COLFAX COUNTY, New Mexico —Two people from Great Bend died in an accident Sunday in Colfax County, New Mexico.
Fatal plane crash Sunday in New Mexico photo courtesy KOB TV
Just before 9a.m. Sunday, multiple 911 calls were made regarding a plane down between Zebs and True Value, according to the Angel New Mexico Fire Department.
The Angel Fire Fire Department and additional first responders were on scene immediately and the fire was extinguished by 9a.m.
There are 2 confirmed fatalities identified a Richard Schenk, 65 and Anne Schenk of Great Bend.
Schenk was an experienced commercial rated pilot, according to the fire department.
The cause of the accident is under investigation by the NTSB and the FAA. No cause has been determined at this time.
TOPEKA – Mating season and the quest for more secure habitat have deer on the move this time of year, increasing the chances of deer-vehicle collisions.
Typically, the greatest number of deer-vehicle crashes are in mid-November when the rut, or mating season, peaks. In addition to the rut, deer are also on the move in mid-fall seeking new food sources and shelter as crops are harvested and leaves fall from trees and shrubs, leaving them less secure than in their summer habitats.
“Wet weather this year may cause some deer to cross roads in new places and the additional vegetation growth could make deer harder to see until they are in the road. The approaching breeding season increases deer movement, and the cooler weather, along with young deer dispersing to find new home ranges, mean more deer may be crossing the roads.” said Levi Jaster, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Big Game Coordinator.
According to the Kansas Department of Transportation, 10,734 (16.5 percent) of the 64,933 vehicle crashes reported in 2018 were deer-related (crashes in which a deer and vehicle actually collided, or the presence of a deer was a contributing circumstance). Although crashes involving deer occur throughout the year in every Kansas county, the highest number of crashes typically occur where there are the most vehicles. Sedgwick County had 418 deer-vehicle crashes reported in 2018, the most of any county, while Butler County followed with 384 reported deer-vehicle crashes.
Ellis County reported 131 deer-vehicle crashes.
“In addition to potentially causing human injuries and loss of life, deer collisions often cause significant vehicle damage that can lead to large expenses for the vehicle owner if not properly insured,” said Shawn Steward, Public and Government Affairs Manager for AAA Kansas. “Of the animal strikes reported by AAA Insurance policy holders during the five year period between 2014 and 2018, the average cost per claim was nearly $4,300.”
“If you are unfortunate enough to have a deer enter the highway in front of your car, it is best to hit the animal and not swerve to avoid it,” said the KHP’s Lt. Adam Winters. “Often, we find more serious crashes occur when you swerve to miss the deer, potentially losing control of your vehicle, leaving the road or veering into oncoming traffic.”
The agencies recommend the following to help motorists avoid crashes with deer:
Be especially watchful at dawn and dusk, when deer are more active.
If you see one deer, watch for others, as they seldom travel alone.
Reduce speed and be alert near wooded areas or green spaces, such as parks and golf courses, and near water sources such as streams and ponds.
Deer crossing signs show areas where high numbers of vehicle/deer crashes have occurred in the past. Heed these warnings.
Use bright lights when there is no oncoming traffic and scan the road ahead of you to watch for deer.
Don’t swerve to avoid hitting a deer—the most serious crashes sometimes occur when motorists swerve and collide with another vehicle or run off the road and hit an obstacle.
Always wear a seat belt and use the appropriately-fitted child safety seats—they are your best defense should you be involved in a crash.
Honk your horn with one long blast. A long blast on your horn may frighten large animals, such as deer, away from your vehicle. The Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) advises against relying on devices such as deer whistles and reflectors, which have not been proven to reduce collisions with animals.
If you do strike a deer, here are some additional tips:
Slow down, move your vehicle to the shoulder if possible, and call for law enforcement. KHP dispatch can be reached at *47, Kansas Turnpike at *KTA, and local law enforcement at 911. Make sure you tell the dispatcher if the animal or your vehicle is still in the road.
If you hit a deer or other animal, do not worry about removing the animal. Law enforcement can remove the animal from the road when they arrive. Don’t go near a wounded animal. A frightened and wounded animal can be unpredictable.
Turn on your hazard lights and remain buckled up inside your vehicle. You are more protected this way, should a secondary crash occur.
If you must be outside your vehicle, make sure it is as far off the road as possible, and do not stand between your vehicle and another one. Keep children buckled, and in car seats in the vehicle. Be vigilant and watch traffic to ensure they aren’t getting close to you.
Anyone involved in a vehicle-deer crash resulting in personal injury or property damage that totals $1,000 or more is required to immediately report the crash to the nearest law enforcement agency. Failure to report any traffic crash is a misdemeanor and may result in suspension of driving privileges.
A salvage tag is required to remove a deer carcass, or any part of the carcass, from the crash site. Tags can be issued by KHP troopers, sheriff’s deputies, or KDWPT game wardens.
Education: Graduated from Fort Hays State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication with an emphasis on Public Relations and a certificate in Leadership.
Do you have a student currently attending USD 489 schools?
I have three children attending USD 489 school district. A third grader, seventh grader and a senior in high school.
Qualifications?
I have served on the USD 489 Board of Education for the past four years and have a good understanding of district needs and operations. Through my work experience, I’ve learned skills of budgeting, planning, sense of team, and accomplishing goals. I also understand the value of every individual to reach those goals I feel my service record up to this point in time proves I am a man of integrity. My voting decisions are based on what I feel is the best decision for our children and our district.
Do you support USD 489 trying for another bond issue? What do you think that bond should include? If you don’t support a bond issue, how do you think the school district should address its infrastructure needs?
I support a bond. What it should entail I leave up to the voters. A bond is the only way the district can address aging facilities and it is the process the state has developed specifically for projects like new buildings and major facility upgrades. Some support a large bond and fixing all issues for the next 20-30 years while others favor small bonds closer to $25 million (average cost of a new elementary building) and hopefully continuing these as they become paid off. Both concepts have advantages and disadvantages the decision should truly lie in the voters as to what direction they would like to proceed. My goal would be to encourage communication, feedback, and education with voters so we can begin to make progress.
What would you do to secure the financial health of the school district?
I am very pleased with changes that have already been made and feel the district is in a good financial situation. Knowing the dire financial position of the district was one of the reasons I sought election. If tough choices had to be made, I wanted to be a part of them. I have been very pleased with our overall budget the last few years, and we have been able to put money into our contingency fund. This has been achieved through increased funding from the state and following wise guidance and planning from our administration. Through a created culture of financial responsibility with staff we have been able to cut expenses and still meet the needs of the district. Just remember the district’s yearly budget was never designed or intended by the state to replace buildings. A bond process was designed to fill that need.
The Hays school board is at impasse with its teachers for the second year in a row. What would you do to improve relations with teachers?
Build trust! Treating negotiations as a legal proceeding where we both fight to gain something for our side continues to have the same outcome and strains relations. I would like to see us take a whole new approach and move back to interest-based bargaining. I see this as a difficult road since trust between the board and teachers just isn’t there, but even before this term is over, I hope to help move us in a whole new direction.
Do you support the district’s current one-to-one technology policy? If not, what would you propose?
As proven in my prior votes on the board, I support the district’s one-to-one technology policy. Technology is advancing so fast and is becoming such an intricate part of our day-to-day lives. Student success especially after high school requires an understanding of technology. Whether students are moving into a career, college, military, etc. technology is a significant part of the daily job function. I feel removing technology would put our students at a disadvantage and removing a wonderful educational tool that can expand learning methods and opportunities.
How would you support the district in its work to improve student performance?
We already have some of best educators and administrative leaders in the state. As a board I feel our job would be to help define the goals or objectives in line with KESA standards and then let our team go to work and ensure that we don’t get in the way.
Is there anything else you would like to add about you or your campaign?
I would greatly appreciate your vote and support! I love quotes and one of my favorites is from Gandhi. “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” I originally sought election to the school board to bring about change. I feel we have a good start and am excited what the next four years could bring. I encourage anyone whom might still have questions to reach out to me.
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after a high-speed chase and arrest.
Lauren Ortiz photo KDOC
On Saturday after, a deputy turned around on a Jeep Liberty that was speeding eastbound on NW 35th from NW Button Road in Shawnee County, according to Captain Danny Lotridge.
As the deputy was attempting to stop the vehicle, the driver turned south onto NW Dawdy Drive, heavily accelerated and began to flee from the deputy.
The fleeing vehicle hit an occupied vehicle at NW 33rd Place and Dawdy Drive. The two occupants of this the Pontiac G8, were not injured. The driver and passenger of the Jeep were taken into custody without incident.
The driver of the Jeep was identified as Lauren A. Ortiz, 29, Topeka. She had an outstanding felony arrest warrant out of Jefferson County for theft and was driving on a suspended license.
The passenger of the Jeep was identified as Anterio Deshazer, 30, Topeka.
During the investigation deputies determined the license plate on the Jeep Liberty had been altered and did not belong on the vehicle. The Jeep was reported stolen from Leavenworth, KS. During a search of the Jeep deputies located a credit card reader machine and numerous fraudulent ID cards, social security cards, checks and counterfeit money.
Lauren Ortiz is being held on requested charges that include Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, Flee and Elude, Driving While Suspended, Possession of Counterfeit Money and multiple traffic violations. She has previous convictions that include forgery, identity theft and drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Anterio Deshazer was questioned by detectives and released.
Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office will continue to investigate the fraudulent documents found in the Jeep.
The Hays USD 489 school board will try to come to an agreement on a name for the former Oak Park Medical Complex at its meeting on Monday.
The center on 13th Street was recently renovated using federal grant funds and early childhood programs, including Early Childhood Connections are now located in the four-building complex.
The public has submitted a list of about two dozen possible names.
The administration proposed naming the complex the Early Childhood Center, but that motion failed to pass on a vote of 3-1.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house is set at the center on Thursday, Oct. 24.
The board will discuss negotiations in executive session, if needed. The board reached impasse with the teachers this year for the second year in a row. Representatives from the board and the teachers met with federal mediators Thursday night.
The stumbling block in negotiations have been teacher pay and health insurance.
The board will hear a presentation from the Hays High School Trapshooting Club.
It will also present USD 489 Making a Difference Award, USD 489 Student Spotlight Award and USD 489 Achievement of Excellence Recognition.
Steve GillilandChronic Wasting Disease is a debilitating, fatal disease that attacks the central nervous system of whitetail deer, mule deer and Rocky Mountain elk, actually resulting in small holes developing in their brains.
CWD was first diagnosed in captive animals in Colorado and Wyoming in the late 1960s and 1970s, and was seen in free ranging animals in the early 1980s. Kansas’s fish and game officials have been testing hunter-harvested Kansas deer since 1996, and during the 2005 firearms season, the first documented case was discovered in a whitetail doe taken near the Cheyenne County town of St. Francis, in the northwestern corner of the state.
Later that year, KDWPT staff harvested 50 deer, 29 mule deer and 21 whitetails within a 15-mile radius of where the infected doe was shot. Tissue samples from each deer were collected at a field lab and sent to KSU for analysis, and all 50 dear tested negative for CWD. To date over 28,000 tissue samples have been tested, but sadly 216 Kansas deer have tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease, with most found in Decatur, Rawlins, Sheridan and Norton counties in Northwestern Kansas.
In 2018, more than 350 tissue samples were tested from hunter-harvested Kansas deer, with the target area being the southwestern part of the state. Thirty-seven of those deer tested positive for CWD. Positive tests came from the counties of Cheyenne, Rawlins, Decatur, Norton, Phillips, Smith, Thomas, Sheridan, Gove, Rooks, Scott, Lane, Hamilton, Hodgeman, Ford, and Stafford, and sadly the counties of Haskell, Edwards, Pratt, Osborne and Reno were added to the list last year, showing that the disease is spreading south and east.
CWD appears to target animals older than I year, and it can be several months or up to two years before outward symptoms become apparent. Animals in advanced stages of the disease will seem listless, may walk in repetitive patterns with their head lowered, will probably exhibit excessive salivation and a blank expression, and will look to be in very poor overall health; in short, they will appear zombie-like. If you witness deer or elk with any of these symptoms, report it to a conservation officer immediately!
Despite ongoing research, there is currently no known cure for Chronic Wasting Disease, and quite frankly I don’t have a clue how a cure would ever be administered if one were found. To date, the only tool to prevent it’s spread is to restrict the transport of deer carcasses from areas where CWD is known to exist. Once an infective particle (a “miss-folded” protein called a prion) is deposited in the environment, either from an infected carcass or from a live infected animal, it may remain capable of infecting a healthy animal for decades. Other diseases of this same group are scrapie in sheep and goats and mad cow disease in cattle.
Although CWD is always fatal to infected deer or elk, humans have never been known to contract the disease. Cattle and other domestic livestock appear to be naturally resistant to CWD. Common sense should dictate not to consume any part of a known infected animal. Special precautions are also urged for hunters harvesting deer or elk from an area known to have produced an infected animal. All meat from these carcasses should be boned-out, and none of the brain, spinal cord tissue, eyes, spleen or lymph nodes should be consumed. Extra care should also be taken to thoroughly wash and disinfect hands and butchering equipment. Carcass waste should be left or buried on the property where the deer was taken or double-bagged and taken to a landfill. Online electronic check -in is available to allow hunters to transport boned-out deer harvested with an antlerless permit.
I like to end these columns with some snappy, witty comments, and I could get a lot of traction from the title Zombie Deer, especially near Halloween. But I can’t bring myself to go there this time, given the implications of Chronic Wasting Disease on the Kansas deer population and on Kansas deer hunting. Let’s pray that God allows research to find something to conquer this disease…. Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.
Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].
MORTON COUNTY — One person died in an accident just after 6p.m. Sunday in Morton County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Chevy Tahoe driven by Edgar Rodriguez, 16, Hugoton, was eastbound on Road Z at County Road 27 fourteen miles north of Rolla. The SUV ran off the roadway to the right, entered the south ditch overturned and ejected the driver.
Rodriguez was transported to the Stanton County Hospital where he died. EMS transported a passenger Juan Fraire, 16, Hugoton, to Wesley Medical Center. Rodriguez was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
KANSAS CITY (AP) — A 59-year-old convicted sex offender linked by DNA to a 2016 sexual assault in Kansas City has been sentenced to life in prison.
Norman photo Jackson Co.
Arthur Norman Jr. was sentenced Friday to life for the rape, plus 10 years for armed criminal action. Norman was found guilty of the counts during a May bench trial.
The victim told police a man forced his way into her locked bedroom, held a knife to her throat and assaulted her. DNA collected at the time was matched to Norman in January 2018. Court records say Norman told police he knew the victim but denied any sexual contact or relationship with her.
Norman was previously convicted of sex crimes in Eudora, Arkansas and Missouri, according to the Sex Offender Registry.
HAYS, Kan. — After only playing 28 minutes Friday night before weather interfered, the Tigers were back in action on Sunday against Missouri Southern. The defense stood tall all afternoon and the offense put three goals on the board, as Fort Hays State ended the weekend with a 3-0 victory. The Tigers improved their record to 8-3-1 (4-1-1 MIAA), while the Lions fell to 2-11-2 (1-5-1 MIAA).
The Tigers tested goalkeeper Riley Laver (2-9-1) from opening kick. After putting nine shots on goal, Cailey Perkins was able to make the tenth shot in the 25th minute off assists from Darby Hirsch and Jenna Prince. Hirsch threaded a pass through to Jenna Prince near midfield, then Prince found Perkins ahead at the top of the box where she rifled in her third goal of the year. Fort Hays put six more shots on goal, while the defense only allowed three shots before ending the first half with a 1-0 lead.
The second half was exactly like the first as the wind shifted around and favored the Tigers once again. After five more shots, Perkins scored her second of the day and her fourth of the year in the 62nd minute. Off a corner kick, Darby Hirsch crossed the ball into the box and Perkins headed it past Laver to double the lead. Hirsch also picked up her second assist of the day on that goal. Sophomore defender Karli Potts checked into the match following the second goal from Perkins. Six minutes later, she was able to find the back of the net for her first career goal. Potts capitalized on MSSU’s inability to clear the ball, and she cashed in on a loose ball chance in front of the net to put the Tigers up 3-0. Following another great defensive performance from the back line and senior goalkeeper Megan Kneefel (7-2-1), the Tigers closed out their eighth victory of the year and seventh shutout of the 2019 campagin.
The offense came alive in this match as the Tigers attempted 24 shots throughout the 90 minutes with 12 on goal. Nine different Tigers were able to put pressure on the Lion’s back line with shot attempts. Perkins led the team with 5 shots (4 on goal) and Hirsch followed with four shots and one on goal.
The Tiger defense was a brick wall, allowing just four shots and one on goal to Missouri Southern. Kneefel recorded her 15th career shutout, placing her in a tie for second place all-time with Abbie Flax (2014-16) for career shutouts. Darby Hirsch also made a mark in the record books on the first goal of the match. She picked up career assists 16 and 17 and now owns the record for most career assists in the FHSU women’s program history.
The Tigers continue their home stand with another match Friday night (Oct. 25) against the Hillcats of Rogers State. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at FHSU Soccer Stadium.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a Friday arrest.
Antonio Johnson photo Sedgwick County
Just before 12:30 p.m., police were conducting follow-up at a residence in the 4400 block of East Boston, stemming from the earlier shooting on East Bayley, according officer Charley Davidson.
While investigating, the officers observed 22-year-old Antonio Johnson fire a shot into the air from a shotgun. There was no damage and no injuries.
The officers quickly arrested Johnson without further incident and recovered the shotgun, according to Davidson. No shots were fired towards officers. Johnson was not involved an an earlier fatal shooting on East Bayley, according to Davidson.
Johnson is being held on requested charges that include criminal discharge of a firearm, felon in possession of a firearm and an outstanding warrant.
KANSAS CITY (AP) — A 37-year-old Missouri man who was missing for a week after wrecking his car in a ravine has died.
Police in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, said Ryan Linneman died Saturday at a hospital. He was found Wednesday in his vehicle at the bottom of a wooded ravine along Interstate 470 by a dirt bike rider.
Police asked the public for help finding Linneman after he was last seen driving his car on Oct. 9.
Crash investigators determined Linneman’s car ran off of Interstate 470 and went down a 50-foot incline. The vehicle landed in a gully that was obscured from the view of passing motorists.
KANSAS CITY(AP) — A 37-year-old man who had been missing for a week is hospitalized after being found in a wrecked car at the bottom of a ravine.
Lee’s Summit police say a dirt bike rider found Ryan Linneman, of Lee’s Summit, Wednesday evening in the wreckage along Interstate 470 in Kansas City.
Linneman was taken to a hospital with critical injuries. Lee’s Summit police spokesman Sgt. Chris Depue says he did not have an updated condition report Thursday.
Police asked the public for help finding Linneman after he was last seen driving his car on Oct. 9.
The crash investigators determined Linneman’s car ran off of Interstate 470 and went down a 50-foot incline. The vehicle landed in a gully that was obscured from the view of passing motorists.
