination of care for arriving casualties from multiple theaters of operation as they arrived to Landstuhl, as well as the continuation of care upon return to stateside.
Growing up in Wichita, Rymer moved to Hays shortly after meeting his soon-to-be wife, Alicia. He attended Fort Hays State University and then NCK Technical College where he graduated with his associate’s RN in 2001. Upon graduation from Grantham University, Rymer earned his BSN and graduated magna cum laude.
Rymer and his wife have been married for 21 years. They have two children, Garret and Audrey. Garret will be attending FHSU in the fall of 2019. Audrey will be attending Hays High as a junior in the upcoming year. In their spare time, they enjoy camping at Wilson Lake, taking in the sights of local Hays venues, and assisting family at their farm in Pawnee County.
Rymer says Hays is a “fantastic place to raise a family.”
“My focus, if I’m elected, would transparency of local government, fiscal responsibility, and the growth and development of the city of Hays. With declining population and empty storefronts throughout the city, my efforts will be to reverse these occurrences and to make the city a wonderful place to raise a family for years to come,” he said.
There are three seats open on the Hays city commission. The five candidates are Rymer, Mason Ruder, Michael Berges, and incumbents Ron Mellick and Henry Schwaller IV.
Hays Police Officer Ryan Blecha and the other members of his shift spent their day off doing lawn maintenance for 92-year-old Margaret Vine of Hays. (Back row L to R): Sgt. Brandon Hauptman, Dispatcher Josh Cooper, Ofc. Aaron Ewy, Ofc. Mackenzie Smith, Cpl. Vilaysing, Ofc. Ryan Blecha, Ofc. Scott Heimann (Kneeling) Dispatcher Alanna Hansen, Ofc. Samantha Nielsen
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
It was their day off, but the entire law enforcement shift that works with Hays Police Officer Ryan Blecha got together anyway.
All nine of them gathered at 9 a.m. to do major lawn maintenance at the home of 92-year-old Hays resident Margaret Vine.
“She really needed her lawn done,” Blecha said during a short break in the frenzy of activity Monday morning.
Nobody was in uniform. Instead the seven officers and two dispatchers were dressed in work clothes and boots, with yard and garden tools in hand as they clipped bushes, mowed grass, weeded, raked, and sawed dead tree limbs in Margaret’s large front and back yards.
Blecha saw the overgrown front lawn and landscaping early Sunday morning during a patrol check at Vine’s house in the 300 block of West 25th. Hays Police were called by Vine’s granddaughter when she saw an unfamiliar vehicle and driver in front of their house.
Blecha responded to the call and made sure Vine and her granddaughter were safe. He left his business card with them.
“I saw the lawn was overgrown and didn’t want Margaret to have to worry about calling somebody or getting more help to do that,” he said.
A neighbor across the street, Dennis Budke, came over to check on Margaret when he saw the police car pull up. Budke told Blecha she has a lawn mowing service but “they don’t really do the deep stuff.”
Blecha also gave his business card to Budke, who “offered help with water and other power equipment.”
During a lull later in his Sunday shift, Blecha asked the other shift members if they’d be interested in helping him help Margaret.
“They all said yes,” Blecha said. “Basically, it was all put together in about 30 minutes on shift.”
The group brought their own lawn and garden tools, plus herbicides to kill the weeds. They filled their pickup beds with grass, leaves, bush clippings, weeds and dead tree limbs that were sawed off mature trees and hauled it all to the Ellis County Landfill.
Budke, whose son is a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper in Goodland, was also on hand during the lawn work, explaining to Margaret exactly what was going on.
When Blecha stepped up onto the porch to greet Margaret, she didn’t recognize him.
“Well, I have the card that nice young man left me last night on my table,” Margaret said slowly.
“And this is him,” Budke pointed to Blecha as he shook Margaret’s hand. “He’s just not in his uniform today.”
Margaret gasped a little as Budke explained everyone swarming over her property is a Hays police officer.
“Oh, they not only keep us safe, they do something like this,” Margaret smiled. “We have a wonderful community.”
The Hays police officers volunteering their time were:
Sgt. Brandon Hauptman
Cpl. David Vilaysing
Ofc. Samantha Nielsen
Ofc. Mackenzie Smith
Ofc. Scott Heimann
Ofc. Ryan Blecha
Trainee Ofc. Aaron Ewy
Dispatcher Josh Cooper
Dispatcher Alanna Hansen
A portion of Margaret Vine’s front yard prior to the cleanup by HPD officers. (Photo courtesy Dennis Budke)
An entire shift of Hays Police personnel volunteered on their day off to do lawn maintenance for 92-year-old resident Margaret Vine.
Dennis Budke talks to his neighbor Margaret Vine Monday morning about the Hays police officers working in her yard.
Margaret Vine had been worried about dead limbs on a mature tree in her front yard. They were removed by HPD volunteers.
CLEVELAND (AP) – The Kansas City Royals have reinstated Eric Skoglund after the left-hander served an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use.
Skoglund was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old was suspended in January after his positive drug test. Skoglund was 1-6 with a 5.14 ERA in 14 games with the Royals last season.
Right-hander Brad Boxberger was designated for assignment. He went 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA and one save in 29 appearances.
Left-hander Tim Hill was recalled from Omaha for the third time season. He has made six appearances with the Royals and has a 6.75 ERA.
Virginia (VanSickle) Johnson, age 96, of Hays, Kansas passed away June 25, 2019 in Hays. Virginia was born in Kansas City, Kansas to H.D. VanSickle and Ruth Bolte VanSickle. They moved to Strong City, Kansas where she graduated from Strong City High School. She worked at Kools Drug Store, Cottonwood, Kansas and the Chase County Courthouse.
Richard Lovin, age 69, Ellis, passed away Tuesday, June 25, 2019 at Good Samaritan Society, Hays.
