The certified public accounting firm of Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball, Chartered (ABBB) is pleased to announce that Matthew Frank has earned his license as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Kansas.
Frank currently serves as a staff accountant. In this role, he works in the firm’s Hays and Ness City offices, preparing tax returns, completing compilations, and working on audits. Frank specializes in working with clients in the agriculture industry.
“Congratulations to Matt for reaching this important career milestone,” said Brian Staats, CPA, CGMA, managing partner of ABBB. “We are confident Matt will use his CPA license to continue delivering value to our clients.”
Frank joined the ABBB team full-time in 2018 after working as an intern and student worker with the firm. He graduated summa cum laude with his Bachelor of Business Administration from Fort Hays State University in 2017. Originally from Ness City, Frank resides in Hays. – SUBMITTED –
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a case of vandalism and asking the public for help to identify a vehicle.
According to a social media report from Topeka police, just after 12:30a.m. February 2, a driver struck vehicles in the lot of John Hoffer Chrysler Jeep, 3220 SW Topeka Boulevard.
The suspect vehicle appears to be a blue truck, possibly with an extended cab.
If you were in the area and witnessed this, or know any information contact police. The dealership is also offering a reward for information that leads to an arrest.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Kansas State Treasurer Jake LaTurner and attorneys representing his office will appear before the U.S. Court of Federal Appeals in Washington, D.C., Thursday, February 7 to continue his fight to recover the proceeds of lost, abandoned, unclaimed, and/or stolen United States Savings Bonds for Kansas citizens.
“The men and women of the Greatest Generation purchased these bonds during a time when people put trust in their government’s pursuit of the greater good. Their sacrifices helped finance the war against Hitler, build the interstate highway system, and put a man on the moon,” said LaTurner. “Now it is time for that same government to honor its commitments and repay its debt to those who built it.”
The Court of Federal Claims, in a strongly worded opinion, ruled on August 8, 2017 that Kansas was entitled to the information from the United States Treasury on the bonds sold in Kansas. This information would give the State Treasurer’s Office the tools they need for researching the rightful owners of these bonds and connecting them with their unclaimed money. The United States Treasury has appealed that ruling. The ruling was a first of its kind with respect to U.S. savings bonds and a positive first step in the fight to return the bonds proceeds to Kansas and other states as well.
It is estimated that there are $26-billion in matured but unclaimed bonds nation-wide with more than $200-million belonging to Kansans. In many cases, bonds remain unclaimed because the rightful owners or heirs are unaware they exist. J. Brett Milbourn, lead attorney on the Kansas State Treasurer’s appeal of this case believes the best vehicle for returning this money exists at the state, rather than the federal level.
“State Treasurers around the country already have a number of resources at their disposal to reunite citizens with their missing or unclaimed property,” said Milbourn. “Although the U.S. Department of the Treasury has a responsibility to notify and pay these mature bonds, the government has no plan – nor any real incentive — for keeping the promises it made when these patriots loaned it the money.”
In addition to Kansas, South Dakota, Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Indiana, Arkansas and Florida have cases pending in the Court of Federal Claims seeking the same relief. A total of 20 states have followed Kansas’ lead and passed laws to allow the Unclaimed Property Administrator of the state to seek recovery of lost, stolen, or abandoned bonds.
On September 7, 2018, 20 senators, including Senators Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary Steven Mnuchin urging him to work with Kansas and other states to resolve their claims and help the states reunite original bond owners with their proceeds of unclaimed U.S. Savings Bonds.
MEADE COUNTY – A California man pleaded guilty Monday to driving more than 29 pounds of methamphetamine to Kansas, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.
Delgado-Lopez- photo Meade Co. Sheriff
Christian Delgado-Lopez, 30, Dana Point, Calif., pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The Kansas Highway Patrol stopped Delgado-Lopez for a traffic violation in Meade County. Troopers found 14 packages of methamphetamine weighing 13.6 kilos (29.9 pounds) in his vehicle.
Sentencing is set for April 12. He faces a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million. McAllister commended the Kansas Highway Patrol and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Rodebaugh for their work on the case.
COWLEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a hit and run injury accident and asking the public for help to locate a vehicle.
Just after 1a.m. Wednesday, police responded to an accident, which occurred in the 1800 block of South Summit Street in Arkansas City, according to a media release.
Police found a 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser with substantial damage.
Police suspect, based on evidence gathered at the scene, that the PT Cruiser was struck by a northbound 2012 or 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 pickup truck on the South Summit Street bridge.
The truck apparently was northbound on U.S. 77 when it struck the rear of the PT Cruiser, driving it into the east guardrail. The Silverado then crossed the median, struck the west guardrail and returned across the median to the southbound lanes, again striking the PT Cruiser.
T
he driver of the Silverado fled the scene northbound into Arkansas City, but left behind vehicle parts that helped to identify the make and model of the truck.
The victim of the hit-and-run was transported to South Central Kansas Medical Center with head and facial injuries. The PT Cruiser has substantial front-end, front fender and rear-end damage.
The suspect’s Silverado should have substantial damage to its front end, right front fender and left front fender. The vehicle could be missing one or both headlight assemblies, as well.
Anyone who has any information about this crime, or who spots this Chevrolet Silverado 2500 pickup truck or the suspect, is asked to call the Arkansas City Police Department at (620) 441-4444.
PAWNEE COUNTY – The Special Agent Supervisor Nicholas Yeager with the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) has submitted Probable Cause Affidavits to the Pawnee County Attorney’s Office for review regarding the disturbance on November 6, 2018 at the Larned Correctional Mental Health Facility (LCMHF), according to a media release.
Damage done during the disturbance at the Larned Correctional Facility in 2018-photos courtesy Cheryl Cadue Kansas Department of Corrections
“Based on a review of the affidavits, I believe there is sufficient evidence to charge the twenty individuals identified by Department of Corrections staff as being primarily responsible for the riots and damage at LCMHF,” stated Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.
“There is no evidence to support any breach of the individual housing units in the Central Unit. Accordingly, my office is legally treating this as four self-contained riots occurring contemporaneously within the Central Unit.”
The following individuals have been charged and warrants issued: Curtis Core, 26; Manuel Acevedo, 27; Richard Peterson, 40; Joey Terrazas-Garcia, 23; Jacob Bagby, 20; Lance Sutton, 22; Alexis Banuelos, 21; Caesar Hermosillo, 25; Nathaniel Dipman, 20; Anthony Reed, 22; Kab Issa, 20; Jesse Bellamy, 25; Leo, Wells, 22; Joshua Tucker, 22, Joshuah Blake, 21; Nicholas Aldridge, 19; Darrell Pettus, 23; Marcel Wamser, 22; and Aaron McDonald. Each identified inmate was charged with (1) Incitement to Riot; (2) Criminal Damage to Property in excess of $1,000, but less than $24,999; and (3) Rioting.
First Appearances have not yet been scheduled.
The crime of Incitement to Riot is a Severity Level 8 person felony and carries a sentence between 7 and 23 months depending on a defendant’s criminal history.
It should be noted that despite still having “mental health” in the facilities name, on May 23, 2017, KDOC announced a change in the mission of LCMHF to young adult male offenders who have identified needs for educational and/or substance abuse services.
A teardrop partial roundabout has been added to the eastbound I-70 off ramp for the North Vine Street corridor traffic improvements. (Click to enlarge)
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
A fourth major traffic element has been added to the plan for improvements to the Hays North Vine Street corridor between 32nd and 41st Streets.
The project has been in development the past 12 months by the city’s consultant, WSP Engineers of Lenexa, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) and city staff.
“Our engineers [WSP] hired another engineering firm to do an independent review of the whole plan just to make sure we got another set of eyes on it,” said Jacob Wood, assistant city manager.
The nationwide firm Kittelson & Associates specializes in transportation projects.
“One of the things that they recommended was that we put in what we’re calling the ‘teardrop’ on the south side of I-70.
“It’s not a full roundabout but what it will allow is traffic going eastbound to pull off of the interstate, go through the tear drop, and go directly north,” Wood explained.
“The old plan would have had them going south, and coming around the roundabout and then going north. This will make it a bit easier to come off the interstate and go north, if they want to do that.”
Traffic studies and modeling determined the teardrop would alleviate some of the congestion at the 37th Street roundabout.
“We looked at doing [a teardrop] on the north side of I-70 but there’s really not enough room to do it between the interstate and the intersection. So [westbound traffic] will still have to pull off the interstate and go north through the roundabout to then head south on Vine.”
Plans are to build two-lane traffic roundabouts at 32nd/33rd, 37th, and 41st Streets, plus the teardrop at the eastbound I-70 exit ramp.
Adding the teardrop increases the total project cost from an estimated $7.6 million to approximately $9 million.
In early December the city was awarded a $6 million federal grant from the Department of Transportation for the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant program for the North Vine Street Corridor Project construction.
The remainder of the project cost will be paid through a two percent increase in the Transient Guest Tax (TGT). It went into effect Oct. 1 and is projected to raise $6.2 million over 20 years.
On January 9 city staff attended a meeting in Topeka with representatives from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and KDOT to discuss how the project is to be administered. KDOT will act as the pass-through agency in letting the bids and managing the project.
“We’ve had conference calls with them, both KDOT and Federal Highways, and will continue to do that as part of the process as it goes forward.
“Anytime you do a project of this magnitude on a state highway at the intersection of an interstate, you’re going to have those players involved anyway. But they’ll probably be a little bit more involved this go around [due to] the federal money.
Wood says the concept plan is now “pretty well refined.”
The city has been meeting with business owners along Vine Street throughout the corridor.
“We’ve been having conversations and, actually, some of those have resulted in changes to the plan. Those guys that work on Vine have the operator-level kind of knowledge that maybe city staff and engineers don’t see.
“For the most part, the meetings have been positive.”
The city will host a public meeting and open house Tue., Feb. 12, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at The Venue at Thirsty’s Brew Pub & Grill, 2704 Vine. Information will be presented about Vine Street corridor improvements, including the proposed roundabout solutions. Detailed models of proposed changes will be on display to show the capabilities of roundabouts and how they improve safety for vehicles and pedestrians.
“We’ll see if there’s any feedback that may require adjusting or tweaking the plan, and we’ll still be able to do that. But we’ll really start kicking on the design pretty heavy after next week.”
Utilizing the federal funds required a slight shift in the work timeline.
Design will continue until October or November. Once the design plan is finalized and approved, bids will be let with a construction start expected in the summer of 2020.
“It’s a long road and there are a lot of regulatory requirements, which we would have to deal with regardless of whether we got the federal dollars,” Wood added.
Wind turbines are thought of as environment-friendly sources of energy, but for bats, they are a death trap.
Amanda Adams, instructor of biology at Fort Hays State University, talked to a capacity crowd Monday night about the plight of the bats during a FHSU Science Cafe presentation titled “Bats: The Rock Stars of the Night.”
Adams said bats are being killed by the millions by wind turbines.
Curious creatures, the bats are drawn to the turbines, where they are either struck or killed by a low pressure field that surrounds the turbines.
“When you go out and you are driving and you think ‘How majestic,’ in my head I think ‘It is a death count,’ ” Adams said. “It’s really awful.”
Amanda Adams, instructor of biology at FHSU talks about the diversity of bats at a Science Cafe lecture on Monday.
Researchers are trying to develop deterrents that will keep bats away from the turbines. They have investigated using sound to dissuade the creatures from approaching the turbines, but that has not been effective.
A type of fungus found in caves is also killing some species of bats by the millions. White-nose syndrome first appeared in U.S. caves in 2006. It has proven to be 99 percent fatal to bats in the caves were the fungus has been found.
Although researches have found chemicals that could kill the fungus, conversationists are concerned about the effect spraying would have on soil quality, Adams said.
Although bats are often confused with rodents, they are in a completely different mammalian group. They also live very different lives. Rodents have short lives and reproduce quickly. However, bats may only have one young per year, and can live anywhere from six to 20 years. The oldest bat on record lived to be 45.
Because bats’ reproduction is slower than rodents, killing a bat has a much greater impact on the bat population. They are also slower to rebound from environmental disasters, such as the white-nose disease.
A quarter of all mammal species are bats with 1,300 species. They live on all continents except Antartica. Sixteen species of bats are found in Kansas — eight in Ellis County.
“That is the reason why I am in love with them. The incredible diversity of bats that are out there makes it really fun to study them and learn about them, because they are always doing something weird and breaking rules and you can never make a generalization about bats,” Adams said.
Bats in that diversity have some incredible adaptations. California’s spotted bats can hear the footsteps of a cricket on the ground. Common vampire bats have specialized heat sensors in their nose that allow them to locate blood-rich areas in the skin of their prey.
A species of bats that lives in the tropics make their own tents out of banana leaves and then they “cuddle” together like a hand full of cotton balls.
A Central American species has suction cups on its wrists. This helps the bats stick inside leaves at night when they rest.
The largest bat in the world is the flying fox and has a wing span of 6 feet. The smallest bat is called the bumblebee bat, which weighs less than a penny and could fit on the tip of your thumb. Both of these bats overlap range in the Philippines.
All the bats that live in North America are insect eaters. Depending on species, bats prey on insects both from the ground and catch flying insects, such as moths, in mid-air.
Adams talks to a capacity crowd at the Science Cafe Monday night at The Venue in Hays.
Some bats are carnivores. They eat frogs, fish, birds, reptiles and rodents. Some species that eat frogs have an special adaptation to let them know they have preyed upon a poisonous frog before they eat it.
Sanguivores or vampire bats have all kinds of incredible adaptations to consume blood, Adams said.
Common vampire bats can run along the ground. They land on the ground and climb up their prey, such as a cow or goat. They make a very small incision in the animal’s skin. An anti-coagulant in their saliva helps keep the animal’s blood flowing while they “daintly and gently” lap up about a tablespoon of blood with a curled tongue, Adams explained.
The bat’s metabolism is so specialized they can’t skip a single night of feeding or they will die.
Bats are essential to the environments in which they live. Bats save U.S. farmers $23 billion annually in pesticide costs and reduce crop damage. Many bats eat their weight in insects each night.
They are helping regrow the Latin American rainforests. Up to 95 percent of “pioneer plants” in cleared land come from seeds dispersed by bats.
If you like tequila, you can thank bats for that too. Bats pollinate more than 500 species of plants, including the agave plant from which tequila is made.
Conservations are urging agave growers to become more bat friendly. Typically, agave is harvested for tequila before it blooms. This cuts off a food source for the bats and results in inbreeding of the agave plants.
Some growers are allowing at least some of their agave plants to flower to help the bats and promote biodiversity in their crops. When you are at the liquor store, look for bat-friendly stickers on tequila bottles.
Adams’ recent research has centered around echolocation. She has conducted research in which she has tried to determine how bats echolocate in groups. This line of research has indicated that bats use jamming avoidance. When they are in groups, they mutually suppress their signals in essence making fewer sounds to avoid conflict with other bats.
Bats will also shift their call on the sound spectrum to differentiate their signals from the bats around them.
The sounds bats use for echolocation is at a much higher frequency than can be heard by humans. However, in addition, to using sound to find objects and prey in low light, bats also use lower frequency sound, some of which humans may be able to hear, as social calls.
If you find a bat, don’t touch it. If you must move it, use gloves or a towel. Adams said she will not rescue you from the bats, but she will come rescue a bat from you. Call 979-393-2062.
The next Science Cafe will be at 7 p.m. March 18 at The Venue at Thirsty’s, 2704 Vine St., Hays. Cat Sartin, FHSU instructor of biological sciences, will present “The Bare Bones About Dinosaur Growth.” The lecture is free and open to the public.
The local Historical Society in Hays is in the early stages of planning for a new downtown museum building and is asking the public for input.
Visit www.echshays.org to take a short survey that will gauge community support for the project.
Located at 100 W. Seventh, the Ellis County Historical Society, founded in 1972, collects, preserves and exhibits items and documents that illustrate the history of Ellis County.
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect wanted in connection with a felony arrest warrant who barricaded himself inside a home.
Slocum -photo Shawnee County
On Tuesday evening, police responded to the 700 block of SW College in Topeka, reference an attempt to locate an man with a felony arrest warrant, according to Lt. Andrew Beightel.
The man identified as 32-year-old Bobby D. Slocum did not comply with officer’s orders or requests to come out of the residence. It was discovered that others were also in the house, including children.
Topeka Police Departments Crisis Negotiators and Response team responded to the scene.
After several hours, officers were able to talk Slocum out of the house, where he was taken into custody without incident. The other household members were also unharmed and are now safe.
Slocum is being held on requested charges that include Aggravated Kidnapping, Aggravated Assault, Aggravated intimidation of a witness, Aggravated endangerment of a child, interference with a Law Enforcement Officer and the felony arrest warrant.
RAWLINS COUNTY – Autopsies were completed in the Feb. 1 shooting deaths of Gary E. Withers, and Danny E. Withers, from Rawlins County.
The preliminary autopsy results for Gary E. Withers, 74, revealed he died from a gunshot wound, and the manner of death was homicide.
The preliminary autopsy findings in the death of 41-year-old Daniel “Danny” E. Withers, revealed he died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Evidence suggests that Danny Withers shot his father, Gary Withers, and then shot himself. The investigation is ongoing. Nothing further will be released at this time.
The certified public accounting firm of Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball, Chartered (ABBB) is pleased to announce that Matthew Frank has earned his license as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Kansas.
