Elvyn John Slavik, 99, passed away on Saturday February 16, 2019 at the Smith Center Health and Rehab Center in Smith Center.
He was born the son of Antone & Agnes (Dolechek) Slavik on August 10, 1919 in Diagonal, IA.
He is survived by his wife Doris Slavik of the home; a daughter Elaine (Larry) Pfiefer of Marysville, KS; 2 grandchildren.
Click HERE for service details.
May 30, 1972 – February 19, 2019
An obituary and services are pending with Stinemetz Funeral Home.
Lynn Dee (Pfaff) Easterberg passed away on Saturday, February 16, 2019 in Plainville, Kansas. She was born on April 8, 1980 in Ransom, Kansas to Robert “Blaine” and Nikki (Gross) Pfaff. Lynn graduated from Plainville High School in 1998 and then enlisted in the United States Army Reserves, while with the reserves she was deployed to Qatar in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and served a total of 8 years in the reserves. Lynn was very proud to serve her country. Lynn is the mother of three children: Braylon Gage Bittel, Chasey Rae Bittel, and Oaklynn Kay Easterberg.
Lynn enjoyed participating in school and community plays. She entertained her family with skits, requiring family participation, and with dance routines. Lynn liked sports, especially softball and volleyball, and going to the lake. She loved animals and had some very “different” pets. Lynn always had a smile and she never knew a stranger. She was a hard worker and did her best at whatever she did.
Lynn is survived by her parents, Blaine & Nikki Pfaff of Plainville; son, Braylon Bittel of Plainville; daughters, Chasey Bittel and Oaklynn Easterberg of Plainville; step-daughter Jlynn Easterberg of Plainville; brother, Cody Pfaff and wife Heather of Plainville; her Paternal Grandmother Shirley Pfaff of Jetmore; a niece and nephew; and several uncles, aunts and cousins. She was preceded in death by Paternal Grandfather Robert Pfaff and Maternal Grandparents Bob & Rose Gross
Although our hearts are weighing heavy during this difficult time, we can find comfort in knowing that Lynn is at peace in Heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ. We all have so many memories, stories, and wonderful times with her. We will always remember her smile as bright as sunshine. Her fun-loving and beautiful spirit will endure forever.
A funeral services is planned for Friday, February 22, 2019, at the Christian Church of Plainville, at 10:30 A.M. Visitation will be held on Thursday, February 21, 2019 from 2:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Braylon & Chasey Bittel and Oaklynn Easterberg’s Education Fund or a portion will go to a mental health fund to be named at a later date and may be sent in care of Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, 320 SW 2nd, Plainville, Kansas 67663.
SEDGICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged child sex crimes.
A 15-year-old girl reported to police in Cheney an incident that allegedly occurred to her and a man she knew in April of 2018, according to Wichita Police officer Charley Davidson.
On Wednesday, police arrested 39-year-old Timothy M. Miller on requested charges of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, according to the Sedgwick County booking report.
He remained in jail Friday on a $100,000 bond, according to online jail records.
BY RON WILSON
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
Let’s go to a party. No, not a birthday party or bowl game party. This is a special event in a very rural community. This party is helping to promote peace in the world, one personal encounter at a time.
Last week we learned about Dusty Turner, organizer and promoter of annual motorcycle rallies including one in Cedar Vale, Kansas. These yearly motorcycle rallies have brought dozens of people to Cedar Vale and raised money for local community needs. These rallies are promoted through an online forum of Moto Guzzi motorcycle enthusiasts.
The fun of the motorcycle ride and the interaction with the community has been a win-win relationship. “The mayor of Cedar Vale said she has seen an uptick in civic pride because outsiders are showing an interest in their little town,” Dusty said.
This motorcycle rally worked so well that it sparked another idea. In addition to the Moto Guzzi online site, Dusty was on another website which had a political subforum. As sometimes happens with discussions on the Internet, it became a site of bitter conflict. “People hate each other over politics,” Dusty said. The atmosphere of the discussion was toxic. He wondered if something could be done about it.
“I’m half Lakota,” Dusty said. “In our history, there were tribes who were at war with each other, but once each year they would call a truce and get together for a few days,” he said. “I wondered if this would work for us.”
Dusty decided to try this far-fetched idea with those on the website. In 2018, he invited the people on the website to come to Cedar Vale for a face-to-face gathering. “We need to get out of our echo chamber and meet face-to-face,” he said.
He scheduled this gathering for September. Remarkably, people came.
“I called it the Peace Party,” Dusty said. “We had 25 people come from across the country.” Believe it or not, they came from places such as Chicago, Dallas, LA, Portland, and as far away as Canada and New Zealand. These were people who were already interacting anonymously online but had never met in person. In many cases, they were on polar opposite sides of the political spectrum, and had engaged in bitter online exchanges.
For this gathering, Dusty used the same model as his motorcycle rallies. The participants were called Adventure Riders. They interacted with local citizens, camped and ate together, and had time to spend with each other. Just as with the motorcycle rallies, a portion of the proceeds went to local needs and jars were set out to collect donations.
“We raised about $1,000 for the community,” Dusty said. However, it was not the financial results which Dusty found most impactful.
His most meaningful aspect was seeing people connect on a personal basis. “I watched people who had called each other names for years shake hands and give each other a hug,” Dusty said.
This initiative also exposed these participants, many of whom come from urban settings, to rural life. “I am introducing these sophisticates to small town America so they can see why people in rural America feel left behind,” Dusty said. “I’m trying to raise a little money for Cedar Vale and expose these city people to real small town America.”
“We are reconnecting and learning how to communicate with each other again,” Dusty said. It went so well that there is interest in holding this gathering annually. Dusty is seeking support to make this happen.
“We are doing something fun and interesting, and it is working,” he said. “It’s not just me, other people are involved.” This remarkable gathering is happening in the rural community of Cedar Vale, population 526 people. Now, that’s rural.
Let’s go to a party. No, not for a birthday or bowl game. This is a party which intends to overcome division and help people find common ground. We salute the Adventure Riders and the community of Cedar Vale for making a difference by hosting this remarkable gathering. To them I say: Party on.
Join us Saturday, April 6, 2019, 7 PM – 10 PM, for an evening of games and raffles to benefit the Western Plains Animal Refuge!
All Fur and Games will be held at The Venue in Thirsty’s Brew Pub & Grill, 2704 Vine, Hays.
You can sit back for some bingo, show off your bag tossing skills, test your trivia knowledge, or compete against others in video and party games to win prizes donated by our sponsors. Appetizers will be provided, and drinks will be available for purchase.
Tickets are available for a suggested donation of $20 for individuals and $100 for groups of six. You can get tickets through Eventbrite, at our office, or at the door.
Frantic Fatherhood
A man speaks frantically into the phone, “My wife is pregnant, what
should I do?”
“Is this her first child?” the doctor queries.
“No, you fool!” the man said, “this is her husband!”
Join fans of 99 KZ Country on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/99KZCountry
SEDGWICK COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before 2a.m. Friday in Sedgwick County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Toyota Camry driven by Brooke L Spainhower, 24, Wichita, was westbound on Kansas 254 at Oliver.
The driver failed to negotiate the curved and struck end of the bridge rail. The vehicle caught on fire.
Spainhower was pronounced dead at the scene. Seatbelt usage was unavailable due to the fire.
Governor Laura Kelly, on behalf of the Kansas Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, announced Wednesday the 2019 grant awards for the Federal Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program. The grant program is a partnership among federal, state and local governments to create safer communities and improve criminal justice systems.
“I’m pleased to announce these important grants available to improve the safety of Kansas communities and families,” said Kelly. “Our law enforcement offices, nonprofits and community health organizations do much to keep our citizens safe. I commend them for their work and look forward to continuing to partner with them to improve many aspects of our criminal justice system.”
Northwest Kansas agencies receiving grants include Norton County, Rawlins County and Scott County.
The JAG program provides funds to criminal justice system partners in addressing crime and improving public safety. The KCJCC established four primary areas for distributing these funds that include; reducing recidivism, improving law enforcement technology and officer safety, improving victim services and supporting projects that enhance the functionality of the Kansas criminal justice information system.
The Governor also announced the Federal Residential Substance Abuse Treatment of State Prisoners Grant Program (RSAT) grant award. The Kansas Department of Corrections was awarded $119,046 by the KCJCC. The funds are used for treatment of adult inmates.
The KCJCC also awarded the Kansas Bureau of Investigation $716,746 from the Federal National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) grant program. The goal of the program is to improve the quality of the criminal history record information in support of background check systems.
The Kansas Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (KCJCC) oversees the criminal justice federal funding made available to Kansas through the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance. The KCJCC is representative of the Governor, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Corrections, the Superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol, and the Director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
A total of $3,283,907 was awarded to 41 agencies.
By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN
FHSU University Relations and Marketing
For Jacob Wick, it will be somewhat of a homecoming. For his high school classmate, Caden Moore, it will be making a new home for himself when they begin their college careers at Fort Hays State University next fall.
The two Wamego High School seniors were part of a group students honored at an annual Student Recognition Program at the Ramada Inn in Topeka earlier this month.
The Topeka SRP is one of 12 of its kind – all across the state and one each in Colorado and Nebraska – held during a month’s time through January and February. The 2019 SRPs will conclude this week, with events at Beloit Thursday and at Garden City and Dodge City on Sunday.
Topeka’s program was the second such event of the day for representatives from the FHSU admissions office, who were in Overland Park earlier in the day on Feb. 10.
It was double duty again the following Sunday for Jon Armstrong, interim director of admissions, and his crew. Following a morning SRP in Kearney, Neb., on Feb. 17, nearly 100 students were recognized at the Hays event, annually held on the Fort Hays State campus.
“Sure, it’s busy this time of year,” said Hugo Perez, assistant director of admissions who has attended every single one of the SRPs this year. “But it’s our job. It’s what we do, and I love it.”
What admissions personnel do at the SRP events that began in 1989 is to recognize students who have expressed interest in FHSU and to give them and their parents and family an introduction to the university.
Other university officers, administrators and faculty also attend the programs to answer questions.
This year was a record-breaking attendance at the Topeka site with 54 students from the surrounding area being recognized.
Two of those were Wick and Moore, who made the 40-mile trip with their parents.
Wick, who was born and raised in Hays before moving to Wamego with his family when he was entering sixth grade, said he had been thinking about FHSU as one of his options for post-secondary education.
Even after a diligent search – he checked out four other universities, some larger than Fort Hays State, some similar size – Wick decided on FHSU.
“After being raised in Hays, I always thought it was a possibility to come back here for college,” said Wick, who plans to major in business-finance with a minor in banking.
“The campus is smaller than some, just the right size,” he said, “and the amount of scholarships you can get makes it really affordable.”
Moore also was impressed with the financial aid opportunities as well as the academics – and why not?
He received a Tier 1 award through FHSU’s Honors College as well as other scholarships. The Tier 1 is a $10,000 award for tuition and room and board, renewable for three years.
“I really liked the environment and the small student-to-teacher ratio, too,” said Moore, who plans to major in pre-law.
Following talks by FHSU administrators, including President Tisa Mason, those in attendance are treated to a video about the university featuring student success stories.
Every single student at the SRP is then recognized, called to the front of the room, and gets the opportunity to take a photo with Mason.
Each of the SRP events also features two scholarship drawings – a $500 award to be used toward tuition costs and a $600 textbook award – as well as a drawing for a laptop computer.
Because of the size of the Hays SRP (nearly 100 attended this year) two awards each of $500 and $600 were given out.
Megan Gray, a senior at Valley Heights High School in Blue Rapids, was excited about attending the Topeka event, and that was even before her name was drawn out as the winner of the laptop.
Gray, who will be a third-generation student for her family next fall, plans to major in elementary education. Her grandparents, Steve and Carol Hood, also have degrees from Fort Hays State, as does her mother, Tonya Metcalf.
Gray became interested in Fort Hays State when her mom earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing online through FHSU’s Virtual College. Gray decided to schedule a campus visit and liked what she saw.
“I love the campus,” Gray said. “It wasn’t too big, and everyone was so welcoming.”
Several students at the SRP events are children of FHSU alumni.
One of those at the Hays event was Jenna Howard from WaKeeney, who plans to major in geosciences. Her parents, Hardy and Dawn Howard, each have two degrees from FHSU.
“I knew Dad really liked it here,” Jenna Howard said of one reason she was interested in Fort Hays State. Another was that her oldest sister, Larissa, is majoring in geosciences at FHSU and is scheduled to graduate in May. “And I really like the campus and the professors.”
Emily Schippers, a senior at Thomas More Prep-Marian High School in Hays, also is following her older sister, as well as a parent, to FHSU.
Sara Schippers is a sophomore nursing student, the same major that Emily has chosen.
However, Emily said that she had been thinking about the medical field long before her sister chose nursing.
“I chose nursing mostly because of her, and I chose Fort Hays State because of him,” Schippers said, nodding toward her parents. The Schippers sisters’ mom, Geralyn, is a registered nurse, and their dad, Troy, is an FHSU graduate.
Schippers said being close to home was a consideration, as well as “the homey environment.” She also has already received some scholarships to help with her college expenses.
Scholarship aid from FHSU is nothing new for the Schippers family.
“I grew up in the ’80s during the farm crises,” said Troy Schippers, who lived at home in Victoria during his college days so he could help his dad on the family farm. “I was fortunate to have a renewable scholarship to help with costs. Now, the scholarships are even better. I got a degree in finance, and I’m very proud to be an FHSU grad.”
Tina Wick, Jacob Wick’s mom and another Fort Hays State alum, said she would have supported her son’s decision, no matter where he decided to attend college. But she admitted she was partial to her alma mater.
“In my heart, yes, I was glad he chose (FHSU) just because I had such a great experience in college there,” she said. “I feel that companies heavily recruit Fort Hays State grads, because they know the product of the students coming out – both with their knowledge and their work ethic.”
The Wicks still have several friends in Hays, and Tina Wick said she is looking forward to returning to FHSU more often now. She said she hasn’t changed her mind in nearly 30 years about the quality of it programs.
“Fort Hays State was so much more advanced in its graphic design department than the larger schools back then. Now, I can hardly wait to see what the new art building is going to look like,” Wick, a graphic design graduate, said of the new art and design building scheduled for completion for fall 2019.
“FHSU was a great school back when I was in college,” she continued, “but it seems like it’s even better today in what it has to offer.”
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
“Trust no one. Trust no network.”
Jessica States, information security officer for Fort Hays State University, was trying to emphasize the prevalence of scams and phishing on the Internet.
She addressed a few of the issues students and faculty face during a Wednesday online security lecture sponsored by the American Democracy Project.
States focused on three main areas, including job scams, extortion and credential theft plus left her audience with a few general tips and resources for cyber security.
FHSU students are consistently being targeted by job scams. The example States shares Wednesday resulted in a FHSU student losing about $2,000.
The student received a letter offering a job for which he would be paid in advance. The letter came from an .edu address from a person claiming to be a college professor. The student received and deposited several checks in his bank account. In the meantime, the scammer requested the student purchase gift cards and send him the redemption codes, so he could send a gift to his nephew.
By the time the bank a couple of weeks later had alerted the student the checks were fraudulent, the money on the gift cards had been spent.
States said students and other consumers fall prey to job scams because they don’t understand how the banking system works.
“So true or false? When you deposit a check or money order into your account, does your bank make sure it’s good before they put the money in your account?” States asked. “Most people think this is true. They think your bank verifies a check is good before they let you spend the money. This is false.”
States said people assume because the check shows up as a memo line on their account, the bank has verified the authenticity of the check. This can take up to a couple of weeks, especially if your bank is trying to clear a check from an international bank.
Red flags in this email included a wage that seemed to be too good to be true — $450 per week for three hours of work.
“If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” States said. “This is where, especially our younger students get caught. They think it is coming to my Fort Hays email address. It sounds really good. It talks about Fort Hays. It must be legitimate. If they would just take a second, pause and think about it, it is really too good to be true.”
No employers should ever ask you to buy gift cards or wire them money. Paying in advance is also suspicious.
Email addresses should not be trusted. Email accounts can be hacked or spoofed.
Check out the alleged employer, States said. You should be able to track down the person through LinkedIn and contact them through other means than the email address you have been given.
The scammer also attempted to get the student to use an alternate email address rather than the more secure university account, which circumvents the university’s firewalls
On Monday, a university staff member received an extortion email. The email threatened to release an email containing embarrassing information about the staff member to all of their email contacts unless a $977 ransom was paid in bitcoin.
The subject was the person’s username and an old password, which made it appear more authentic.
There have been tons of data breaches in recent years, including Yahoo, eBay and Sony PlayStation, so it is very possible you have a current or old password out there on the dark web, States said.
“Scammers are going to use any personal information they have about you to make the scam seem more realistic,” States said.
States said she doubted the scammer had any compromising information on the person in question. Scammers prey on fear and a victim’s guilty conscience.
Fort Hays has never paid an extortion ransom, but States said she did not know about individuals.
If you are hit with an extortion attempt, don’t panic and don’t reply to the email. If you reply to the email, the scammer knows they have a legitimate email address.
If you are still using the password the scammer has noted in the email, change it immediately on all accounts it is being used on.
Mark the email as spam and delete it.
“It is basically free for them to send millions of emails,” States said. “The one statistic that I was looking at earlier, there are 100 million phishing emails that go out everyday. … Even if 99 percent of them are blocked, that would still be a million that would get through. That is a lot. Even if one person falls for it, they have just made $977 in bitcoin for very little work.”
A fake tech support scam that was circulating last year made the scammers an estimated $24 million in two months, States said.
On Monday, States said someone at the university reported being the subject of an attempted credential theft scam.
The attacker spoofed the From line to indicate it was coming from the user’s own email. The scammer was trying to get the recipient to enter his or her account username and password.
If you would have hovered over the link with your cursor, you would have seen it took you to an odd off-campus address, States said.
The email had some grammar mistakes, which should be a clue that it was a fake.
“The thing you have to remember, for people who especially English is not their first language, grammar mistakes are not a big indication of phishing,” States said. “While I do put some emphasis on that, it is not always the greatest tool to figure out it is phishing. Plus I have seen some official emails that came out that had some pretty glaring mistakes.”
Phishing messages can also come via text.
• Who is it from?
• Look at the Reply To. Is that different than the alleged sender? The scammer may have stolen an email address and is now trying to redirect you.
• Sense of urgency. Scammer may try to get you to act right away without being able to confirm information or think things through.
• Generic greetings
• Scammer is requesting a credit card number
• Hover over links, so you know where it is taking you.
• Be wary of attachments
• Is the sender who they say they are? If an email that is supposedly coming from a friend does not sound like that person, independently confirm the information in the email before taking action. Your friend may have been hacked.
• Wire money to someone you don’t know
• Buy and provide people with codes for gift cards
• Trust Caller ID
• Trust email addresses. They can be faked.
• Resist the urge to act immediately
• Check the story out
• Look at a URL before you click on it.
• Let unknown numbers go to voicemail
• Use strong, unique passwords
• Report phishing or scams to FHSU Tech Support, the police, and/or Google
• Enroll in two-factor authentication. This pairs something you know with something you have, such as a password with a cell phone or a hardware token that can receive a security code. FHSU faculty and staff are moving to this security process this week. It will be optional for FHSU students as of this summer.
Check to see if you have an account that has been comprised in a data breach, haveibeenpwned.com
Sign up for two-factor authentication, twofactorauth.org/
Phishing quiz, phishingquiz.withgoogle.com/
Cyber security tips, www.stopthinkconnect.org
Friday. A chance of snow and sleet before 8am, then a chance of drizzle between 8am and noon, then a chance of rain showers after noon. Patchy fog before noon, then patchy fog after 1pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 40. Southeast wind 11 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Friday Night A chance of rain showers before 4am, then a chance of snow and sleet. Areas of fog before 7pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 30. Southeast wind 8 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Little or no snow and sleet accumulation expected.
SaturdaySnow, possibly mixed with sleet, becoming all snow after 9am. The snow could be heavy at times. Widespread blowing snow, mainly after 1pm. High near 31. Very windy, with an east northeast wind 10 to 20 mph becoming north northwest 33 to 43 mph. Winds could gust as high as 60 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow and sleet accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.
Saturday NightPatchy blowing snow before midnight. Mostly clear, with a low around 19. Very windy, with a west northwest wind 27 to 37 mph decreasing to 9 to 19 mph.
SundaySunny, with a high near 32.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Republican-controlled legislative committee has rejected a Democratic proposalto allow Kansas residents to register to vote on the same day they cast their ballots.
The House Elections Committee’s vote Thursday was 7-5 against the measure. The state’s current registration deadline is three weeks before an election.
Republicans argued Thursday that the change would increase costs for county election offices. They’ve worried in the past about potential voter fraud.
Same-day registration is a longstanding goal of Democrats and voting-rights groups. They see it as a way to boost turnout.
Democratic Rep. Tim Hodge of North Newton said: “Why do want to keep people from voting?”
Republicans control the committee because they have a House majority. GOP Rep. J.C. Moore of Clearwater joined the committee’s four Democrats in supporting the bill.
