TOPEKA – The window for accepting Angel Investor Tax Credit Applications has reached its halfway point.
Applications for companies seeking investment through the Kansas Angel Investor Tax Credit (KAITC) program for 2019 will be accepted through Aug. 31. The program offers Kansas income tax credits to qualified individuals who provide seed-capital financing for emerging Kansas businesses engaged in development, implementation and commercialization of innovative technologies, products and services.
The KAITC Program is administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce and designed to bring together accredited angel investors with qualified Kansas companies seeking seed and early stage investment. The purpose of the Kansas Angel Investor Tax Credit act is to facilitate:
The availability of equity investment in businesses in the early stages of commercial development.
Assist in the creation and expansion of Kansas businesses, which are job and wealth creating enterprises.
Applications for certification will be accepted only for Kansas businesses in the seed and early stage rounds of financing.
Companies must meet the following criteria to be certified as a Qualified Kansas Business:
The business has a reasonable chance of success and potential to create measurable employment within Kansas.
In the most recent tax year of the business, annual gross revenue was less than $5 million
Businesses that are not Bioscience businesses must have been in operation for less than five years; bioscience businesses must have been in operation for less than 10 years.
The business has an innovative and proprietary technology, product, or service.
The existing owners of the business have made a substantial financial and time commitment to the business.
The securities to be issued and purchased are qualified securities.
The company agrees to adequate reporting of business information to the Kansas Department of Commerce.
The ability of investors in the business to receive tax credits for cash investments in qualified securities of the business is beneficial, because funding otherwise available for the business is not available on commercially reasonable terms.
Each applicant must sign a Qualified Company Agreement with the Kansas Department of Commerce.
Certification of companies must meet mandates established by Kansas statute to allow accredited Angel Investors to receive the Kansas Angel Investor Tax Credit. This year, the application fee has been reduced from $750 to $500.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Kansas man who entered a guilty plea to one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child was sentenced Friday to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Richmond -photo Reno Co.
Charles Richmond, 57, extradited to Kansas from Florida, was originally charged with rape, aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated indecent liberties with a child. As part of a plea agreement, he entered a plea for the aggravated indecent liberties charge and the other two charges were dropped.
The crimes occurred over a period from Jan. 1, 2013, to Dec. 31, 2017. The child told investigators she had been molested by Richmond more than 100 times.
The life sentence was given because the single charge falls under Jessica’s Law statutes.
A group of area Girl Scouts participated in a painting class Sunday at The Niche in Hays. The girls painted Sparkles the Narwhal, which was the mascot for this year’s cookie sales. Each of the girls also earned a painting badge.
Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.
By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
Is it a post or is it a rock? In central Kansas, it might be both. A unique limestone formation in central Kansas has given rise to the name Post Rock country. Now a dedicated group of community advocates is launching a new coalition to attract visitors to the Post Rock region.
Last week, we learned about the Russell County Area Community Foundation, which is supporting the new Post Rock Limestone Coalition. The coalition is co-chaired by Rosslyn Schultz of the Grassroots Arts Center in Lucas.
As we have shared before, Rosslyn went to K-State and met and married a Lucas-area wheat farmer. Her interest in wheat weaving led her to become involved in folk art. She eventually became director of the Grassroots Arts Center which specializes in outsider, self-taught art environments across Kansas and the Midwest.
Lucas is in the heart of a unique region known as Post Rock country. It takes its name from the pieces of stone which were used as fence posts by inventive pioneers more than a century ago.
When settlers came to the mostly treeless plains of central Kansas, they solved their fencing problems by quarrying and shaping slabs of limestone for use as fence posts and other purposes. Homes, barns, churches, bridges, caves, and water towers were constructed from the honey-colored stone as well.
In 1975, the book Land of the Post Rock was published. Kansas designated Highway 232 from Wilson to Lucas as the Post Rock Scenic Byway, but the underground stone formation went well beyond that highway.
For years, tourism leaders in the area had thought about working together as a region. When the Russell County Area Community Foundation offered a new grant program, it stimulated action to make this a reality.
In August 2018, Rosslyn Schultz and others started working on a grant proposal. This involved a detailed application and an oral presentation before a review board. “It felt like we were gearing up for a master’s thesis,” Rosslyn said.
The Russell County Area Community Foundation ultimately made a $25,000 grant to develop the Post Rock Limestone Coalition. This coalition represents 17 counties which cover this underground limestone formation. In March, 23 individuals representing 20 different organizations and 10 counties in the Post Rock area attended the second organizational meeting.
The region is located along a diagonal line from north central Kansas toward southwest Kansas. Russell County, including Lucas, is in the heart of this region.
The Grassroots Arts Center is located in three historic stone buildings in downtown Lucas. In back of these buildings is the Postrock Limestone Courtyard, a landscaped area highlighting what can only be described as examples of native stone artistry. Lucas is a rural community of 394 people. Now, that’s rural. Many historic stone buildings can be found in rural communities throughout the Post Rock region.
“Our group has a passion for limestone architecture,” Rosslyn said. “This layer of stone is found nowhere else in the world,” she said. “We want to educate about these stone buildings and the people who built them.”
“We need to get people off the interstate,” Rosslyn said. “A study showed that if we can get current visitors to stay one more night and eat two more meals, that is a $2.5 million benefit to the region.”
Eventually, the group hopes to have a visitor’s center or gateway, mobile apps for guided and self-guided tours, and an artist-in-residence program. “We also need masonry people to restore these buildings,” Rosslyn said. The coalition is seeking more partners to expand this effort. For more information, search for the Post Rock Limestone Coalition on Facebook.
Is it a post or is it a rock? In one unique region of our state, we find both. The limestone which served the pioneers as fence posts also became beautiful homes, stores and churches, and now serves as an iconic symbol for the region. We commend Rosslyn Schultz and all those involved with the Post Rock Limestone Coalition for making a difference by preserving and promoting these historic artifacts. I think I will post that this idea rocks.
Long-running frustration about Amtrak’s willingness to keep a rail passenger line running through remote parts of the country has politicians threatening to block new directors to the agency.
Amtrak has yet to respond to senators about the future of its long-distance routes. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
A handful of U.S. senators demanded specifics by this week about how Amtrak plans to spend an added $50 million to keep the Southwest Chief line running from Chicago, through Kansas, to Los Angeles.
Hoping to force Amtrak to make long-term promises of keeping the Southwest Chief line, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas had already used the power each senator holds to put a legislative block on the appointment of three nominees waiting to join the passenger rail agency’s board of directors.
Amtrak still has not specified when it will answer the pending questions from the Senate. A spokeswoman from Moran’s office said Amtrak has made contact, but not with answers about how it plans to alter long-distance routes or how the rail service calculates what states must chip in to support service.
“(Moran) will maintain those holds (on the nominations until he gets) assurances from Amtrak that it will continue to fund the Southwest Chief and funds that rail service,” said Moran spokeswoman Morgan Said.
Moran and other senators have criticized Amtrak for proposals to replace train services with buses along some parts of the route.
Amtrak officials did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
In February, Congress gave $50 million for upkeep of the route to Amtrak to keep the line working through September. Last year, Amtrak proposed replacing service from Dodge City to Albuquerque with buses, but the federal budget prohibits the use of buses to replace long-distance train service along the route.
In early April, a group of 11 senators sent Amtrak a letter demanding more detail about its plans for the Southwest Chief and how, more broadly, it decides which long-distance routes are worth operating.
The Senate letter also addressed Amtrak’s claims that ridership is down. The most recent data provided by Amtrak says more than 52,000 passengers boarded the Southwest Chief line in Kansas in 2017, up 5.7 percent from 2016.
With 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. departures, Newton, the busiest station in the state, saw nearly 16,000 passengers in 2017. Erin McDaniel, communications director for the City of Newton, says the town supports the Southwest Chief and partners with other cities to fund it.
“We know many of our residents use it to get to Chicago as well as the Southwest,” McDaniel said.
Keeping the Southwest Chief running is important to Newton because preliminary efforts looking at establishing train service to connect Newton to the Heartland Flyer route, which runs from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth, Texas, are underway.
“There used to be a train route that went there years ago,” McDaniel said, “but if the Southwest Chief goes away, dreams of extending the Heartland Flyer would go away with it.”
Over the last year, Amtrak has removed ticket agents from many stations. But Assistant City Manager for Dodge City Melissa Mccoy said the city employs staff at its train depot.
“We have few options in terms of public transportation,” McCoy said. She said ridership jumps with tourists in the summer.
Without the Southwest Chief route, McCoy says some Dodge City residents wouldn’t be able to travel long distances.
“We have a lot of working class folks, and they have limited income,” she said. “Amtrak provides them a way to visit family and go on vacation and without that they might not have it all.”
An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed the reason a hold was placed on Amtrak directors’ appointments. U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran took that action to secure a pledge to keep the Southwest Chief line running.
Corinne Boyer is a reporter based in Garden City for the Kansas News Service. Follow her @Corinne_Boyer.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. Light southwest wind becoming south 10 to 15 mph in the morning.
Tonight
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. South wind 9 to 14 mph.
Sunday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. South wind 9 to 13 mph.
Sunday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Increasing clouds, with a low around 56. South southeast wind around 8 mph.
Monday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. South southeast wind 8 to 13 mph becoming east northeast in the afternoon.
Monday Night
Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tuesday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68.
Tuesday Night
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51.
Wednesday
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
The Hays Arts Council again sponsored its Famous Figures competition for Ellis County fifth-grade students.
Thirty-five finalists were selected to perform Friday at Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center. They portrayed figures such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jackie Robinson, George Washington and Roy Rogers. The top three winners were
1.Will Eck of St. Mary’s Grade School as Erno Rubik, inventor of the Rubik’s Cube
2.Kaliyah Bannister of Roosevelt Elementary School as Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States
3.-tie Johanna Jones of O’Loughlin Elementary School as Dolly Parton, singer and philanthropist
3.-tie Erin Ruder of Roosevelt Elementary School as Ruth Handler, inventor of the Barbie doll
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers who support expanding Medicaid blocked passage of the next state budget Friday in a high-stakes standoff designed to force the Legislature’s conservative Republican leaders to allow an expansion plan backed by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.
Medicaid expansion supporters at the Kansas Statehouse
Kelly’s election last year raised hopes that Kansas would join 36 other states that have expanded Medicaid or seen voters pass ballot initiatives. But, like North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, two other Democrats pushing to expand Medicaid, she faces a GOP-controlled Legislature.
The Kansas House voted 63-61 against an $18.4 billion spending blueprint for the budget year that begins in July. House and Senate negotiators hashed out details Thursday night that were favorable for Kelly, fellow Democrats and moderate Republicans, with extra money for higher education, the prison system and state employee pay raises.
Democrats and moderate Republicans praised the proposed budget but saw the vote as their chance to pressure the Senate’s GOP leaders into relenting on plans to delay an expansion vote until next year.
But Republican leaders didn’t relent. The budget negotiators drafted a new, less generous spending blueprint — that removed extra funds for hospitals, whose association has advocated expansion — and put it to a vote in the House, only to see it fail by a wider margin, 81-42 against it.
“We’re going to do everything we can to get Medicaid expansion,” said House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat. “If we fail, we haven’t lost anything.”
The Senate has yet to debate a Medicaid expansion billapproved by the House in March, and top Republicans argue that lawmakers need more time to get the details right. Kelly has called it a “stall tactic” and is pushing lawmakers to go ahead now, so that expanded Medicaid health coverage can start in January.
The move thwarted top Republicans’ plans to wrap up lawmakers’ business for the year Friday, well ahead of the traditional 90-day mark on May 17.
GOP leaders wanted to pass a bill providing relief to individuals and businesses paying higher state income taxes because of changes in federal tax laws at the end of 2017, a smaller plan than one Kelly vetoed in March. The Senate approved it Thursday night, and supporters needed only a favorable House vote to send it to Kelly.
But lawmakers aren’t finished until they pass a budget because state government can’t operate past June or distribute $4 billion to its public schools without one. That created an opportunity for expansion supporters if they can hold up the spending blueprint long enough — but also a risk that spending they wanted would be at risk.
“I said exactly what was going to happen,” said Appropriations Committee Chairman Troy Waymaster, a conservative Republican and the House’s lead budget negotiator. “They were forewarned.”
Some expansion supporters accused GOP leaders of retaliation and even bullying. The change in funding for hospitals proved a provocative move. It removed $14 million in state funds, and it could have cost hospitals $250 million in federal funds.
Expansion advocates have been frustrated by their inability to get a bill out of committee in the Senate. The measure has bipartisan support in both chambers, but GOP conservatives who oppose it hold key leadership jobs. Top Republicans argue that an expansion plan is likely to prove more costly to the state than Kelly’s administration projects and want to consider alternatives, including work requirements.
About 15 expansion supporters dropped several thousand leaflets in the Statehouse rotunda Friday morning, each depicting a past-due hospital bill spattered with blood. The leaflets said hundreds of Kansas residents will die needlessly each year without expansion and each had the picture of a GOP senator on one side.
“When there’s extreme behavior coming out of the Senate leadership, that requires us to try to force their hand,” said Logan Stenseng, a 20-year-old University of Kansas public administration student who participated in the brief protest.
The protest didn’t move prominent Medicaid expansion opponents. Senate health committee Chairman Gene Suellentrop, a conservative Wichita Republican, noted that a leaflet with his photo contained another senator’s quote on the other side and he said the mismatch suggest the protesters “probably know very little about Medicaid expansion.”
“They need to go back to college,” Suellentrop said.
Advocates have pushed for Medicaid expansion in Kansas since 2012 and passed a bill in 2017, only to see it vetoed by then-Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. Democrats in North Carolina are hoping to include expansion in their state’s budget, but they face resistance from GOP legislative majorities and are suggesting that a veto by Cooper is ahead, with potentially protracted negotiations to follow.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers who support expanding Medicaid promised Friday to try to block passage of the next state budget in a high-stakes standoff designed to force the Republican-controlled Legislature’s conservative leaders to allow an expansion plan backed by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.
The House planned to vote Friday on an $18 billion-plus spending blueprint for the budget year that begins in July. House and Senate negotiators hashed out details Thursday night that were favorable for Kelly, fellow Democrats and moderate Republicans, with extra money for higher education, the prison system and state employee pay raises.
The Senate has yet to debate a Medicaid expansion billapproved by the House in March, and top Republicans want to postpone a vote until next year, arguing that they need more time to get the details right. Kelly has called it a “stall tactic” and is pushing lawmakers to go ahead and expand Medicaid health coverage to as many as 150,000 more people this year.
Top Republicans wanted lawmakers to wrap up business for the year Friday after passing a bill providing relief to individuals and businesses paying higher state income taxes because of changes in federal tax laws at the end of 2017, a smaller plan than one Kelly vetoed in March. The Senate approved it Thursday night, and supporters needed only a favorable House vote to send it to Kelly.
But lawmakers aren’t finished until they pass a budget because state government can’t operate past June without one. That created an opportunity for expansion supporters if they can hold up the spending blueprint.
“That’s the plan right now,” said House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat. “Right now, it looks like it’s holding pretty firm.”
Expansion advocates have been frustrated by their inability to get a bill out of committee in the Senate. The measure has bipartisan support in both chambers, but GOP conservatives who oppose it hold key leadership jobs. Top Republicans argue that an expansion plan is likely to prove more costly to the state than Kelly’s administration projects and want to consider alternatives, including work requirements.
About 15 expansion supporters dropped several thousand leaflets in the Statehouse rotunda Friday morning, each depicting a past-due hospital bill spattered with blood. The leaflets said hundreds of Kansas residents will die needlessly each year without expansion and each had the picture of a GOP senator on one side.
“When there’s extreme behavior coming out of the Senate leadership, that requires us to try to force their hand,” said Logan Stenseng, a 20-year-old University of Kansas public administration student who participated in the brief protest.
The protest didn’t move prominent Medicaid expansion opponents. Senate health committee Chairman Gene Suellentrop, a conservative Wichita Republican, noted that a leaflet with his photo contained another senator’s quote on the other side and he said the mismatch suggest the protesters “probably know very little about Medicaid expansion.”
“They need to go back to college,” Suellentrop said.
Blocking the budget held risks for Democrats and moderate Republicans. If the spending plan failed, budget negotiators could reopen talks and rethink an extra $35 million for the prison system, $33 million for higher education or 2.5 percent pay raise for state employees included in it.
“I would say they don’t get a better budget than this,” said Rep. Kyle Hoffman, a conservative Coldwater Republican. “If we go back, things start getting stripped out.”
TOPEKA – For more than 30 years, citizen advisors have been a vital voice for water resource issues in Kansas. The Kansas Water Office is currently accepting applications from those who would like to participate as a member of one of the 14 Regional Advisory Committees (RACs) which are established by the Kansas Water Authority (KWA).
Ellis County is part of the Smoky Hill-Saline RAC .
These committees play a key role in advising the KWA on implementation of each region’s water supply priorities as part of the Kansas Water Vision and the Kansas water planning process as a whole. Regional advisory members will have the opportunity toevaluate the past five years of the Vision implementation and provide input and advice to the KWA for previously identified regional water resource-related goals and associated action plans.
In addition, members help identify and provide input on other emerging water resource related issues and concerns.
They serve as important local links to the public in their regions through interactions with various groups and individuals as well as communicate information on concerns and issues to citizens in their respective regions. The KWA, through the committee selection process, works to establish RACs which represent diverse groups of water users and interests within regions are represented.
Kansans can have a definite lasting impact on the future of water resources through RAC membership.Interested persons can apply at www.kwo.ks.gov.
Sedgwick County —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and have a Kansas woman in custody.
Sharon Wells -photo Sedgwick Co.
Just after 12:15 a.m. Friday, police responded to a shooting call at a residence in the 1400 block of north Battin in Wichita, according to office Charley Davidson.
Upon arrival, officers located a 45-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his shoulder. He was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and remains hospitalized.
The investigation revealed a disturbance occurred between the suspect 45-year-old Sharon Wells and her boyfriend. During the disturbance, Wells retrieved a handgun and fired it, striking her boyfriend.
Multiple individuals between the ages of 12 and 18 years old were in the home at the time of the incident, according to Davidson. They were not injured. Police also recovered a handgun at the home.
Police arrested Wells on a requested charge of aggravated battery.
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Women’s Basketball announced the addition of Jaden Hobbs, transfer from Oklahoma State University, for the upcoming 2019-20 season. A 5-foot, 8-inch guard, Hobbs will be a junior in her first year with the Tigers. She started 24 games over two years at Oklahoma State, where she played 62 games overall.
Hobbs led the Big 12 Conference in 3-point field goal percentage as a redshirt-freshman in 2017-18, hitting 43.6 percent of her attempts (41-of-94). She backed that up with a solid sophomore campaign, hitting 41.2 percent beyond the arc (42-of-102). Her biggest single-game performance occurred in the NCAA Tournament First Round during the 2017-18 season against Syracuse University when she scored 27 points, hitting 8-of-9 three-point attempts to help Oklahoma State to an 84-57 win. She set a new Oklahoma State single-game record for three-point field goals made in a game with that performance. She is also a two-time Academic All-Big 12 Performer, listed on the Second Team twice. She used a redshirt in her first year out of high school due to injury, but came back strong to be a strong contributor for OSU the last two years.
In 2017-18, Hobbs averaged 4.6 points per game for Oklahoma State to rank sixth on the team in scoring. She started 10 games that season, helping the Cowgirls to a 21-11 overall record and reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament where they fell to eventual national runner-up Mississippi State. In 2018-19, Hobbs averaged 5.4 points per game to rank fourth on the team in scoring. She also dished out 82 assists, ranking second on the team.
Hobbs had a decorated prep career at Alva High School in Alva, Oklahoma. She helped the school to three consecutive state championships. She was the The Oklahoman’s Super 5 Player of the Year as a senior in 2016. She was also a member of the Super 5 Team in 2015. In the championship run for Alva, Hobbs broke the state tournament career scoring record with 299 points, single tournament scoring record with 107 points, and single-game scoring record with 45 points. She was the MVP of the state tournament as a sophomore, junior, and senior and scored over 2,200 points in her high school career. Hobbs was also a standout track and field athlete, helping Alva to state titles in the 400 and 800-meter relays.
Hobbs will reunite with high school teammate Whitney Randall at FHSU and help bolster a Tiger program fresh off a 32-2 record and NCAA Central Regional Final appearance in 2018-19. Randall was also part of the run of three consecutive state titles at Alva High School.
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas community college released a summary of its internal review into the heatstroke death last year of a football player who collapsed after the first day of practice, saying the coach reported that players were provided with water.Braeden Bradforth, 19, of Neptune, New Jersey, was found unconscious outside his dorm room following the Aug. 1 practice. He died that night at a hospital.Garden City Community College said in its summary that the temperature was 84 degrees at the start of practice with 10 football coaches in attendance that day. Head Trainer T.J. Horton said 60 gallons of water, 10 ice towels and an ice chest with injury ice and bags were on hand. Trainers had large Gatorade containers on the sideline and each student helper had six water bottles in their carrier, according to the summary.
Bradforth and his mother after his graduation from Neptune High School -courtesy Joanne Atkins-Ingram
But some players told KCUR that they were denied water during conditioning drills.
“When we first started, I thought they were crazy,” said Johnny Jean, a player from Florida. “I ain’t never been at practice when they said we couldn’t get water.”
Jean also told the radio station that Bradforth struggled during practice.
But the school’s internal review said neither the head trainer nor the head coach ever noticed him “drop a knee to the ground, or complain about the drills.”
The practice began at 7 p.m. with a workout that consisted of 36 50-yard sprints, with 30 seconds of rest between each sprint, according to the summary. Practice ended shortly after 9 p.m., with a team meeting immediately following in a lecture hall across from the football field.
As they were walking from the football field, coach Caleb Young noticed Bradforth stumbled a little before regaining his balance. Young told him, “Hey, you’re good. Let’s go,” according to the report. Bradforth reportedly responded back, “Yeah, I’m good. I’m good.”
Bradforth started walking toward the dorms, and shook his head when Young asked him if he was quitting. At the team meeting, Young told another coach that Bradforth had apparently quit the team and walked to the dorms.
A lawyer for Bradforth’s family, Jill Greene, said in a letter to the college’s attorney that the college’s internal report “makes a mockery of Braeden’s death.”
“It’s self-serving fluff,” she told KCUR.
The college said it has taken several steps as a result of its review, including hiring an additional trainer and a conditioning coach, training all coaches in CPR and first aid, and developing a protocol to recognize and treat heat-related illnesses.
On Tuesday, New Jersey’s 12-member U.S. House delegation called for an independent investigation into Bradforth’s death.
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