Dr. Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend, is the First District Kansas Congressman.
Friends,
March 1 is my mother’s birthday, and very fitting for her special day, it is also International Women’s Day. I admire my mom, and the many life lessons she has taught me and still teaches me to this very today. From an early age, she showed me the value of hard work, she worked a full-time job while also raising a family and caring for us around the clock.
From teaching me the importance of having the entire family sit down for dinner, to her endless advice and support, she will always amaze me! Happy birthday, mom!
Discussing Trade and Health Care with President Trump
Last past week leaders of the Republican Study Committee had the opportunity to sit down with President Trump and talk about conservative agenda for this Congress.
As the Chairman of the Health Care Task Force, I talked to the president about our plans to drive down health care costs and other market-based reforms that would give patients choice, access, and protect those with preexisting conditions. Fixing our broken health care system has been a top priority for my office since day one- As a physician for nearly 30 years, I saw many of the problems with our current system firsthand!
But before the President and I discussed health care, he singled me out to deliver one clear message to Kansas farmers- he told me to tell the folks back home that he would not sign a bad trade deal for Kansas producers. The president confidently said that they are making significant progress with China and will prioritize the approval of USMCA by Congress.
It was great to sit down and discuss both the need of our farmers and ranchers, as well as our common vision to fix our broken health care system.
International Women’s Day
March is Women’s History Month, and March 1 is International Women’s Day, so please, I challenge you to thank those women that have positively influenced your life, improved your community and contributed to the success of our great nation.
Supporting our Veterans- Addressing Suicide and Addiction
At our legislative coffee in Junction City many of you talked with me about your time serving our nation and resources available to veterans. Supporting our men and women in uniform and our nation’s veterans is a top priority for me. Last week I wrote an op-ed discussing the common issues that many veterans are facing and what we must do to help.
One of my top concerns today is veteran suicide rates. Last week the president signed the PREVENTS (President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End A National Tragedy of Suicide) executive order to help put a stop to the 20 veterans who commit suicide each day in the United States. This new task force will be tasked with encouraging private-public partnerships to make mental healthcare more readily accessible to each and every veteran in the U.S.
In Kansas, we just opened a brand-new state of the art medical center, the Robert J. Dole Veterans Medical Center, that focuses on Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment. This center honors the 220,000 veterans across Kansas and the 20 million veterans across the United States. It’s dedicated to helping veterans who have contemplated, or attempted suicide, veterans struggling with addiction, and those in recovery.
Substance abuse and addiction is a terrible problem in our nation and often for our veterans. I fully support the work being done by this administration and in our clinics around Kansas. For as long as I am in office I will continue to fight for the men and women who have fought for us.
Read my latest op-ed on the new veterans treatment facility in Wichita HERE.
Raising Awareness for PCOS- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
During my time as an OB-GYN, I helped numerous women that struggled with PCOS through their pregnancies and their deliveries. Now on the Hill, I serve as the Co-Chair of the PCOS Caucus, where I am able to be the voice for millions of women across the country suffering from PCOS.
I am working with my fellow Co-Chair, Rep. David Scott, this Congress in introducing H.Res 146. H. Res 146 will designate September 2019 as PCOS Awareness Month. Furthermore, I am actively working with Scott on a letter that would have HHS do an inter-agency study on their work on PCOS and increase much-needed research. By advocating for both more awareness and research, I am hopeful we can help gather more information on this disease that impacts so many families. We want them to improve inter-agency collaboration, develop an awareness campaign, improve research output that will someday lead to better patient outcomes.
Last week I had the pleasure to speak with people who traveled from all over the country to D.C. for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Advocacy Day. It is so great to see so many people getting involved and advocating to their lawmakers for more awareness of this disease.
Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition is so important
I had the honor of speaking at the annual WIC Leadership Conference lst week. I’ve always supported WIC and am again working on a letter to my colleagues urging them to keep the WIC program fully funded in 2019.
As an OB-GYN, I know firsthand the importance of nutrition, and I want to assure the people of Kansas that I will always work to support mothers and children. As a physician I could not stress enough to my patients the importance of their Infants and children receiving proper nutrition at an early age. I look forward to continuing my work with WIC!
Rep. Omar- Hate has no home here
Last week I voted to stand against hatred and Anti-Semitism. This Congress must make it clear to Rep. Omar that we will not tolerate her continuous anti-Semitic rhetoric and beliefs. During this time it is important to ask ourselves why an anti-Semite is still on the Foreign Affairs Committee. We can only hope that Nancy Pelosi will see how wrong it is to allow it. It’s mind-boggling to me that Democrat Leadership keeps turning a blind eye and not taking action to remove this type of hatred from this important committee.
Dr. Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend, is the Kansas First District Congressman.
Thursday, Feb. 28 marked a critical deadline known as “turnaround,” marking the official halfway point for the 2019 Legislative session. It was a busy week for the Senate, as we spent two full days debating and voting on bills ahead of the Turnaround deadline. After being on the floor all day Tuesday and Wednesday, the Legislature was on break until March 6th to give clerical staff time to process the significant amount of paperwork resulting from this week. By “turnaround,” a bill, with few exceptions, must have passed its Chamber of origin in order to be considered by the other Chamber before session is over for the year. When the Senate returned on Wednesday, the focus was to consider bills passed by the House Chamber and bills exempt from the Turnaround deadline.
FLOOR ACTION LAST WEEK
REGISTERING FLEET VEHICLES – SB 97: Senate Bill 97 authorizes the registration of certain rental vehicles in fleets and the issuance of permanent license plates to reflect that registration – must be 250 motor vehicles submitted electronically.
COMPANY SIGNS IN VEHICLES – SB 63: Senate Bill 63 authorizes the governing body of a city to adopt an ordinance to allow a driver for a transportation network company (Uber, Lyft and others), when the driver is logged on to the transportation network company’s digital network, to equip the vehicle with a device capable of displaying a light visible from directly in front of the center of the vehicle. The lighting device can display steady light and can be any color except red.
REMEDIATION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM – HB 2001: House Bill 2001 extends the sunset on the Kansas Remediation Linked Deposit Loan Program, the Kansas Remediation Reimbursement Program, and the Kansas Agricultural Remediation Fund from July 1, 2020, to July 1, 2030.
UNCLAIMED LIFE INSURANCE BENEFITS ACT – SB 67: Senate Bill 67 establishes the Unclaimed Life Insurance Benefits Act (Act). The bill would require an insurer to compare its insureds’ in-force policies, contracts, and retained asset accounts against a DMF, on at least a semi-annual basis. The bill would require insurers, for group life insurance, to confirm the possible death of an insured when the insurers maintain at least the Social Security number or name and date of birth, beneficiary designation information, coverage eligibility, benefit amount, and premium payment status of those covered under a policy or certificate.
SERVICE-CONNECTED DEFINITION IN POLICE AND FIREMEN’S RETIREMENT SYSTEM – SB 15: Senate Bill 15 revises the definition for “service-connected” as that term is used to determine death and disability benefits in the Kansas Police and Firemen’s Retirement System. Under current law, service-connected causes for death and disability benefits include heart disease, lung or respiratory disease, and cancer. The bill would add bloodborne pathogens.
UPDATING THE STATE BANKING CODE (SB 82): Senate Bill 82 amends provisions of the State Banking Code relating to certificate of existence, voting rights for conversion to a state charter, and the method of delivery for certain notices. The bill includes certificates of existence, conversion to a State Charter and delivery methods for certain notices.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACT – SB 90: Senate Bill 90 would allow financial institutions to claim the Center for Entrepreneurship tax credit beginning in tax year 2019, which would be applied to the privilege tax owed. The maximum amount of tax credits that any taxpayer could claim would be increased from $50,000 to $100,000. The total amount of tax credits that could be claimed for all taxpayers would remain capped at $2.0 million per fiscal year.
KANSAS REAL ESTATE COMMISSION LICENSING –SB 60: Senate Bill 60 modifies statutes related to licensing of real-estate brokers and the Kansas Real Estate Commission. The bill reduces real estate broker’s licenses time from five years to three years preceding the date of application for the license for which an applicant for a broker’s license may satisfy the requirement of two years’ experience as a resident salesperson or a licensee in another state. It also increases the pre-license education course from 24 hours to 30 hours, and no more than 45 hours, and renames the course the “Kansas Real Estate Fundamentals Course.” It also creates a new course titled “Kansas Real Estate Management Course,” which would be 30 to 45 hours in length and would be required for original broker’s license applicants beginning January 1, 2020.
REGULATING ASSIGNMENT OF RIGHT OR BENEFITS TO A RESIDENTIAL CONTRACTOR – SB 78: Senate Bill 78 creates law within the Kansas Consumer Protection Act regarding a post-loss assignment of rights or benefits to a residential contractor under a property and casualty insurance policy insuring residential real estate. The residential contractor would be required to provide the assignment to the insurer of the residential real estate within three days of the signing of the assignment, and the assignment would have to provide that, in addition to any other right to revoke, the named insured has the right to cancel the assignment within five business days after execution.
AT-RISK PROGRAMS – SB 16: Senate Bill 16 requires, on and after July 1, 2019, the best practices identified and approved by KSBE for at-risk programs and instruction of students receiving at-risk program services. The bill would also specify Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) and Boys and Girls Club as programs eligible to receive state appropriations for providing individualized support to students enrolled in unified school districts and assisting with student achievement goals.
MINIMUM SCHOOL SAFETY DRILLS EACH YEAR – SB 128: Senate Bill 128 requires the State Fire Marshal to adopt rules and regulations requiring administrators of public and private schools and educational institutions, except community colleges, colleges, and universities, to conduct at least four fire drills, two tornado drills (one in September and one in March), and three crisis drills each school year. The bill would require the three crisis drills to be conducted at some time during school hours, aside from the regular dismissal at the close of the day’s session.
MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT PREVENTION COURSE –SB 94: Senate Bill 94 would require a motor vehicle accident avoidance course associated with required reduction in motor vehicle insurance premium charges to be at least four hours in duration. The bill would require the course utilize a nationally recognized driver training curriculum or a curriculum approved by a state or federal agency.
POLICE AUDIBLE AND VISUAL SIGNALS – SB 62: Senate Bill 62 authorizes the violation of certain rules of the road in the Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on Highways by the driver of a police vehicle who has reason to believe vehicle operation while using lights and audible signals could impede a law enforcement action under circumstances specified by the bill.
WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES – SB 68: Senate Bill 68 make changes to law relating to valid contract franchise ordinances and their application to wireless service providers and wireless infrastructure providers. The bill would allow a city to govern a wireless services provider’s or wireless infrastructure provider’s use of the public right-of-way using any combination of a master license agreement, permitting requirement, or municipal ordinance or code. The bill also would allow a city to assess a wireless services provider or a wireless infrastructure provider a fixed right-of-way access fee for each small cell facility that a provider deploys that requires the use of the city’s right-of-way. The fee could not be based on such a provider’s gross receipts derived from services provided within a city’s corporate limits.
KANSAS STATE GRAPE – SB 53: Senate Bill 53 designates the official Kansas red Winegrape as Chambourcy, and the official Kansas white Winegrape as Vignola’s.
POSTSECONDARY TECHNICAL EDUCATION AUTHORITY – SB 71: Senate Bill 71 reauthorizes the Postsecondary Technical Education Authority (TEA) by repealing the statute specifying sunset date of June 30, 2019. The bill would also require the TEA to make an annual report to the Legislature on the performance of its functions and duties.
DATE FOR TAKING OFFICE – SB 105: Senate Bill 105 authorizes a city to determine the start date of a regular term of office for a city officer by resolution of the city. In law regarding city elections, the bill would require the start date be on or after December 1 following certification of the election and no later than the second Monday in January following certification of the election. If the city does not establish an alternative date, the bill would specify such term would begin on the second Monday in January.
EMPLOYMENT FOR BLIND OR DISABLED INDIVIDUALS – HB 2044: House Bill 2044 authorizes a new income tax credit for tax years 2019 through 2023 equivalent to 15.0 percent of expenditures on goods and services purchased from qualified vendors or non-profit certified businesses, as those terms would be defined by the bill, that provide a certain level of health insurance benefits and have at least 30.0 percent of their employees be resident Kansans with disabilities. The amount of the credit would be capped at $500,000 per each qualified vendor each tax year, and the total amount of cumulative credits allowed for the life of the program would be capped at $5.0 million. The tax credits would be nonrefundable, but unused credits could be carried forward for up to four years and applied against the liability of future tax years.
AO-K TO WORK PROGRAM – SB 199: Senate Bill 199 creates the AO-K to work program that allows certain adults to earn high school equivalency credentials through the participation of career pathway oriented postsecondary classes.
SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WITH PROBLEM SEXUAL BEHAVIOR – SB 77: Senate Bill 77 requires the Department for Children and Families (DCF) to offer services to children with problem sexual behavior and their families.
REQUIRING THE NOTIFICATION OF MISSING FOSTER CARE CHILDREN – SB 162: Senate Bill 162 requires the notification to the governor and legislature whenever a child goes missing in foster care. The Department for Children and Families (DCF) would be required to notify the governor and legislature as well as the newspaper of the county wherever the child went missing. The bill also requires DCF to issue a fine of $500 to the contractor for each day the contractor fails to report the missing child.
STATE CABIN RENTAL FEES – SB 49: Senate Bill 49 authorizes the Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism to establish fees for the public use of cabins owned or operated by the department and for camping permits at state parks. SB 49 eliminates current law that requires the department to obtain approval from the Kansas Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism Commission to establish fees for the use of cabins by the public.
KANSAS CEREAL MALT BEVERAGE ACT – HB 2035: House Bill 2035 provides uniformity in the issuance of citations for violations of the Kansas Cereal Malt Beverage Act by ABC.
ALLOWING CERTAIN PODIATRISTS TO PERFORM SURGERY – SB 61: Senate Bill 61 adds podiatrists who completed a two-year post-doctoral surgical residency program prior to July 1, 2007, in reconstructive rearfoot/ankle surgery to the podiatrists who may perform surgery on the ankle, as long as they are board-certified or in the process of being certified.
AMENDING THE CRIME OF COUNTERFEITING –SB 134: Senate Bill 134 amends the crime of counterfeiting currency.
REMOVING A RESTRICTION IN UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE –SB 27: Senate Bill 27 repeals the provision in Kansas Employment Security Law that prohibits professional employer organizations from including a client company’s owners and officers in the same quarterly report as that company’s employees.
LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR SOCIAL WORKERS – SB 193: Senate Bill 193 provides for licensure by reciprocity for social workers at baccalaureate, master’s, and specialist clinical levels and amends the requirement for licensure by reciprocity for other professions regulated by the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board. SB 193 allows applicants who are deficient in the qualifications or in the quality of educational experience required for licensure, to obtain provisional licenses to allow the applicant’s time to fulfill remedial or other requirements prescribed by the Board. The bill also amends the licensure requirements for a specialist clinical social worker by reducing the number of hours of postgraduate supervised professional experience required.
ADDRESSING ISSUES WITH SIGNATURES ON ADVANCE BALLOTS – Sub SB 130: Substitute for Senate Bill 130 amends law concerning advance ballots and associated signature requirements. The bill requires county election officers to try to contact each voter who submitted an advance voting ballot without a signature or with a signature that does not match the signature on file and allow the voter to correct the deficiency before the final county canvass.
CHANGES TO MUNICIPAL OFFICE ELECTIONS – SB 131: Senate Bill 131 amends law concerning the filing date for municipal offices and the date certain newly elected township officers take the oath of office. SB 131 changes the filing deadline for a candidate in a municipal election where a primary election is not authorized or required by law from September 1 prior to the general election in odd-numbered years to the day before the primary election date in both odd- and even-numbered years. The bill also changes the date a newly elected trustee, clerk, or treasurer of any township must take the oath of office, from within 20 days after being notified of such election to on or before the second Monday in January when the term of office begins.
SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS – SB 7: Senate Bill 7 amends current law regarding the timing of appointing a replacement school board member, timing of elections of officers of a local board of education, the date local school district board officials take office, and the timing of an election to change the method of election or voting plan for school board members. SB 7 also requires the first meeting of the Board of Education to be on or after the second Monday in January or at a later meeting if so determined by the Board at the first meeting, rather than in July.
EUDORA COMMUNITY LIBRARY DISTRICT ACT – SB 59: Senate Bill 59 allows the city of Eudora to continue to be part of a library district previously established by the City of Eudora and Eudora Township.
You can find a wealth of information at this well-designed website which focuses on Kansas with topics of business, education, government, residents and services with links to agencies and staff to help answer any question you might have. Webfile will take you directly to the Department of Revenue to file your taxes; Form finder will take you to the Secretary of States office for all types of forms for businesses; Learning Quest will direct you to the State Treasurer’s Office; the three branches of Government; and Plan your Trip to Kansas will open to the Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism.
UNCLAIMED PROPERTY IN KANSAS
The State of Kansas has over $350 million dollars in unclaimed property waiting for the rightful owner to find and claim. Unclaimed property stats from July 1, 2018 to March 2, 2019 include 825,558 searches, $19,702,309.57 returned with the average claim paid at $250.16. These holdings at the Treasurer’s office include bank accounts, cash, stocks, bonds, refunds (utilities), royalties, insurance proceeds and even safe deposit box contents. To search for your name, visit www.kansasastatetreasurer.com and enter your name or business name to see if your name is on this list. Senate District #36 has over 4000 entries in the thirteen counties it covers. If you would like more personal assistance, call 800-432-0386 or 785-296-4165.
Thank you for all of your calls, emails, and letters this week. Constituent correspondence helps inform my decision-making process and is taken into great consideration when I cast my vote in the Kansas Senate. I hope you’ll continue to engage with me on the issues that matter most to you, your family, and our community.
If you are on Twitter or Facebook, I encourage you to follow along with the #ksleg hashtag for real-time updates on legislative happenings in Topeka.
It is easy to “get into the weed” on pieces of legislation that seem on the surface to have universal appeal, but for those who want to pursue a more in-depth analysis of the ones which did not have such agreement, go to www.kslegislature.org and pull up “Bills & Laws,” then “Senate Bills,” before scrolling to the desired number and hitting “SN” (Supplemental Notes) for a general explanation which is written by the Legislative research & reviser staff.
Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, is the 36th Dist. state senator and serves as the Senate Majority Whip. The 36th Senate District includes Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Osborne, Ottawa, Republic, Rooks, Russell, Smith and Washington counties and portions of Marshall and Phillips counties.
From left: Lieutenant Tim Greenwood, Officer Lane Hoffman, Officer Nick Kleiber and Lieutenant Brandon Wright.The Hays Police Department has welcomed two new officers to its ranks.
Officers Lane Hoffman and Nick Kleiber graduated last week from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center as part of the 254th Class.
KLA has received numerous calls from members who have received insufficient fund checks originating from Plainville Livestock Commission, Inc. KLA staff was able to determine that Almena State Bank has frozen the custodial account of the market and filed an interpleader case in Norton County District Court to determine all proper claims on the account.
Members who have received an insufficient fund check resulting from the sale of cattle at this market should first call the western regional office of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Packers and Stockyards Division at (303) 375-4250 to file a claim against the market’s bond. Affected members should then file a claim in Norton County Case No. 19-CV-02.
To file a claim, each individual or entity must submit to the court the following information:
1. A handwritten or typed statement that identifies the individual or entity owed money, including their contact information. In that statement, the claimant should also provide the total amount they are owed.
2. The claimant should attach a copy of the check received from Plainville Livestock Commission, Inc.
3. The claimant should also attach a copy of their sales receipt from Plainville Livestock Commission, Inc.
Once the above steps are complete, the claimant should contact the clerk of the court in Norton County at (785) 877-5720. The Clerk will let claimants know how to appropriately file their claim with the court. After the claim is filed, an attorney representing the Almena State Bank may contact claimants to explain future proceedings regarding claim collection.
As with any legal matter, it is advisable to consult with a personal attorney to ensure interests are being protected before agreeing to any settlement or signing any legal documents.
— This is a developing story. Check Hays Post for more as details become available.
RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with her brother’s Kansas murder trial.
Samantha Bland photo Webb Co. Sheriff
On February 19, authorities in Laredo, Texas arrested 29-year-old Samantha Bland on a Riley County District warrant for aggravated intimidation of a witness who testified against Bland’s brother Steven Meredith during the January preliminary hearing for murder, according to Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson.
The judge found sufficient evidence for Meredith of Junction City to stand trial in the killing of a confidential drug informant 48-year-old Carrie Jones. Her body was found by deer hunters in rural Riley County.
During the preliminary hearing, witnesses testified that Meredith believed Jones might reveal information about him and others in a 2013 drug case.
One witness testified that Meredith told her that he and another man drove Jones to a field, forced her to get out of the vehicle and then shot her. Meredith was arrested almost a year after Jones’ body was found in October 2017.
On Sunday, Bland was jailed in Riley County, according to the Riley County Police Department arrest report.
She is being held on a bond of $125,000 on requested charges of aggravated intimidation of a witness/victim; Furtherance of conspiracy, Intimidation of a witness or victim; Prevent testimony, according to the RCPD
FORT WORTH, Texas – Betty LaRue (Sibley) Covalt, 83, passed away Wednesday, March 6, 2019, in Fort Worth.
Celebration of her Life: 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 12, in the Longhorn Auditorium at Trinity Terrace, 1600 Texas Street, Fort Worth, Texas, with Chaplin Tricia Baldwin officiating. Graveside: A private family graveside service at Greenwood Memorial Park, officiated by Pastor Justin Beadles, LaRue’s nephew and Senior Pastor at Countryside Baptist Church in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Memorials: Trinity Terrace Chapel Fund at Trinity Terrace, 1600 Texas Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76102 or James L. West Alzheimer’s Center, 1111 Summit Avenue, Fort Worth, Texas 76102.
The precious daughter of Zelma (McCarty) Sibley and Victor Bruce Sibley, LaRue was born Dec. 23, 1935, in Kansas City, Kansas and grew up in Lewis, Kansas. She attended the University of Kansas before transferring and graduating from Wichita State University.
While at WSU she met the love of her life, Austin Covalt. They celebrated 57 years of marriage before his passing in 2014. LaRue and Austin lived their early married years in Sterling, Kansas, where LaRue began work on her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education at Sterling College and later completed at Fort Hays State University after moving to Russell, Kansas in 1967. LaRue touched many young lives during her 25 year career as an elementary school teacher in Russell. LaRue and Austin had three children and two grandsons. She was fiercely loyal to her family and she loved being with them. Her most cherished week every year was in May when the three children and their family’s, along with her brother and his family would gather in Fort Worth for the Colonial Golf Tournament.
In 2012, after 45 years in Russell and too many wonderful friends and memories to count, LaRue made the most difficult decision to relocate closer to family due to Austin’s progression of Alzheimer’s disease so they moved to Fort Worth. After Austin’s passing, sadly, LaRue began enduring this same horrible disease in 2016. Together, as a family, the decision was prayerfully made to donate LaRue’s brain to The Brain Bank at UNTHSC for the specific benefit of Alzheimer’s research.
The family would like to thank the entire staff at Trinity Terrace for providing our mother a wonderful home since 2012. And, since May of this year, we especially extend our deepest gratitude to the Memory Care Unit, Emily Rider LVN, and all of the other angels who love and care so deeply for these residents who are in such a vulnerable state.
LaRue was preceded in death by her husband, Austin; her parents, Zelma and Bruce Sibley; and her brother, Veryl Sibley.
Survivors: Daughters, Ann Clinkscales and husband, Jim, of Fort Worth, and Sue Nevius and husband, Scott, of Valencia, CA; son, David Covalt of Arlington, TX; grandsons, Baird Clinkscales of Denver, CO and Austin Clinkscales of Dallas, TX; niece, Stephanie Chapman; and nephews, Greg Covalt, Jason Covalt, Geoff Covalt, Grant Beadles, Justin Beadles and their families.
Edna Eileen (Logan) Straub, 74, of Russell, Kansas, passed away Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at her home with her family by her side.
Eileen was born July 3, 1944 in Great Bend, Kansas. She was one of three children born to Harold DeLos and Edna I. (Craig) Logan. Eileen grew up and attended schools in Claflin, Kansas.
Eileen was united in marriage to Harold Lewis Straub on February 24, 1960, in Holyrood, Kansas. This union was blessed with four sons; Rick, DeLos, Clint and Evan. They made their home in Walker, Kansas until 2009, when they moved to Russell. Harold preceded her in death on August 12, 2017.
Eileen was a CNA in Home Health Care. She worked at St. John’s Nursing Home in Victoria, Kansas and for many individuals for many years. She also worked at Wal Mart for over 20 years. She was a member of the Claflin United Methodist Church and the Eastern Star Chapter #226 in Great Bend. She enjoyed reading, playing computer games, was a huge Elvis fan, collecting dolls, genealogy, doing word searches and puzzles. She loved spending time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Eileen is survived by four sons, Rick Straub (Margie) of Walker, Kansas, DeLos Straub (Camille) of Salina, Kansas, Clint Straub (Staci) and Evan Straub both of Russell, Kansas; brother, Leslie Logan (Barbara) of Lyons, Kansas; sister, Janet Nily of Great Bend, Kansas; ten grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
Eileen was preceded in death by her parents, husband Harold, infant son, and two grandchildren.
Celebration of Eileen’s Life will be held at 10:30 AM, Thursday, March 14, 2019 at Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell. Burial of Ashes will follow at the Olmitz Cemetery in Olmitz, Kansas. Visitation will be held from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Wednesday, March 13, 2019 at Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary with the family present to greet friends from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
Memorials have been established with American Cancer Society or Russell County Food Pantry. Contributions and condolences may be sent to Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, who is in charge of these arrangements.
Evelyn Lucille Waller, age 80, passed away on Saturday, March 9, 2019 at the Scott County Hospital in Scott City, Kansas.
She was born on January 14, 1939 in Scott City, Kansas, the daughter of Theodore R. & Violet M. Farr France. A lifetime resident of Scott City, Kansas, she was a homemaker.
She was a member of the Church of The Nazarene in Wichita County, Kansas.
On August 30, 1959 she married Dan Eldon Waller in Wichita County, Kansas. He passed away on May 6, 1969 in Scott City, Kansas.
Survivors Include her Three Brothers – Leon & Cheryl France of Scott City, Kansas, Ted France of Scott City, Kansas, Ron & Carrie France of Garden City, Kansas and Numerous Nieces & Nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, One Brother and Two Sisters.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 14, 2019, at the Community Christian Church in Scott City, Kansas with Rev. Scott Wagner presiding.
Memorials may be made to the Evelyn L. Waller Memorial Fund in care of Price & Sons Funeral Homes.
Inurnment will be in the Scott County Cemetery
Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Tuesday and 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Wednesday at Price & Sons Funeral Home in Scott City, Kansas.
Merton Lynn Goodman, age 69, passed away on Saturday, March 9, 2019 at the Scott County Hospital in Scott City, Kansas.
He was born on December 14, 1949 in Norton, Kansas, the son of Merton Ferris & Dorothy Dean Davis Goodman. A resident of Scott City, Kansas since 1975 moving from Clayton, Kansas, he was a Grazing Manager for Brookover Cattle Company until he retired.
He was a member of the United Methodist Church in Scott City, Kansas.
On November 23, 1966 he married Sheryl Sue Rowh in Oberlin, Kansas. She survives.
Survivors Include his Wife – Sheryl S. Goodman of Scott City, Kansas, One Son – Craigg Goodman of Scott City, Kansas, One Daughter – Mishele R. & Carlos Prieto of Garden City, Kansas, Five Sisters – Linda Sulzman of Russell, Kansas, Marcia & Larry Stapp of Holcomb, Kansas, Xandra & Chuck Waggoner of Morland, Kansas, Tina Perdue of La Crosse, Kansas, Kendra & Curt Giebler, Eight Grandchildren and Nine Great Grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his Parents and Two Daughters – Tracy Lee Goodman and Teressa Dawn Goodman.
Memorial services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, March 16, 2019 at Price & Sons Funeral Home in Scott City, Kansas with Sheldon Snyder presiding.
Memorials may be made to the Children’s Heart Foundation or St. Judes in care of Price & Sons Funeral Homes.
Inurnment will be in the Clayton Cemetery, Clayton, Kansas.
The Kansas City Chiefs released veteran linebacker Justin Houston on Sunday after they were unable to drum up enough trade interest, ending the tenure of one of the best pass rushers in club history.
The Chiefs had made it clear they would trade or release Houston this offseason, primarily because of his cost. He was due $15.25 million and carried a salary cap hit of $21.1 million, numbers that would have made it nearly impossible to make other much-needed upgrades to their defense.
The move means the Chiefs will free up $14 million and make the four-time Pro Bowl selection a free agent when the period begins Wednesday. The Chiefs will also take on $7.1 million in dead money.
“Justin has made a lasting impact on this franchise and I can’t thank him enough for his contributions over the years,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said in a statement.
“These decisions are never easy,” Veach said. “I have a great deal of respect for Justin as a player and person and I wish him and his family the best moving forward.”
The 30-year-old Houston was a third-round pick of the Chiefs out of Georgia who quickly became a fan-favorite, not to mention one of the team’s most visible leaders. He wound up starting 96 of the 102 games he appeared in over eight seasons, and his best season came in 2014, when Houston shattered the franchise record with 22 sacks and was voted a first-team All-Pro.
He parlayed that season into a $101 million, six-year deal in 2015 that was at the time a record for a defensive player. But he has been slowed by injuries the past four seasons, and despite continuing to pile up sacks, Houston has been unable to keep up the pace that landed him the lucrative deal.
As the Chiefs try to rebuild one of the league’s worst defenses, and provide some help to one of the NFL’s best offenses, it became apparent that Houston’s days in Kansas City were numbered.
“Over the last eight seasons we’ve had the ability to watch Justin grow into a leader on and off the playing field,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said. “His passion helped him become one the most successful pass rushers in franchise history. We appreciate his contributions to our team and community.”
Houston departs Kansas City with 78 1/2 sacks, trailing only Derrick Thomas (126 1/2), former teammate Tamba Hali (89 1/2) and Neil Smith (85 1/2) for the most in franchise history.
He should have no shortage of suitors after seasons of 9 1/2 sacks two years ago and nine more last season, provided he convince a club that he can remain healthy. Houston has experienced with elbow and knee injuries that have allowed him to play 16 games in a season just twice.
The Chiefs used their franchise tag on fellow pass rusher Dee Ford, though it’s possible they could still trade him. Other premier edge rushers that were franchised include DeMarcus Lawrence, Jadeveon Clowney and Frank Clark, and that could create a more robust market for Houston.
Working against him is the fact pass rusher may be the most stacked part of April’s draft.
“You can never have enough of that,” Veach said. “It’s a really intriguing class. I think it’s been mentioned multiple times throughout the first few days, the defensive line this year is really deep. There are a lot of players, pass-rushers, interior pass-rushers, run players, there’s a lot of depth at that position. I certainly think there will be a lot of names from those defensive players called early on.”
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