Top Row Left to Right: Emily Schippers, Aubry Appelhans, Jillian Lowe, Tiffany Pfeifer, Leanne Rack. Bottom Row Left to Right: Grant Ginther, Ethan Lang, Bryce Hickman, Cameron Rozean, Sheldon Weber.
TMP-M
Thomas More Prep-Marian, along with the TMP-M Alumni Association have announced this year’s homecoming candidates.
Thursday, Sept. 20, kicks off homecoming with the Hot Dog Feed & Bake Sale/Bonfire. The homecoming crowning will take place at halftime of the football game vs. Hoisington of Friday, Sept. 21. Events will continue through the weekend and wrap up at the homecoming banquet on Saturday, September 22.
Click HERE for the full itinerary of homecoming events.
Grant Ginther and Emily Schippers – Grant is the son of Doug & Melissa Ginther and Emily is the daughter of Troy & Geralyn Schippers.
Ethan Lang and Aubry Appelhans – Ethan is the son of Greg (Class of 1994) and LaNae (Class of 1994) Lang and Aubry is the daughter of Chris & Lori Appelhans.
Bryce Hickman and Jillian Lowe – Bryce is the son of Troy Hickman and Mary Hickman and Jillian is the daughter of Jeff & Jana Lowe.
Cameron Rozean and Tiffany Pfeifer – Cameron is the son of Travis & Jill (Class of 1996) Rozean and Tiffany is the daughter of Gerald & Marcia Pfeifer.
Sheldon Weber and Leanne Rack – Sheldon is the son of Bill & Tiffany Weber and Leanne is the daughter of Marvin & Jennifer Rack.
TOPEKA, Kan. – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting.
Police on the scene of Tuesday’s shooting investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV
Just after 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, officers responded to reports of gunshots heard in the 2600 Block of SE 11th Street in Topeka, according to a media release.
Officers were unable to locate any individuals, but did locate shell casings in the area.
Approximately 30 minutes later, an individual arrived at a local hospital with a non-life threatening gunshot wound. The victim is uncooperative and has extensive past criminal history, according to police.
USD 501 placed Pine Ridge Prep School in a secure campus status while officers investigate.
BARTON COUNTY — A Kansas man arrested over the weekend during a late-night bike ride remains in custody.
Bowers -photo Barton Co.
Just after midnight Saturday, a police officer observed a suspect later identified as Charles Bowers, 35, riding a bicycle in the 3000 block of 20th Street in Great Bend with no lights, according to a media release.
The officer also observed Bowers littering. During the stop, the officer located illegal narcotics on Bowers.
The officer arrested Bowers for possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, criminal littering and no bicycle lights.
Bowers was booked into jail in lieu of bond with charges pending in Barton County District Court.
He has eight previous convictions for theft and burglary, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
A school-based survey shows nearly 1 in 11 U.S. students have used marijuana in electronic cigarettes, heightening concern about the new popularity of vaping among teens. E-cigarettes typically contain nicotine, but results published Monday, Sept. 17, mean a little more than 2 million middle and high school students have used the devices to get high. Shutterstock.com
By CARLA K. JOHNSON AP Medical Writer
A school-based survey shows nearly 1 in 11 U.S. students have used marijuana in electronic cigarettes, heightening health concerns about the new popularity of vaping among teens.
E-cigarettes typically contain nicotine, but many of the battery-powered devices can vaporize other substances, including marijuana. Results published Monday mean 2.1 million middle and high school students have used them to get high.
Vaping is generally considered less dangerous than smoking, because burning tobacco or marijuana generates chemicals that are harmful to lungs. But there is little research on e-cigarettes’ long-term effects, including whether they help smokers quit.
The rise in teenagers using e-cigarettes has alarmed health officials who worry kids will get addicted to nicotine, a stimulant, and be more likely to try cigarettes. Last week, the Food and Drug Administration gave the five largest e-cigarette makers 60 days to produce plans to stop underage use of their products.
Nearly 9 percent of students surveyed in 2016 said they used an e-cigarette device with marijuana, according to Monday’s report in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. That included one-third of those who ever used e-cigarettes.
The number is worrying “because cannabis use among youth can adversely affect learning and memory and may impair later academic achievement and education,” said lead researcher Katrina Trivers of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Students who said they lived with a tobacco user were more likely than others to report vaping marijuana.
It’s unclear whether marijuana vaping is increasing among teens or holding steady. The devices have grown into a multi-billion industry, but they are relatively new.
In states where marijuana is legal, shoppers can buy cartridges of liquid containing THC, the chemical in marijuana that gets people high, that work with a number of devices. Juul, by far the most popular e-cigarette device, does not offer marijuana pods, but users can re-fill cartridges with cannabis oil.
It was the first time a question about marijuana vaping was asked on this particular survey, which uses a nationally representative sample of students in public and private schools. More than 20,000 students took the survey in 2016.
A different survey from the University of Michigan in December found similar results when it asked for the first time about marijuana vaping. In that study, 8 percent of 10th graders said they vaped marijuana in the past year.
“The health risks of vaping reside not only in the vaping devices, but in the social environment that comes with it,” said University of Michigan researcher Richard Miech. Kids who vape are more likely to become known as drug users and make friends with drug users, he said, adding that “hanging out with drug users is a substantial risk factor for future drug use.”
Trevor Robert Cates, 40, passed away September 17, 2018, in rural Stafford County. He was born in Great Bend, December 11, 1977, to Bob and Alvita (Tinkel) Cates. He married Megan Drake August 1, 2009 at Estes Park, Colorado. She survives.
A lifetime Claflin resident, Trevor was a member of Immaculate Conception Church. He was an ASE certified auto technician for his father, at Bob’s Service Center in Claflin. Trevor enjoyed golfing, cars, grilling and camping.
Survivors include, his wife, Megan Cates of the home; daughters, Sierra Drake of Salina, Emma Williams and Hadley Cates of the home; his parents, Bob and Alvita Cates of Claflin; one sister, Tamara Dody and husband Jason of Claflin; four nephews, Paxton, Peyton, Prycen and Parker Dody of Claflin and grandmother, Thelma Cates. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Albert and Laura Tinkel and V. E. Cates.
Visitation will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Thursday, September 20, 2018, at Bryant Funeral Home and from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, Claflin, with Vigil Service at 7:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 a.m., Friday, September 21, 2018, at Immaculate Conception Church in Claflin with Father Terrance Klein presiding. Interment will be in the Claflin Cemetery.
Hays High School issued a statement to parents Tuesday morning warning of a potential scam.
“We … want to make you aware of a series of phone calls that were recently received at many local businesses from a company claiming to be ‘working with Hays High School boys and girls basketball teams’ ” the email message read. “They go on to ask for money to sponsor our teams. HANG UP! HHS does not ask companies to contact parents or businesses for sponsorships; it is a scam. When needed, we make our own contacts from HHS.”
A Hays man was sentenced to two years of probation Monday after pleading guilty earlier this year to sex crimes related to a child.
Edward L McElhaney was sentenced in Ellis County District Monday to 24 months of probation for aggravated battery and 12 months for sexual battery in connection with an incident that occurred in March.
The two sentences will run concurrently for a total of two years’ probation to be served with Community Corrections.
McElhaney, 53, was originally charged with aggravated indecent liberties with a child but pleaded to the lesser charges in July.
He was accused of inappropriately touching the victim when the child slept.
McElhaney maintained his innocence through the process and address the court Monday saying it was all a, “misunderstanding.”
His wife and the mother of the victim also addressed the court Monday on his behalf.
McElhaney will also be required to register as sex offender for life.
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — An 18-year-old has been charged with sexually assaulting a 13-year-old at a suburban Kansas City child welfare office where children have been kept overnight because of a shortage of beds.
Hamer -photo Johnson Co.
Michael Anthony Hamer was charged last week with rape and aggravated indecent liberties of a child. Bond is set at $500,000. His attorney didn’t immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press.
Kansas lawmakers and child advocates have been raising concerns for months about keeping children overnight in child welfare contractors’ offices.
Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe says authorities have dealt with many troublesome issues at the KVC Behavioral Healthcare office in Olathe, where the rape was reported in May.
KVC spokeswoman Jenny Kutz says the agency takes “this situation very seriously.”
THOMAS COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before noon Monday in Thomas County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Hyundai Elantra driven by Reata Pinkerton, 17, Russell Springs, was southbound on County Road 11 ten miles south of Levant.
The vehicle left the roadway to the right and the driver overcorrected.
The vehicle came back across the roadway, entered the east ditch and rolled an unknown number of times before coming to rest in a stubble field.
Pinkerton was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Baalman Mortuary. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
SEDGWICK COUNTY— A community candlelight vigil for Sedgwick County Deputy Robert Kunze is scheduled for Tuesday 7p.m. at the Law Enforcement Memorial City, Central and Main Street adjacent to city hall in Wichita. Parking is free at the Sedgwick County parking garage.
Funeral Services for Deputy Kunze are 10a.m. Friday, September 21, at Central Community Church, 6100 W Maple in Wichita.
Interment will be at Resthaven Gardens of Memory at 11800 W. Highway 54, Wichita.
Governor Colyer has ordered flags in Kansas at half-staff through sundown Tuesday and sun up to sundown on Friday, the day of the funeral.
