Dr. Byungsoo Ko, cardiologist, and the Cath Lab Team.
HaysMed cardiologist Dr. Byungsoo Ko is now using a new device to treat heart attack patients whose hearts aren’t strong enough to sustain traditional open heart surgery.
The Impella, which is the world’s smallest heart pump, allows cardiologists to perform percutaneous coronary intervention (opening up the blockage in the heart arteries with stents) in patients whose heart function is not strong enough to withstand heart surgery. This percutaneous (being placed without requiring any surgery) heart pump can also be used in patients with a life threatening condition called “cardiogenic shock”, meaning the patient is dying from an acute heart (“pump”) failure.
“This is the only FDA approved device that can be used in this sickest of the sick patient population with a rapidly failing heart” Ko said.
Inserted through a groin artery, the Impella pumps the blood from the heart into the aorta (the big artery that comes out of the heart) thereby helping the pumping function of the weakened heart. It can pump as much as 3.5 liters of blood per minute (more than half of how much a health heart can pump) to provide extra blood flow to important organs such as brain or kidneys to protect any irreversible damage.
“Now we have a heart pump that can be inserted within 15 minutes in cardiogenic shock patients either from a heart attack or from heart failure,” Ko said. “Furthermore, we can use the device in patients with blockages in the heart but whose heart function is too weak to withstand an open heart surgery.”
Within a couple of weeks of the launch of the program, two patients have benefited from this device. Both patients had very weak hearts and were too sick to undergo surgery. With the help of the device and the expertise of the cath lab staff and anesthesia, both patients’ blockages were successfully opened with stents.
“I am very grateful to HaysMed’s commitment to provide a full cardiovascular service to people in western Kansas.” Ko said. “Many patients will benefit greatly from this device.”
MANHATTAN — The Kansas Department of Agriculture, K-State Research and Extension and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment will host six regional workshops in February 2019 to assist farmers’ market vendors and managers.
Kansas farmers’ markets not only provide a fresh food source, but also stimulate the local economy. In 2018, 95 farmers’ markets were registered with KDA’s Central Registration of Farmers’ Markets.
“Farmers’ markets provide growers a wonderful opportunity to have real interaction with consumers, and a chance to tell their farm’s story,” said Londa Nwadike, consumer food safety specialist with K-State Research and Extension and the University of Missouri. “It’s also important for farmers to understand certain legal, safety and financial parameters before choosing to sell at a farmers’ market.”
Workshop topics will vary slightly by location. Highlighted topics include:
• Vendor Marketing and Communications
• Pest Control and Soil Health
• Regulations on Selling Meat, Eggs and Poultry
• Sales Tax for Vendors
KDA’s weights and measures program will also offer free scale certification at the workshops for attendees.
Dates and locations for the Farmers’ Market events are as follows:
Friday, Feb. 1 — Olathe: KSU Olathe
Saturday, Feb. 2 — Parsons: Southeast Research and Extension Center
Friday, Feb. 8 — Dodge City: Ford County Fair Building
Saturday, Feb. 9 — Wichita: Sedgwick County Extension Office
Friday, Feb. 15 — Manhattan: Pottorf Hall Friday, Feb. 22 — Hays: K-State Agricultural Research Center
Registration for the February workshops is now open and is $20 per participant. Registration includes lunch; however, lunch will only be guaranteed to those participants who register prior to the respective workshop date. Registration forms can be found at FromtheLandofKansas.com/FMworkshop or at local extension offices.
Onsite registration for the workshops will open at 8:30 a.m. and the workshops will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude by 3:00 p.m. The Wichita workshop will begin onsite registration at 8:15 a.m. and the workshop begins at 8:45 a.m., concluding at 4:30 p.m.
Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.
By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
Does a little guy have a chance in football? The game of football is obviously populated with big, strong players. For example, the players on the Kansas State University offensive line in 2018 averaged 6 feet 5 inches tall and 306 pounds in weight. Those are some big guys. But sometimes I like to cheer for the underdog – the little guy. Today we’ll meet a young man from rural Kansas who is small in stature but has made a big mark on K-State’s football season.
Blake Lynch from Goddard, Kansas, was the starting placekicker on the K-State football team during the past season. His was one of the feel-good stories of 2018.
Blake grew up west of Wichita at Goddard, a rural community of 4,746 people. Now, that’s rural. His parents are Jason and Kim Lynch. Jason has a roofing and construction business in the Wichita area. Kim attended K-State and Bethel College.
At Goddard, Blake played soccer in his freshman and sophomore years. During the next two years, he lettered on the football team where his younger sister also took up kicking.
Blake got expert training. He attended camps with former K-State kicker Anthony Cantele.
Blake Lynch / K-State Sports
During Blake’s senior year, he made 7 of 11 field goals, including an amazing kick of 51 yards. For his accomplishments that season, he was named an all-state player by the Topeka Capitol-Journal and the Wichita Eagle.
Blake went to K-State where he majored in financial management. He also went out for the football team. He began as a grayshirt and then redshirted the following year.
At that time, K-State’s placekicking was dominated by Matthew McCrane, who was the most accurate placekicker in K-State history and went on to the NFL. But when McCrane graduated, K-State fans wondered who would take his place?
Blake Lynch was described by some as the third string kicker on the roster when camp began. One thing was evident when he took the field: He didn’t look very big. He was officially listed at 5 feet 5 inches tall and 141 pounds. That made him the smallest player on the K-State roster. A video later in the season noted that he had to jump up in order to high five his holder, who was 6 feet 1.
But something else was evident when Blake took the field: He worked very hard, he was highly competitive, and he sought to improve. That improvement showed itself.
By the time the season began, he had worked himself into the starting field goal kicker position. His performance was tested quickly. In K-State’s first game of the season, he was called upon to attempt four field goals – and he made all four.
In fact, all four makes came in the first half, including a long of 44 yards. His four first-half conversions were the most since 1999. That also represented the most field goals of any K-State placekicker in their debut.
In the course of the 2018 season, Blake Lynch was 6 for 6 in kicks from 20 to 29 yards, 5 for 5 in kicks from 30 to 39 yards, and 3 for 3 in kicks from 40 to 49 yards. How does a guy who is not very big kick the ball so far and so accurately? One report said that he focused on contact, not leverage. Whatever his system, it clearly worked.
On K-State’s senior day in November 2018, Blake Lynch was again called on four times to attempt field goals. Again, he made all four. His performance in the team’s 21-to-6 win over Texas Tech was recognized by the Big 12 Conference. On Nov. 19, 2018, the smallest player on the K-State roster was named the Special Teams Player of the Week by the Big 12.
“It is so fun to watch him,” said his mother Kim.
Is there a place in football for a little guy? The performance of Blake Lynch suggests that there is. We commend Blake Lynch and all small town Kansas players who are making a difference with their willingness to outwork the bigger competition. Hooray for the little guy.
Little Jerusalem Chalk Badlands near Oakley. Kansas Tourism photo
KDWPT
Make plans for a packed itinerary of Kansas adventures in 2019, highlighted by a trek to the unearthly badlands of Little Jerusalem state park. Fan out across the state to the updated Eisenhower Presidential Museum in Abilene, Wichita’s new shipping-container mall, sesquicentennial shindigs, and other road-trip-worthy celebrations and attractions.
Much-anticipated Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park near Oakley is expected to open to the public by mid-year. The mile-long valley of 100-foot-tall spires and cliffs encompasses the state’s largest Niobrara Chalk formations, which previously had no public access. Trails cross the historic territory that once saw the likes of “Wild Bill” Hickok and “Buffalo Bill” Cody pass through, and today is home to wildlife and plants rarely found anywhere else in the world. Check www.nature.org/littlejerusalem for updates.
One of Wichita’s many new additions, the shipping-container mall, Revolutsia, is home to trendy restaurants, salons and boutiques, centered around an outdoor gathering space and fire pit. Using an established building and now-in-vogue shipping containers converted to buildings, the open-air development recently opened in east Wichita.
This spring, paddle the waters of Wichita’s Arkansas River with canoe, kayak and paddleboat rentals from Boats & Bikes. The new boathouse and public dock on downtown’s west river bank also serve as home to the Wichita State University rowing program. Watch for downtown’s under-construction Hilton Garden Inn, featuring a glass-bottom rooftop pool that juts out overtop Douglas Avenue, to open this spring.
A Wichita staple, the iconic Nifty Nut House, recently completed its newly-expanded 10,000-square-foot store. And on the city’s north side, the Guinness World Record-holding “largest mural painted by a single artist” is coming to life on the side of a huge grain elevator along I-135. Depicting members of the Hispanic and African-American neighborhoods reaching out to each other, the mural is an effort to unite races and neighborhoods divided by I-135.
Currently under renovation, The Eisenhower Presidential Museum in Abilene will unveil its updated galleries and exhibits during the 75th anniversary D-Day Commemoration June 1-6 at the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. The week-long activities include the Symphony at Sunset Annual D-Day Commemoration Concert by the Salina Symphony, symposiums, guest speakers, all-new exhibit opening and a remembrance ceremony.
In Topeka, the $28-million, 106-bed boutique Cyrus Hotel opens in the core of the capital city early this year. Work begins soon on Ottawa’s Legacy Square project, a downtown outdoor expanse with green space and a covered pavilion, located at the intersection of the Flint Hills Trail State Park and the Prairie Spirit Trail. The completion goal is fall 2019.
Ahead for car enthusiasts: the Midwest Dream Car Collection in Manhattan and Decades of Wheels in Baxter Springs. Manhattan’s 55,000-square-foot Dream Car museum, opening by spring, features an eclectic mix of early roadsters, muscle cars and exotics. Cruise on down to Route 66 in the state’s far southeast corner to Decades of Wheels. When completed in spring, the downtown Baxter Springs complex will include the Café on the Route restaurant (now open), a Route 66-themed arcade, dessert bar, bed and breakfast inn, and the main attraction, the Decades of Wheels museum of collectible cars and motorcycles, from the early 1900s to the latest.
Travelers on Kansas’ 12 scenic or historic byways will see new or upgraded interpretive signs and kiosks at 39 locations, thanks to the recently-completed, $1.4 million Kansas Byways project. “Our goal is to tell the story of Kansas through our byways, a collection of routes that highlight the beauty, history and heritage of Kansas.” says Byways Manager Sue Stringer. “The signs and kiosks give visitors a chance to pull off the roads and learn about the beauty and history that surround them.”
It’s a milestone year for Kansas towns turning 150 years old in 2019. Lindsborg celebrates all year long with Swedish Sesquicentennial fun, highlighted by the July 4-6 “Celebrating the Legacy” party in Swensson Park. Art installation dedications throughout the year include a 10-foot-tall Järnkors (iron cross) in Swensson Park, a series of bronze relief panels depicting Lindsborg’s history at city hall and the addition of a Sesquicentennial Wild Dala to the town-wide herd of uniquely-painted Swedish dala horses.
For its 150th, Coffeyville plans to “Party Like It’s 1869” at a downtown street party June 1, followed by the “150th Gala at the Mansion” in September at the historic Brown Mansion, among other events throughout the year. Abilene hails its roots with a throwback to its cattle-town heydays during Chisholm Trails Days on Labor Day weekend. Belleville packs its Sesquicentennial bash August 16-18 in city park with concerts, a street dance, cowboy church, parade, whole-hog barbecue and kids’ games.
Events and sites across Kansas mark milestones of their own. The Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka commemorates the 65th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision with a talk by New York Times bestselling author Ta-Nehisi Coates on April 25 at Washburn University’s Lee Arena, along with special events throughout the year. The Nature Conservancy pays tribute to its 30years in Kansas with volunteer workdays, nature hikes, river clean-ups, a butterfly count, lectures and other conservation-minded experiences.
It’s the 50th anniversary for two festivals: Chanute’s Artist Alley on September 28 and the Columbus Day Festival/Hot Air Balloon Regatta in Columbus on October 11-13. Also in October, Wamego’s annual Oztoberfestwill salute the 80th anniversary of the Wizard of Oz movie. In Abilene, the 2019-2020 line-up for the Great Plains Theatre‘s 25th season features the world premiere of Empires Fall, a play by Abilene native Marlin Fitzwater, the only press secretary in United States history to be appointed by two presidents. The six-show season opens June 14 with The Pirates of Penzance.
Also on the horizon this year:
–Lawrence hosts the World’s First All-Female Busker Festival May 24-26.
–It’s the year to catch two events not offered annually. At the biennial Wings and Wetlands Birding Festival May 3-4, guides lead field trips to Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge near Great Bend during peak shorebird migration. Visitors can sample the breads, attend demonstrations and watch finalists at work when Manhattan hosts the biennial National Festival Breads June 8.
–The 2nd Annual Big Kansas Road Trip on May 2-5 explores to the counties of Cheyenne, Sherman and Wallace.
Beyond 2019:
–Salina expects to complete the major, $160-million renovation of its downtown in early 2020. The new open-space, art deco-inspired streetscape will feature outdoor seating, plantings, outdoor dining and entertainment spaces. A key part, the 68,000-square-foot Salina Fieldhouse indoor sports facility is open. Yet to come: The Alley bowling alley and family fun center, a vintage car museum in a repurposed warehouse, Homewood Suites Hotel and several restaurants.
–Dodge City broke ground on a 12,000-square-foot Boot Hill Museum exhibit hall, housing nine new exhibits, a gift shop, covered back patio and a temporary exhibit hall, with completion expected in spring 2020.
–Wichita has razed its 84-year-old Lawrence-Dumont Stadium and will replace it with a $75 million stadium that will host a AAA minor league baseball team. Also included in the project: $6 million for riverfront renovations, including a new pedestrian bridge over the Arkansas River. Proposed stadium completion date is March 2020.
–Work begins soon on downtown Topeka’s Evergy Plaza. The 45,000-square-foot gathering space, scheduled to open in March 2020, will feature a performance stage, digital screen and water features.
The Kansas Department of Transportation announces approved bids for state highway construction and maintenance projects in Kansas. The letting took place Dec. 12 in Topeka. Some of the bids may include multiple projects that have been bundled based on proximity and type of work.
Northwest Kansas projects are listed below by county.
District Three — Northwest
Ellis ‑ 70‑26 KA‑4955‑01 ‑ I-70, bridge #021 on I-70 located at the U.S. 183/I‑70 junction, bridge repair, PCI Roads, LLC, Saint Michael, Mn., $299,035.76.
Ellis ‑ 70‑26 KA‑4956‑01 ‑ I-70, bridge #004 on I-70 located at the K‑247/I‑70 junction, bridge repair, PCI Roads, LLC, Saint Michael, Mn., $271,337.42.
Ellis ‑ 183‑26 M‑0067‑01 – U. S. 183, at the U.S. 183/I‑70 interchange (at the Hays Subarea), stockpile bituminous material, APAC-Kansas Inc. Shears Division, Hutchinson, Ks., $51,991.65.
Osborne ‑ 24‑71 KA‑4958‑01 ‑ U.S. 24, bridge #005 (over the South Fork Solomon River Drainage) on U.S. 24 located 8.6 miles east of the Rooks County line, bridge repair, L & M Contractors Inc., Great Bend, Ks., $239,426.20.
Statewide ‑ 106 M‑0068‑01 ‑ Locations at Phillipsburg, Norton and Stockton in District 3, Area 3, stockpile bituminous material, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Ks., $112,500.00.
Statewide ‑ 106 M‑0069‑01 ‑ Locations at Attwood, Colby and Oberlin in District 3, Area 2, stockpile bituminous material, APAC-Kansas Inc. Shears Division, Hutchinson, Ks., $146,338.50.
Statewide ‑ 106 M‑0070‑01 ‑ Locations at Grainfield, Hoxie, Oakley and Sharon Springs in District 3, Area 4, stockpile bituminous material, APAC-Kansas Inc. Shears Division, Hutchinson, Ks., $95,322.00.
After detectives developed information on meth possession, sheriff’s deputies arrived in the 500 block of Kiowa Road in Barton late Wednesday afternoon, according to Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir.
Spanke photo Barton Co.
The search warrant was executed on a camper trailer in an RV Park. Detectives detained three individuals and searched the trailer. Small quantities of methamphetamine as well as drug paraphernalia and a handgun were found.
Deputies arrested Colby Hopkins age 24 of Great Bend, on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal use of a firearm.
They also arrested at the scene was Sara Delgadillo age 31, Great Bend. on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The third suspect arrested at the scene was Jeannie Spanke age 57 of Great Bend on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
All three are being held in the Barton County jail in lieu of a $10,000 bond as of this writing.
Friday Sunny, with a high near 52. West northwest wind 6 to 9 mph.
Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 25. West wind around 7 mph.
Saturday Sunny, with a high near 55. Light and variable wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon.
Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 27. South southeast wind 5 to 7 mph.
Sunday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47.
Sunday Nigh tA 20 percent chance of snow after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31.
Monday A 20 percent chance of snow before 7am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 51.
TOPEKA, Kan. – More than 1,000 Kansas students will receive $2.1 million in student loan forgiveness under the terms of a settlement reached today with Career Education Corporation (CEC), according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.
CEC, a for-profit education company based in Illinois, currently offers primarily online courses through American InterContinental University and Colorado Technical University. CEC has closed or phased out many of its schools over the past 10 years.
A total of 1,077 Kansans are eligible for student loan debt relief for a total amount of $2,142,116.
CEC agrees to forgo any and all efforts to collect amounts owed by former students living in the states participating in the agreement.
After receiving numerous complaints from students and a critical report on for-profit education by the U.S. Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, a group of attorneys general, including AG Schmidt, launched an investigation into CEC in January 2014. The attorneys general alleged that CEC pressured its employees to enroll students and engaged in unfair and deceptive practices. These practices included making misleading statements or failing to disclose information to prospective students on total costs, transferability of credits, program offerings, job placement rates, and other topics.
As a result, some students could not obtain professional licensure and incurred debts that they could not repay nor discharge.
The agreement with attorneys general in 48 states plus the District of Columbia mandates added disclosures to students, including a new interactive online financial disclosure tool; bars misrepresentations to prospective students; prohibits enrollment in unaccredited programs; and institutes an extended period when new students can withdraw with no financial obligation.
Nationwide, the agreement requires the for-profit college company to forgive $493,687,220 in outstanding loan debt held by more than 66,000 former students.
“Our investigation revealed that CEC lured prospective students into its programs and that many students left the program with unfulfilled promises and sometimes tremendous debt,” Schmidt said. “This agreement addresses concerns about the company’s business practices and relieves many Kansas students of debt.”
As part of the agreement, CEC does not admit to the conduct alleged by attorneys general.
CEC has agreed to forgo collection of debts owed to it by students who either attended a CEC institution that closed before Jan. 1, 2019, or whose final day of attendance at AIU or CTU occurred on or before Dec. 31, 2013.
Eligible students will receive a letter from CEC within 60 days advising them that CEC will no longer attempt to collect student debt forgiven under the terms of this settlement.
Robert J. Pfeifer, 91, Hays, died Wednesday, January 2nd, 2019 at HaysMed.
Robert (RJ) was born April 12, 1927 in Hays, Kansas the son of Pete and Catherine (Unrein) Pfeifer. RJ grew up on the family farm just north of Hays and attended Hays High School.
RJ spent his youth working the family farm before being drafted for service in 1945. He served in the U.S. Army Infantry before returning to Hays to continue his passion for farming.
He was united in marriage to Ann E. Waldschmidt on November 17th, 1947 in Ellis, Ks. After 53 loving years of marriage, Ann preceded him in death on April 9th, 2000. During their marriage, they enjoyed participating in German weddings, Polka dancing, and traveling for relaxation.
In addition to being a Kansas wheat farmer, RJ had an appreciation for breaking horses and raising cattle. He maintained his dairy herd for over 25 years and was an active member of the Milk Producers Association. In addition to milking, he raised black angus beef cattle. RJ participated in rodeos and enjoyed spending time with his family at team penning events. He was a member of the American Legion and Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church.
Survivors include his four children; his daughter Carol and Rex Cline (children Jason and Tisha) of Olathe, Ks; daughter Jeanne and Fred Weilert (children Jeff, Jesse, and Anne) of Hays; son Roger and Cindy Pfeifer (children Scotty and Montana) of Augusta, Ks; son Jay and Bobbi Pfeifer (children Weston and Janessa) of Hays, two sisters, Florence Kuhn of Hays and Venita Collier of Lakewood, Colorado, and 8 great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by four sisters, Agnes Kreutzer, Regina Arnhold, Martina Kreutzer, and Alfreda Schmeidler and two brothers, Wilfred James Pfeifer and Peter V. Pfeifer.
Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 am on Monday, January 7th, 2019 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 1805 Vine Street, Hays, with Fr. Earl Befort officiating. Burial with military honors by the Hays VFW Honor Guard and Hays American Legion Riders will follow in the St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 pm until 8:00 on Sunday and from 9:00 am until 9:45 on Monday, all at Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 1906 Pine Street. A vigil service and rosary will be at 6:30 pm on Sunday at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church or to Thomas More Prep-Marian High School, in care of the funeral home. Condolences and memories of RJ may be shared with the family at www.haysmemorial.com
AlexanderRUSSELL – Today, Kansas Bureau of Investigation agents arrested a former detention officer of the Russell County Jail.
On Oct. 24, 2018, the Russell County Sheriff requested the KBI investigate allegations made against an employee of the jail for reportedly having sex with inmates. The detention officer, Frank D. Alexander, 42, Russell, was then fired on Nov. 8.
The KBI presented case findings to the County Attorney on Nov. 30. Alexander was arrested Thursday at approximately 2:30 p.m. for two counts of unlawful sexual relations. The arrest occurred without incident at 1105 N. Fossil, Russell.
Following his arrest, Alexander was booked into the Russell County jail and was then transferred to a nearby jail. He also had his first appearance Thursday.
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Central Missouri outscored Fort Hays State 28-12 over the final 10 minutes as they rally for a 63-54 win Thursday at the Multitpurpose Building.
Kyler Kinnamon hit a jumper to give the Tigers (8-4, 2-1 MIAA) a seven point lead with 10:06 to play but the Mules (8-4, 1-2 MIAA) answered with a 15-3 run to take the lead back for good and end the Tigers six-game win streak.
Mark Johnson Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
Brady Werth hit three of the Tigers seven 3-pointers and scored 14 points. Marcus Cooper added 10. Werth and Jared Vitztum, who also hit three 3-pointers, both pulled down seven rebounds.
Jacob Lowrance and James Byrd both came off the bench to lead the Mules with 14 points each. Matt Wilkinson added 12 as UCM wins their third straight.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov.-elect Laura Kelly announced Thursday that she will replace the top administrator at Kansas’ troubled child welfare agency and successfully pushed the departing leader to put new, major grants to private contractors on hold.
Kelly is a critic of the grants from the Department for Children and Families to five nonprofit organizations, committing to higher spending on services for troubled families and abused and neglected children in foster care. Kelly, a veteran state senator, has long been a key player in state budget debates; the department announced the four-year grants just days before Kelly’s election in November, and they were to take effect July 1.
Kelly takes office Jan. 14. Departing Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer and some GOP lawmakers credit Meier-Hummel with improving the department and the child foster care system.Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, an Overland Park Republican, said he had hoped Kelly would keep Meier-Hummel on.
But Kelly announced Thursday that she would appoint Laura Howard as both interim DCF secretary and interim secretary for the Department for Aging and Disability Services. Howard is director of the Public Management Center at the University of Kansas but is a former administrator for state and federal social services agencies.
Kelly also issued a blistering statement calling the grants “essentially no-bid contracts,” questioning their legality and promising they would be reviewed. Kelly said she contacted the organizations to ask them to avoid spending state dollars until further notice.
“Despite our best efforts during the transition, accurate and forthright information from current DCF leadership was hard to come by,” Kelly said in a statement.
Department employees investigate allegations of abuse and neglect and recommend to judges whether children should be removed from their homes, but private contractors provide assistance to troubled families, manage foster children’s cases, provide them with services and get them placed in foster homes.
The department used a new process for awarding the new grants that removed oversight from the state Department of Administration and gave DCF more control. Kelly said it “has not been transparent.”
Meier-Hummel responded three hours later in her own, lengthy statement defending the department’s work during her yearlong tenure and confirming that the grants had been put on hold. Meier-Hummel said the department had been “fully transparent and forthcoming” with Kelly’s transition team, whose advisers include Howard.
Under the grants, the state would spend a total of $245 million on foster care services during the budget year beginning July 1. That would be an increase of $35 million, or 17 percent.
In recent years, the department has faced questions about several high-profile deaths of abused children after DCF was alerted to problems. Until September, some children in state custody slept overnight in foster care contractors’ offices, including a 13-year-old girl who in May was raped in an officeby an 18-year-old man also in state custody.
“These new grants are necessary to improve child welfare in Kansas and are in the absolute best interest for Kansas children and families,” Meier-Hummel said in her statement.
Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., an Olathe Republican, said the department was making progress in addressing its problems under Meier-Hummel.
“That’s a hard agency, a very difficult agency, to manage,” said Denning, the Senate majority leader. “I was hoping she would be given a little more runway to prove herself.”
Denning also said Kelly is signaling that she could attempt to cancel the grants.
Kelly’s appointment of a single interim secretary for two departments also suggests that she might merge the agencies, said Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat. Together, the departments have an annual budget of $2.6 billion and more than 5,000 employees.
Howard was the expert on social services programs on the Legislature’s nonpartisan research staff before working as a state social services administrator and regional official for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“She has a vast knowledge and experience in the social service field,” Hensley said.
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Belle Barbiere tied a career-high with 14 points and Fort Hays State held No. 15 Central Missouri to a season low in shooting and scoring in a 56-46 win at the Multipurpose Building. The fifth-ranked Tigers held the Jennies to 32-percent shooting as they pick up their second ever road win over a nationally ranked team.
The victory was also the 217th for coach Tony Hobson at FHSU which ties him with Helen Miles for the most in program history.
Tony Hobson Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
After UCM (8-3, 1-2 MIAA) hit a couple of 3-pointers to start the game, the Tigers (12-0, 3-0 MIAA) answered with a 12-2 run to go up four. The Jennies scored the next six points to go up 14-12 but the Tigers scored the next seven to push the lead to five and would never trail again.
UCM pulled within two early in the fourth quarter but FHSU responded with a 9-0 run to go up 11 and led by as many as 12 late.
Carly Heim also scored 14 and Kacey Kennett added 10.
The Tigers first nine made baskets were all layup as they shoot 45-percent from the floor.
