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Year: 2019

Hays women buys out Payless store, sends shoes to flood victims

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Addy Tritt, FHSU grad, stands in the Hays Payless with some of the shoes she bought for Nebraska flood victims.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

A Hays woman recently bought out all the remaining shoes at the Hays Payless store — more than 200 pair — and donated them to flood victims in Nebraska.

The shoes were part of a flood relief shipment taken to farmers in Nebraska by FHSU’s agriculture sorority Sigma Alpha this weekend. The sorority accepted ag-related donations last week at Orscheln’s and Tractor Supply Co.

Addy Tritt, 25, a recent FHSU human resources graduate, said she felt the need to pay it forward with the shoe donation.

“I have been so blessed,” she said. “There have been so many great people in my life who have inspired me. I see so many horrible things in the news. So many people have helped me when I was down, I want to help if I can.”

Payless is going out of business, closing its stores and liquidating its assets. When the price on shoes at Hays’ Big Creek Crossing store were lowered to $1 per pair, Tritt approached Payless about buying all the shoes that were left.

She negotiated with Payless to buy its remaining 204 pair of shoes for $100. They included 162 pair of baby shoes, two pair of men’s shoes and the rest were women’s shoes. The cost of the shoes came out of Tritt’s own pocket.

The retail price of the shoes would have been more than $6,000.

Tritt is not a stranger to charity. She has also donated 66 bags of school supplies to Hays students, organized a baby clothes drive and has done two supply drives for the animal shelter.

Tritt said helping others is a part of her religious beliefs.

“I really feel I have been directed and guided to help people,” she said. “I think everything is a part of God’s plan. If you can do something for someone else, you need to find a way even if it is a pair of shoes.”

Although Tritt said she was saddened to see the destruction the flooding has left in Nebraska, she feels joy in helping others.

“I just hope this inspires other people to volunteer and donate if you have been blessed,” she said.

After bitter fight, governor’s pick takes over Kansas Commerce Department

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By JOHN HANNA
Associated Press

TOPEKA — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly will keep her top business development official after some Republicans in the Kansas Senate broke with the GOP majority and defied the state’s most influential anti-abortion group to confirm his appointment Monday.

The vote for Commerce Secretary David Toland was 23-14 . Toland has been acting secretary since Kelly took office in January and would have been forced to step down if the Senate had rejected his appointment.

Toland served last year as the unpaid treasurer for Kelly’s successful campaign for governor, but Republican critics questioned his business development and recruiting credentials. He served for 11 years as executive director of Thrive Allen County, a nonprofit economic development and public health group based in his hometown of Iola, in southeast Kansas.

The anti-abortion group Kansans for Life, a power in Republican politics, announced its opposition to Toland’s appointment last week. Thrive Allen County received grants in 2015 and 2018, totaling less than $20,000, to promote women’s health from a fund named for the late Dr. George Tiller, who performed late-term abortions in Wichita.

“I can’t support him because of that,” said Sen. Rob Olson, a conservative Kansas City-area Republican who previously backed Toland but voted against his confirmation.

Tiller was among a handful of physicians in the U.S. known to terminate pregnancies in their final weeks. His clinic was the site of repeated anti-abortion protests, including the weekslong “Summer of Mercy” in 1991. He was shot to death in 2009 in his church by an anti-abortion zealot who is serving a 25 years-to-life prison sentence.

Eleven of the Senate’s 28 Republicans voted to confirm Toland, along with the chamber’s 11 Democrats and one independent member. Supporters said Toland already has re-energized the state Department of Commerce.

“I think he will put us back on the map,” said Sen. Dinah Sykes, a Kansas City-area Democrat.

Toland has received credit for helping to lure a new grocery store to Iola and helping to persuade voters to build a new community hospital. Business leaders and local chambers of commerce from across the state endorsed his appointment.

“His energy, expertise and collaborative style will ensure that businesses have the partner they deserve and that the Kansas economy continues to grow,” Kelly said in a statement after the vote.

Some opposition to Toland’s confirmation had its roots in the local politics surrounding his work with Thrive Allen County. It intensified when GOP critics began questioning his credentials and Kansans for Life weighed in.

Mary Kay Culp, the anti-abortion group’s executive director, said it will monitor the Department of Commerce closely for signs that it is using its programs and economic incentives to encourage new abortion clinics to open in Kansas.

“It doesn’t take much to see how this appointment could go horribly wrong,” said Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook, another conservative Kansas City-area Republican and strong abortion opponent.

Sunny, mild Tuesday

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Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. North wind 7 to 11 mph becoming east southeast in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. East wind 8 to 11 mph.

WednesdayA slight chance of showers between 1pm and 4pm, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62. South southeast wind 10 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday NightA chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. East northeast wind 10 to 14 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

ThursdayPartly sunny, with a high near 59.

Thursday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 42.

FridayMostly sunny, with a high near 71.

KHP identifies Kansas man who died after car hit bridge pillar

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SHAWNEE COUNTY —The Kansas Highway Patrol has identified the victim in Sunday’s fatal crash in Shawnee County.

First responders on the scene of the Sunday evening crash -photo courtesy WIBW TV

Just after 7p.m., a 2013 Ford Taurus driven by Glenn D Smith, 85, Topeka, was westbound on U.S. 24 at U.S. 75. The Ford left the roadway to the right and struck a concrete bridge pillar.

Smith was pronounced dead at the scene. He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

Kansas Senate confirms woman to lead two state agencies

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Topeka – The Kansas Senate voted, 37 – 1, Monday to confirm the appointment of Laura Howard to serve as Secretary for both the Kansas Department for Children and Families and the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, according to a media release from DCF.

 
Laura Howard-photo courtesy Kansas DCF

“It is a great honor to serve the people of Kansas,” said Secretary Howard. “With the support of Governor Kelly and the Kansas Legislature, I look forward to doing the important work of protecting children and families and promoting adult self-sufficiency.”

 
“Secretary Howard has prepared for this opportunity her entire career,” said Governor Kelly. “It is a challenging time for these agencies and I am confident the newly confirmed Secretary will work tirelessly to ensure that our most vulnerable Kansans are safe.”
 
Secretary Howard’s experience includes more than 30 years of government and human service work. She previously worked as a special assistant, deputy secretary and chief of staff for the former Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. She also served as regional administrator for Region VII of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Most recently she served as the Director of the KU Public Management Center. Secretary Howard holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from Miami University and a law degree from the University of Kansas.

Tiger softball splits with RiverHawks

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HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Softball split a pair of MIAA games with Northeastern State on Monday at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers held on for a 4-3 win in the first game before falling by a score of 9-4 in the second contest. FHSU is now 13-12 overall, 6-4 in the MIAA, while NSU moved to 20-13 overall, 8-2 in the MIAA.

Game 1: Fort Hays State 4, Northeastern State 3
Fort Hays State rallied twice for the lead and then held on late for a 4-3 win. Trailing NSU 1-0 after an inning, FHSU scored twice in the third to take the lead for the first time, 2-1. NSU took the lead back, 3-2, with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, but FHSU answered with a pair in the bottom half to create the final advantage of 4-3.

The Tigers tied the game in the third at 1-1 when Jeni Mohr and Katie Adler used some crafty baserunning after the RiverHawks recorded an out at second base. Adler, who put the ball in play, rounded first base after she was easily safe at first. The pitcher tried to make a play on her at second, but Mohr came in to score from third base, getting in under a tag. Grace Philop then drove in Adler from second with an RBI single up the middle.

Northeastern State tied the game with a two-out RBI single in the fifth by Alyssia Crick, she moved up to second on the throw home and then a muffed throw allowed her to move to third. She then came in to score on an RBI single by Madison Boyd as NSU took the lead back with an unearned run.

Philop, Sara Breckbill, and Bailey Boxberger, who all finished with two hits in the game, rallied the Tigers back in the bottom of the fifth with three straight singles. Boxberger’s RBI single to right field tied the game. Elise Capra followed with a sacrifice fly RBI to center field, putting the Tigers back in front for good even though they had to get through a pair of high-stress situations in the sixth and seventh.

A pair of walks by NSU to open the sixth led to runners at second and third with just one out. Hailey Chapman relieved starter Michaelanne Nelson after the pair of walks and got out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts. In the seventh, Chapman worked around a single and then a fielding error that put runners at first and second. She got a foul pop up to end the game.

Nelson moved to 5-6 with the win, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks. She struck out five. Chapman picked up a two-inning save, striking out three with one hit allowed. It was her first save of the season. Gail Young took the loss for NSU, allowing four runs (two earned) on eight hits with a strikeout in her complete-game effort.

Game 2: Northeastern State 9, Fort Hays State 4
Northeastern State reversed roles in the second game, earning a comeback win after falling down early 2-0. NSU plated runs in five straight innings, from the second through sixth, to earn the split.

FHSU took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, set up on back-to-back singles by Katie Adler and Grace Philop. Sara Breckbill brought in Adler on a sacrifice fly RBI, then Bailey Boxberger had an RBI single up the middle.

The RiverHawks benefitted from an error in the second to get the game tied. After a leadoff single eventually turned into a run, an error helped extend the inning and Alyssia Crick tied the game with an RBI single. Another error in the third led to two of three runs in the inning being unearned as NSU took a 5-2 lead.

The Tigers got two of the runs back in the bottom of the third with an RBI single by Breckbill and then a run scoring on a throwing error by the RiverHawks, reducing the lead to 5-4. However, that was as close as they would get as a solo homer in the fourth and RBI single in the fifth pushed the lead back out to three for NSU. The RiverHawks added on a pair of runs in the sixth to create even more distance.

Northeastern State starter Sydney Balderrama settled in after allowing four runs (three earned) in the first three innings. She retired the final 12 Tiger batters of the game, going flawless over the fourth through seventh innings in a complete-game win. She allowed six hits and struck out four.

Hailey Chapman allowed six runs (three earned) in four innings pitched. She surrendered eight hits and walked one, while striking out four. Michaelanne Nelson allowed three runs in three innings of relief, giving up four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Tiger Notes
-Katie Adler, Grace Philop, Sara Breckbill, and Bailey Boxberger all had three hits on the day.
-FHSU pitchers Michaelanne Nelson and Hailey Chapman combined for 16 strikeouts over 14 innings.
-FHSU is 6-2 at home this year. The Tigers are 4-2 at home in MIAA play so far.
-FHSU is currently tied for fifth in the MIAA standings.

Up Next
Fort Hays State hosts No. 2 ranked Central Oklahoma in another MIAA doubleheader on Tuesday (Apr. 2). The Bronchos are 10-0 in MIAA play so far and 28-2 overall.

Baseball falters in series finale with Lindenwood

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HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team was unable to overcome seven errors in Monday’s series finale with Lindenwood, falling to the Lions 11-5 at Larks Park. The Tigers move to 3-24 overall and 2-16 in MIAA play while the Lions improve to 17-15 on the year and 11-7 in conference action.

Jerod Goodale Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers took their first lead of the series in the bottom of the first when Taylan Mullins-Ohm crushed his second home run of the season, sending an 0-1 pitch sailing over the fence in left center. The lead was short-lived, however, as Lindenwood pushed across five runs, including three unearned runs, over the next two frames to take a 5-1 lead through three innings.

Fort Hays State hitters had trouble solving Blake Beckmann (2-3), the Lions starting pitcher. Beckmann struck out 11 Tigers over 6.0 innings of work to earn the win.

The Tigers struck for three more runs in Beckmann’s final frame, but not after Lindenwood added four runs in the top of the sixth. After Landon Erway beat out a bloop single with a headfirst slide into first and Mullins-Ohm worked a walk, the pair came around to score after multiple wild pitches. Tyler Olson pulled the Tigers within 9-4 later in the inning when he belted his first home run as a Tiger to deep left center.

Lindenwood padded the lead to six with a run in the top of the seventh before FHSU tacked on one more in the home half of the eighth. Back-to-back-to-back singles from Erway, Mullins-Ohm and Ryan Grasser loaded up the bases to get the Tigers in business. But Lindenwood’s Michael Cessna, who earned his fourth save, got back in control thanks to a big double play that scored Erway. The reliever escaped the inning without further damage after striking out the next hitter.

Erway finished 3-for-4 out of the leadoff spot while scoring two runs. Mullins-Ohm was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Catcher Dawson Sramek recorded his third multi-hit game of the season after finishing 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.

Cody Rottinghaus (1-3) took the loss after allowing nine earned runs (six earned) on 11 hits while striking out one over 5.2 innings on the mound. Jake Taylor finished things off out of the pen, giving up a pair of runs on four hits while striking out one over 3.1 innings of work.

The Tigers are schedule to hit the road again next week when they travel to Maryville, Mo. for a three-game set with Northwest Missouri State. The series begins with a 3 p.m. first pitch Friday.

Man stored 6-pounds of heroin from Mexico at his Kansas home

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KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Phoenix, Arizona man who moved to Kansas to run a drug house was sentenced Monday to 21 years in federal prison, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Badilla -from a previous arrest in Atchison Co.

Jose A. Badilla, 35, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of possession with intent to distribute heroin and one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.

In his plea, Badilla admitted that when investigators served a search warrant at 2812 N. 51st Street in Kansas City they found more than six pounds of heroin and two guns, including a .45 caliber pistol and a Panther Arms model AR-15 rifle.

Investigators learned Badilla moved to Kansas City from Phoenix in August 2017 and rented a house for the purpose of storing and distributing drugs. He was paid $2,000 to $2,500 every other week to keep the drugs at his residence. He said the drugs he stored were shipped from Mexico to Kansas City.

Police: Kansas felon lied to police during suspicious person stop

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SHAWNEE COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges.

Burghart-photo KDOC

Just after 6:15p.m. Sunday,  police conducted a suspicious person stop in the parking lot of Old Chicago 1231 SW Wanamaker in Topeka, according to Lt. Robbie Simmons.

The subject, later identified as 23-year-old Alex Burghart lied to officers about his identity.  Burghart was found to have a felony warrant for his arrest and was in possession of a firearm.

As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from being in possession of a firearm.

Police transported Burghart to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections and booked him on charges of Criminal Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Felony Obstruction and his Felony Warrant.

He has a previous convictions for robbery theft and burglary, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

This is the 32nd case in 2019 with a charge involving a felon in possession of a firearm reported by the Topeka Police Department.

Kansas teenager dies in ‘tragic firearm accident’

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CONCORDIA, Kan. (AP) — A funeral is scheduled Thursday for a northern Kansas teenager who died in an accident involving a firearm.

Mason Berk -photo courtesy Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home

An email sent to parents in the Concordia school district that eighth-grader Mason Berk died Saturday in a “tragic firearm accident.”

An obituary said the teenager passed away at Cloud County Health Center in Concordia.

Further details about the death were not released.

News From the Oil Patch, April 1

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By JOHN P. TRETBAR

Kansas crude-oil production last year dipped to its lowest level since 2005. Kansas producers pumped 2.75 million barrels in December for a yearly total of just 34.7 million barrels, according to the latest numbers from the Kansas Geological Survey. That’s down 1.1 million barrels from last year’s total, marking the third consecutive annual decline. A stark price plunge two years ago led to production declines across the country. Kansas has been slower than some other states in resuming the large production totals reported during times of higher prices.

Ellis County was the top crude oil producing county in Kansas last year with just over 2.6 million barrels. That’s the lowest total in the county in nearly twenty years. The 2018 total for Barton County was just shy of 1.7 million barrels. You have to go back to 2006 to find a lower annual total. We’ve seen steady production declines over the last several years in Russell and Stafford counties. Both counties dipped to the lowest annual total to be found in records published by the KGS dating back to 1970. Russell County operators produced just over 1.5 million barrels last year, while Stafford County added just over one million.

Baker Hughes reports a big drop in its weekly rotary rig count. The total nationwide was 1,006, which is down eight oil rigs and two seeking natural gas. The count in Texas was down one, Colorado was down four, Alaska dropped by three and California was down two rigs. Canada reported 88 active rigs, which is down 17.

Independent Oil & Gas Service reported a slight dip in the rig count in Kansas. The total east of Wichita was unchanged at four. There were 24 rigs in Western Kansas that were relocating, moving in, rigging up or drilling. That’s down two for the week. Independent reported 134 stacked rigs, up three from the week before.

Operators filed 24 permits for drilling at new locations across Kansas last week, 195 so far this year. There were 12 in eastern Kansas and 12 west of Wichita.

Independent Oil & Gas Service reports 19 newly-completed wells for the week across the state, including one in Russell County and one in Stafford County. Out of 15 completions west of Wichita last week, five were dry holes. There were six completions in eastern Kansas.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration last week reported an increase in domestic crude oil inventories of 2.8 million barrels. At 442.3 million barrels, stockpiles are about 2% below the five year average for this time of year.

The government reported another record for U.S. crude oil production for the week. The total is approximately 12.089 million barrels per day, an increase of about five thousand barrels per day from last week’s record, and one point six million barrels per day more than last year at this time.

Imports averaged six point five million barrels per day last week, down by 392,000 barrels per day from the previous week. EIA reports that over the past four weeks, imports averaged about 6.8 million barrels per day, 11.7% less than the same four-week period last year.

A House panel in Florida gave its okay to a ban on two forms of hydraulic fracturing on Tuesday, but the bill would continue to allow a completion process known as matrix acidizing. Only New York, Vermont and Maryland have enacted total bans on fracking, which uses high-pressure liquids to create cracks in underground rock, allowing pockets of oil and gas to flow freely. Most oil and natural gas in Florida is produced in the northwest and southern parts of the state. Production peaked at 47 million barrels in 1978 but has since dropped to 2 million barrels in 2017, according to a Senate staff analysis. As of last year, there were 57 active wells in the state.

As lawmakers in Colorado contemplate new regulations on the oil and gas industry, the industry is fighting back with some impressive numbers. According to a new trade group report, in 2017 the Colorado patch and its employees paid almost $1 billion in state and local taxes, employed about 30,000 people, created about 51,000 additional jobs, and added about thirteen point five billion dollars ($13.5 billion) to Colorado’s gross domestic product.

The oil and gas industry in Texas posted more than 15-thousand new job listings last year, according to another trade group report. The Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association reported crude extraction led the way with nearly four-thousand new help-wanted ads in 2018. Houston posted the most new open positions, followed by Midland and San Antonio.

Chiefs acquire DE Ogbah in trade from Browns for S Murray

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Kansas City Chiefs have acquired edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah from Cleveland in a swap for safety Eric Murray, who was originally drafted by current Browns general manager John Dorsey.

Ogbah did not report for the start of the Browns’ offseason program Monday, a sign that a trade was in the works. The 25-year-old defensive end was picked 32nd overall in the 2016 draft, and he had 12 1/2 sacks while starting all 40 games he played over the past three seasons.

He had three sacks and 40 tackles in 14 games last season.

The Chiefs have been adding edge rushers that fit into new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s 4-3 scheme while jettisoning pieces that no longer fit. Murray, who was picked by Dorsey for the Chiefs in 2016, became expendable when they signed free agent safety Tyrann Mathieu.

He started nine games and appeared in 15 last season, making 43 tackles and an interception.

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