Crime can have a lasting impact on any person. Our office supports communities and victim service providers as they work to help victims to face their grief, loss and fear while seeking to find hope and renewal.
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 7-13, and Take Back the Night events this month focus on victims of crime as well as those who advocate on their behalf.
“Take Back the Night” highlights efforts by victim advocates and law enforcement to build a community that is free of the threat of sexual assault and promote an atmosphere of healing for those impacted by it.
The U.S. Department of Justice will host the Office for Victims of Crime’s annual National Crime Victims’ Service Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 12, 2019, to honor outstanding individuals and programs that serve victims of crime.
“Victims of crime deserve justice. This Department works every day to help them recover and to find, prosecute, and convict those who have done them harm,” Attorney General William P. Barr said in a statement. “During this National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, we pause to remember the millions of Americans who have been victims of crime and we thank public servants who have served them in especially heroic ways. This week the men and women of the Department recommit ourselves once again to ensuring that crime victims continue to have a voice in our legal system, to securing justice for them, and to preventing other Americans from suffering what they have endured.”
Based in Wichita, Stephen McAllister is the U.S. Attorney for Kansas.
Budget Bill In Conference
Last week the Senate Ways and Means and the House Appropriations members met in what is referred to as conference committee to discuss the differing details of the budgets that were passed from the Senate and the House. We met numerous times each day, which actually started on Wednesday, March 27, to remedy those differences.
Some of the items that we continued to deliberate about were $100,000 from the state water plan and placing that within the conservation districts. We also discussed adding money for water contamination remediation and for the drinking water protection program.
We also discussed the amount of funding that we would restore to the Board of Regents, which would funnel those funds to all of the Regent schools, adding additional dollars for the K-State Polytechnic Campus in Salina for additional flight instructors, plus negotiating $650,000 for a new fund with K-State that would be named the Fire Suppression/State Forest Service Fund.
We also had discussion regarding the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to implement a new Cyber and Financial Crimes Investigative division. We also addressed the need for the KBI to hire four new positions for the Criminal Justice Application Security and Quality Assurance Program.
We had hoped to come to an agreement between the two chambers before we adjourned for our April break. Unfortunately, we will continue deliberations when we return on May 1, 2019.
Senate Bill 16 – K-12 Education Finance Remedy
Late Wednesday evening, the education finance conference committee between the House and Senate had intense negotiation. This conference committee had met numerous times this past week and could not come to a resolution that could appease both chambers. The Senate held firm to their position of adding additional funding of approximately $90 million each year for four years to satisfy the Supreme Court order that the Legislature must account for inflation increases. This is also the same plan that was provided and supported by Governor Kelly. The House did not technically have a financial position, which made the discussions more difficult, however, we did pass Senate Bill 16, which contained mainly pieces of policy. The conference committee report was finally debated and voted on in the House on Thursday afternoon and passed the chamber with a vote of 76-47. I voted “yes.”
Legislative Schedule
On Friday, April 5, the schedule for the Legislature is to adjourn for the better part of the month of April. During this time, I will be back home in the 109th District conducting numerous town-halls and forums, as well as other public events. I will also be working on our family farm while back home. Here is a list of the events that are planned:
April 16, Forum in Russell, KS at the Dream Theatre, 10 AM;
April 16, Forum in Lucas, KS at the Backstreet Bakery, 1:30 PM;
April 18, Forum in Rush Center at Golden Belt Telephone, 10 AM;
April 13, Forum in Lincoln, KS at Main Street Coffee and Things, 10 AM;
This is a list of the forums that will be conducted until we reconvene on May 1, 2019. I will also be traveling and meeting with the county commissioners of Barton and Ellis counties, attending the Kansas Counties Officials meeting in Colby, and we have meetings to review the applications for the Industrial Hemp Advisory Committee.
I will continue in sending out weekly newsletters when the Legislature reconvenes on May 1, 2019.
Contact Information
As always, if you have any concerns, feel free to contact me (785) 296-7672, follow on twitter at @waymaster4house, visit www.troywaymaster.com or email me at [email protected]. Also, if you happen to visit the statehouse, please let my office know.
It is a distinct honor to serve as your representative for the 109th Kansas House District and the state of Kansas.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and questions. I always appreciate hearing from the residents of the 109th House District and others from the state of Kansas, as well.
Troy Waymaster (R-Bunker Hill) is the 109th Dist. state representative and chairman of the House Appropriations committee. The 109th District includes Osborne, Russell, and Smith counties and portions of Barton, Jewell, Lincoln and Rush counties.
The Hays High School FFA students recently completed community service in the form of packaging 10,000 meals. The meals will be given to area families who are in need of assistance.
Alicia BoorLately, I have been getting a lot of calls into the office about weed control, mainly sand burrs. If you had sandburs last year, now would be a good time to control them. I found an article from K-State Research and Extension’s horticulture department that gives you some tips on how to get rid of this troublesome weed.
Grassy sandbur is the “sticker” plant that looks like a grass. It will often invade thin lawns, especially in dry years. Therefore, the best control for this weed is a thick, healthy lawn. However, if your lawn is thin this spring and grassy sandbur was a problem last year, use a preemergence herbicide before the sandbur comes up. However, not all preemergence herbicides are effective. The three products that can help minimize grassy sandbur are oryzalin, pendimethalin and prodiamine.
Oryzalin is sold under the trade names of Surflan and Weed Impede. It can be used on all warm-season grasses as well as tall fescue. It should not be used on cool-season grasses other than tall fescue such as Kentucky bluegrass. Oryzalin is also sold as a combination product with benefin as Green Light Amaze. As with oryzalin alone, it can be used on all warm-season grasses as well as tall fescue. It should not be used on cool-season grasses other than tall fescue such as Kentucky bluegrass. Apply Amaze or an oryzalin product about April 15 when redbud trees approach full bloom.
Pendimethalin is sold commercially as Pendulum as well as several other names. On the homeowner side, it is sold as Scotts Halts. Pendimethalin is best applied as a split application with the first half applied about April 15 and the second about June 1. Alternatively, make the first application when redbud trees approach full bloom and the second six weeks later.
Prodiamine is sold under the commercial name of Barricade. It is also the active ingredient in a number of homeowner products. It can be used on all of our common lawn grasses. Apply as is done for oryzalin, about April 15 or when redbud trees approach full bloom. Only one application is needed per year. None of the “weed preventers” will give complete control but each should help. Quinclorac (Drive) can provide some postemergence control especially if the sandbur is in the seedling stage. Quinclorac is also found in a number of combination products that control both broadleaf weeds and crabgrass such as one of the following.
Ortho Weed-B-Gon Max + Crabgrass Control
Bayer All-in-One Lawn Weed and Crabgrass Killer
Monterey Crab-E-Rad Plus
Fertilome Weed Out with Crabgrass Killer
Trimec Crabgrass Plus Lawn Weed Killer
Bonide Weed Beater Plus Crabgrass & Broadleaf Weed Killer
Spectracide Weed Stop for Lawns Plus Crabgrass Killer
Again, the best control for grassy sandbur is a healthy, thick lawn.
Alicia Boor is an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent in the Cottonwood District (which includes Barton and Ellis counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact her by e-mail at [email protected] or calling 620-793-1910.
Quilt Cottage is hosting the “Fly Me to the Moon” art quilt show through April 25.
This show includes 56 art quilts commemorating the 50th anniversary of man’s first walk on the moon. The show is part of a larger collection that has been shown all across the country.
The quilts can be viewed during regular business hours 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
Marilou Theresia (Berndt) Long, 87, passed away on April 4, 2019 at the Good Samaritan Society of Decatur County in Oberlin, KS where she called home.
She was born on March 16, 1932 in rural Decatur County to Arthur John and Vina Irene (Gragg) Berndt.
Marilou attended Mt. Pleasant – St Johns Parochial School and then graduated from DCHS in 1950. Upon high school graduation she spent a year in Denver going to night classes at Denver University. On October 6, 1956 Marilou married Elden J. Long at Faith Lutheran Church in Oberlin, KS where the two were lifelong members. She was baptized in the Lutheran Church on April 3, 1932 and was confirmed on April 14, 1946.
Along with her membership to the church she was also involved with the ELCA Women’s Group. She also enjoyed the memberships with the Sunshine Group, BPW, the Home Makers Unit (Three Prairie Unit), and being a leader for the Boy Scouts and 4-H.
She pursued several occupations in her life time from owning her own store (Art Ver Mar) to upholstery and draperies and working at Interior Connection and co-founding the Bargain Box +. But most of all she was a farmer’s wife and loving mother.
Marilou was preceded in death by her parents; husband Elden Long; sister Nathalie (Floyd) Badsky; sisters-in-law Emma (Norton) Frickey and Wava (Merle) Williams; grandson Geoffrey Miles Long; nephew Mark Williams.
She is survived by sons Greg (Mary) Long of Oberlin, Brad (Shanna) Long of Oberlin; daughter Linda (Brad) Wade of Oberlin; 7 grandchildren; 8 great grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family and friends.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, April 8th, 2019 at 10:00AM at Faith Lutheran Church in Oberlin, KS. The burial was held in Oberlin Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Faith Lutheran Church. Condolences may be left at www.paulsfh.com.
One’s Company, with actress Pippa White, will perform Voices from Ellis Island for the public in Sharon Springs on Thursday, April 11 at 6:30 Mountain (7:30 p.m. Central) at the high school auditorium. This is a reschedule due to an earlier snowstorm. On Friday, April 12, she will present school presentations in Colby Elementary at 1 p.m. with “The Extraordinary Ordinary,” and then at 2:45 p.m. for the Colby Middle School with “Voices from Ellis Island.”
Hosted by the Western Plains Arts Association, this project is generously funded by Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the state arts agencies of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. In addition, numerous area sponsors, including the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, Logan, are major contributors to WPAA this season.
Admission at the door for the Wallace County High School Auditorium public performance is $10 adults and $5 students, or by WPAA season ticket. The venue is located at 521 Main Street in Sharon Springs.
One’s Company is a collection of one-woman shows featuring White. White grew up in San Francisco, Calif. She appeared regularly on television as a child, trained at the American Conservatory Theatre Academy, and for five years was seen as a hostess of a daily morning television show on ABC. Moving to the Midwest led to her pursuing an education, starting a family, and reestabling a career with work in theatre, arts in eduction programs, and finally, not just one, but several one-woman shows drawing on many different sources for a collection of unusual and entertaining solo productions.
White has a love of dialects and accents which she tries to incorporate into her shows. Some of her dialects come naturally, thanks to a British father, and both her parents spent considerable time in England. “Other children came home to milk and cookies after school,” she says. “I came home to afternoon tea!” Her parents often recounted amusing stories in dialect. However, not all her dialects come easily. She uses the International Phonetic Alphabet learned from her mother who taught speech and dialects at San Francisco State University. She is always trying new dialects and accents.
One fan, Leslie Dileo, Hil Drama, New York City, said about One’s Company performances, “Riveting, heartbreaking and suspenseful. Literally wearing different hats to change characters, Ms. White tells stories in a nicely balanced rotation which adds tension to the already emotionally charged tales.” Steve Wedel, The Daily Oklahoman, wrote: “A history lesson that lasted more than 70 minutes. When it was over, the applause went on and on.”
A couple years ago, she presented pioneer stories As Far as the Eye Can See for a WPAA Kansas Day program. White has performed in more than 30 states also presents: The Story of the Orphan Train; Saints, Solider’s and Spies; Women and War; Angels and Troublemakers Women Who Changed the World; Marching Out of the Sweatshop; and several others.
SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man was sentenced to prison Friday afternoon in connection with a 2017 fatality crash on K-15 in Derby.
Ellis -photo Sedgwick Co.
On February 1, a jury found 24-year-old Joe Ellis of Wichita guilty of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated battery for the crash. Judge Christopher Magana sentenced him to 9-years in prison, according to a media release from District Attorney Marc Bennett.
On August 22, 2017, a westbound car driven by Ellis ran the stop sign at K-15 and 55thStreet South. The car struck a southbound pickup driven by Thomas Toon of Burden who survived his injuries. Mark Standerfer, 33 of Mulvane, was a passenger in the car driven by Ellis and died of his injuries on August 31st.
Witnesses told Sedgwick County Sheriff deputies that Ellis’ car was moving at a veryhigh rate of speed when he ran the stop sign. Ellis was found to have methamphetamine in his bloodstream.
It took a fight, but the Kansas House and Senate have agreed to the school funding hikes Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly called for. Now, lawmakers will wait to see if it’s enough to satisfy the state’s highest court.
Sen. Molly Baumgardner, left, was the Senate’s lead negotiator on the school funding agreement. STEPHEN KORANDA / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
“By investing in our local schools, we can ensure that all Kansas children – no matter who they are or where they live – have the opportunity to succeed,” Kelly said in a statement touting the bill’s passage. She’s expected to sign it.
It’s a victory for Kelly, who campaigned on school funding promises.
The Kansas Supreme Court said the half-billion dollar boost lawmakers approved last year largely provided the resources needed to support public schools and help struggling students. Still, justices said it required an inflation adjustment.
The newly passed plan will add about $90 million in funding for schools per year for four years. After that, current state law says future spending increases will be set by a rolling average of the Midwest Consumer Price Index.
According to the Kansas Association of School Boards, it translates to a roughly 3% raise to the general aid districts get from the state.
Though conservative Republican leaders concerned about the cost had held off a vote in the House for weeks, the bill drew broad bipartisan support. It passed the House on a 76-47 vote, and 31-8 in the Senate.
“Folks really do believe that this is our best shot at ending that litigation,” Republican Sen. Molly Baumgardner said after the final vote.
But within hours an attorney representing the districts suing the state told the Associated Press that he doesn’t believe the money will be adequate beyond the 2019-2020 school year.
A coalition of school districts initially supported the governor’s funding recommendation, which was based on calculations from the state Department of Education, but after further study pulled its endorsement.
Republican leaders who objected to the spending argued that it would not guarantee improvements in student achievement nor an end to litigation if the state can’t live up the agreement — at least not without tax increases or cuts to other state services.
“The plan in front of us today will not give our schools the certainty they deserve,” House Speaker Ron Ryckman said during debate on the bill. “This is a promise that we cannot keep.”
Some supporters of the bill shared those cost concerns but hope the state’s tax collections will be able to cover the expense.
“I know it’s a lot of money,” Republican Rep. Brenda Dietrich said after the vote. “But nobody knows what our revenue will look like.”
The ongoing fight in the Gannon case, filed in 2010, is really an outgrowth of the Montoy lawsuit settled in 2006. After the economic downturn, the state reneged on funding obligations from the agreement that ended Montoy, which led to the filing of Gannon.
When justices struck down the state’s funding formula in 2017, they noted that around a quarter of students struggled in reading and math. Lawmakers tried to tailor their new plan in response.
The agreement directs the Kansas State Board of Education to identify programs that help kids at risk of falling behind. And it calls for the continuation of the legislative task force on dyslexia for another three years.
The bill also folds in some of the accountability measures that conservatives were insisting on. Included is an audit in 2021 of school district savings accounts and bilingual education for students learning English.
The state Department of Education will have to publish one-page performance reports for individual schools, district budgets, and reports specifying how much is being spent on school finance litigation.
Ryckman’s concern about the cost of the increases recommended by the governor prompted him to offer a last-minute alternative that would have only given schools an additional $120 million for the next four years. It would have banked another $240 million in the event the Legislature or the courts decided more was needed for education down the road.
That idea was quickly sidelined after Senators refused to budge from the four-year, $360 million plan that passed their chamber.
The full House never actually approved a spending plan, which put House members at a disadvantage in the negotiations over funding.
During those talks between the House and Senate, the CPI adjustment in the future was a major sticking point.
“The … plan is to put taxpayers on the hook in perpetuity for inflation,” Republican Rep. Kristey Williams said as talks got heated.
House leaders ultimately relented to break the logjam and allowed the Senate plan to go up for debate.
Even if the court signs off on the funding now approved by the Legislature — briefs are due later this month with oral arguments scheduled for early May — wrangling over the CPI adjustment could continue.
Senate leaders did also raise concerns about the automatic increases in school spending and want to look at the issue again next year.
“I think there’s another way to skin the cat that would make sense, but we don’t have time to do it,” Republican Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning said.
Team Defiance, made up of Fort Hays State University Leadership students, is hosting an event for Cancer Council of Ellis County to help raise funds to give back to those who are and have been affected by cancer.
We will be hosting an event at Defiance Brewery, 2050 Old Highway 40, on Thu., April 25 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
During the event, snacks and live entertainment will be provided by Kristi Gray of Radio Active, and we will be having a silent auction with numerous items donated to us from businesses in the Ellis County community.
During the event, we will be accepting monetary donations. With a donation of $50.00 or more, you will be given a ticket for a free beverage of your choice.
Attendees must be 21 or older.
Paisley Pear Wine Bar, Bistro and Market gift basket
We just wanted to share one of the gift baskets donated to us that will be auctioned off during our event in April! It was generously donated to us by the Paisley Pear Wine Bar, Bistro and Market located in Downtown Hays!
We can’t wait to share with you the other items donated to us from our community!
Some of the items that we have already received include gift baskets ranging from $50-$100, two FHSU season football tickets with a signed football and FHSU gear ranging from $250-$300, and a multitude of gift cards!
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