MINNEAPOLIS, MN. (AP) — A man has been found guilty of illegally possessing a cache of homemade pipe bombs discovered on a family hunting property last year.
Reinbold -photo Otter Tail County Jail
Investigators allege 41-year-old Eric James Reinbold, Oklee, Minnesota, also kept a notebook outlining plans for violently overthrowing the government.
Jurors convicted Reinbold on Friday of possessing an unregistered destructive device. Sentencing is set for Nov. 16.
Last fall, Reinbold’s relatives reported finding a tote bag that contained about a half-dozen pipe bombs, other material for homemade explosives and a receipt in Reinbold’s name from a website that sells fuses.
Federal prosecutors charged him in January. That was months after he was arrested in Kansas with cash, camping gear and a passport just days after authorities swept his rural northern Minnesota home.
COFFEY COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before 11a.m. Sunday in Coffey County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Ford F350 driven by William B. Castle, 80, Clearwater, was southbound on U.S. 75 seven miles south of Burlington.
The pickup rear-ended a 1999 Hyundai Tiburon driven by Kelly Leon Minor, 36, Neosho Falls, that was stopped to make a left turn onto Kansas 58 and yielding to a Freightliner semi driven by Jason Lee Brammer, 36, Frankfort.
The pickup then crossed the center and collided head-on with the semi
Castle was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Jones Mortuary. Minor was transported to the Coffey County Hospital. Brammer was not injured.
All three were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
Cosmos, friends and family make for a great way to kick off my 95th birthday celebrations. Thank you all for your kind words and well wishes. I hope you all have a great day! pic.twitter.com/OaQD8nmR8Y
— U.S. Senate History (@SenateHistory) July 22, 2018
Wishing a happy 95th birthday to @SenatorDole! An American hero and dedicated Kansan, I’m honored to call him a friend and mentor. pic.twitter.com/AYbeB0TZMn
Join us in wishing #Kansan, Bob Dole a very happy birthday! He served as the 15th and 18th U.S. Senate majority leader. He was the 47th chairman of the Republican National Committee and was the republican presidential candidate in 1996. #kansashistorypic.twitter.com/FWhhTjy4Cp
Dole served Kansas in Congress for 35 years. He left the Senate in 1996 for his campaign against President Bill Clinton. Congress recently awarded him a Congressional Gold Medal.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Friday issued a high-risk warning for West Nile virus infections (WNV) for northcentral, southcentral, and southwest Kansas. Northeast, southeast, and northwest Kansas are at moderate risk for WNV infections.
KDHE image
West Nile virus can be spread to people through mosquito bites, but it is not spread from person to person. About one in five people who are infected develop a fever and other symptoms. About one out of 150 infected people develop swelling of the brain or brain tissue, that in some cases, can result in death. There are no vaccines or medications to treat WNV. People who have had WNV before are considered immune.
“Know your risk and take action to prevent mosquito bites to protect yourself and your family against West Nile virus”, said Dr. Greg Lakin, State Health Officer.”
KDHE recommends the following prevention measures:
When you are outdoors, use insect repellent containing an EPA-registered active ingredient on skin and clothing, including DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535. Follow the directions on the package.
Many mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn. Be sure to use insect repellent and wear long sleeves and pants at these times, or consider staying indoors during these hours.
The elderly or those with a weakened immune system should consider limiting their exposure outside during dusk and dawn, when the Culex species mosquitos are most active.
Make sure you have good screens on your windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.
Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from flower pots, buckets and barrels. Change the water in pet dishes and replace the water in bird baths weekly. Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out. Keep children’s wading pools empty and on their sides when they aren’t being used.
Horses can also be infected with WNV. Talk with your veterinarian about vaccinating your horse to protect them against WNV.
Most WNV infections occur in the late summer and early fall. Although there have been no cases of WNV reported to KDHE in 2018 there have been more than 600 cases of the most severe form of WNV and 30 deaths in Kansas from 1999-2017.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides this webpage with additional information about West Nile virus and preventing mosquito bites: https://www.cdc.gov/features/StopMosquitoes/. For questions about West Nile virus or other Arboviral diseases contact the KDHE Epidemiology hotline at 877-427-7317.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — More than a month after tariffs were issued by President Donald Trump’s administration on imported raw materials and finished goods, Wichita manufacturers said they’re holding their own.
Trump’s tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union so far aren’t having a notable impact on small aircraft suppliers, like McGinty Machine Co., or original equipment manufacturers, like RV Products.
“We’re not seeing a big effect on the bottom line,” said Don McGinty, who owns the 70-year-old company.
The tariffs on steel and aluminum took effect June 1, followed by a round of tariffs aimed at Chinese goods this month.
Between the imposition of retaliatory tariffs from those countries and a growing list of the tariffs the U.S. plans to impose on thousands of other China imports, other Wichita manufacturing executives worry about what that will mean for their companies in the long term.
“Clearly tariffs could impact us,” said Tom Gentile, CEO of Spirit AeroSystems. “We’re one of the largest users of aluminum in the world because we make so many metallic aircraft still, but the tariffs on the goods themselves is not necessarily material. It’ll be several million dollars but that will be manageable.”
Gentile said he’s hopeful for a resolution so the tariffs don’t negatively impact the commercial airplane business.
“The bigger concern is if those tariffs trigger a trade war,” he said. “And that you start to get some slowdown in traffic or movement of goods and people between regions. And that would be much more concerning.”
The United Way of Ellis County will be having their Second Annual Day of Action on July 26th and once again, the United Way is calling on our communities to help collect supplies that will benefit the partner agencies. The United Way will be accepting donations at their offices, 205 E. 7th – Suite 111.
Last year the United Way used the Pacesetter Kick-off to establish their first Day of Action. They had accepted over 700 donated office supply items for the partner agencies. This year they hope to surpass that number.
Examples of items needed are pens, staples, paper, paper towels, toilet paper, Kleenexes. For more information go to www.liveunited.us/day-action.
This year, UWEC is doing something new and different.
In conjunction with their Day of Action, they will be holding a county-wide Business Campaign Kick-off on Thursday, July 26th, 2018 at 4 p.m. in the Heritage Room of the Hadley Center. If your business is interested in participating in the Business Kick-off, please call 785-628-8281 for more information and to request a campaign packet.
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an aggravated assault and have a suspect in custody.
DECLERK-photo Shawnee Co.
Just after 5p.m. Saturday, police responded to a report that an aggravated assault victim had arrived at a Topeka hospital, according to St. Jason Cooper.
Officers learned the man was assaulted with a knife in the 5200 block of SW West Drive in Topeka. The victim had non-life threatening injuries, according to Cooper.
Officers located a crime scene at a single apartment within the complex just west of 10th and Fairlawn.
Several witnesses and one suspect were taken into custody at the scene in connection with the investigation.
Late Saturday, police arrested Gwyndell Declerck Jr, 31, for crimes relating to the stabbing.. He was booked into Department of Corrections.
A youth in foster care receives instructions on how to use his laptop.
DCF
TOPEKA – Hundreds of young people age out of the Kansas foster care system each year. Many of them leave with a lack of support systems and resources to start their lives as independent adults. In an effort to get them started on the right foot, the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) recently offered several computer camps across the state, where the youth (ages 16 to 20) receive free computers and instruction.
“We want all youth in care to be supported and thrive,” DCF Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel said. “Each year we hold these camps to help ensure that youth aging out of the foster care system have the right tools to succeed.”
The first camp was held Monday, July 9, in Wichita. A second camp was held Wednesday, July 11, in Overland Park, and the final camp took place Friday, July 13, in Topeka. The camp includes eight hours of instruction on word processing, spreadsheets and Power Point applications to prepare them for employment, managing personal finances and pursuing post-secondary education. Youth also learn how to search and apply for work and complete job applications. One assignment during the camp involves developing a personalized budget. Instructors also educate participants on internet safety and security.
All camp participants received a laptop, two-year warranty, printer, mouse and a laptop backpack.
At the end of the camp, participants receive a laptop, two-year warranty, printer, mouse and a laptop backpack. This year, 142 young people participated in the computer camps.
“The youth that participate in these camps are not only given technology, but they are armed with the necessary tools to navigate adulthood. To ensure that all youth aging out of the foster care system receive all the necessary supports and services, we encourage youth to enroll for our Independent Living services,” said Prevention and Protection Services (PPS) Director Patricia Long.
This initiative is paid for by the federal Chafee grant, which is 80 percent federal funds, with a mandatory 20 percent State General Funds match. This is the 14th year for the camp.
Additional services are offered to youth who age out of foster care, through the DCF Independent Living program:
Financial support for post-secondary education and/or certified training programs
Room and board assistance
Transportation costs
Books and materials related to education
Leadership opportunities
Medical services through the age of 26.
To be eligible for Independent Living services, young people must have been in foster care after age 15 and likely to age out of care, graduated from high school or completed their GED while in foster care, or had a finalized adoption or guardianship placement after the age of 16.
William F. Schneider, 75, of Luray, Kansas, died on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, in Luray, Kansas.
William was born in Sumas, Washington, the son of Vernon W. and Vesper L. (Brown) Schneider. He worked as a curator of books and worked for a law office writing wills for clients.
He is survived by his daughter Casey Elizabeth Koroshec of Seattle, Washington, and close friend Warren Fallis and wife Angela of Luray, Kansas.
Cremation has been selected and there will be no funeral services at this time. Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in charge of the arrangements.
The backpacks are available to students K-12 who reside in and attend school in Ellis County. Children who attend the STAR classroom at Roosevelt Elementary School in Hays are also eligible.
Donations for the backpacks are still being collected.
According to project coordinator Laura Schoaff, there is an extra need for 1 subject spiral notebooks in wide or college-rule, 2-pocket folders, 4 oz. washable school glue, 3″x5″ ruled index cards, large pink erasers and shampoo.
Backpacks will be distributed Thu., Aug. 2, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Hays Armory, 200 Main Street.
For more information, contact Schoaff at 785-623-2800.
Those were the last words Tia Coleman recalls her sister-in-law yelling before the tourist boat they were on sank into a Missouri lake, killing 17 people, including nine of Coleman’s family members.
First responders on the scene of the lake accident Thursday evening -photo courtesy KYTV
A huge wave hit, scattering passengers on the vessel known as a duck boat into Table Rock Lake near Branson, Coleman said, recounting the ordeal from a hospital bed. When the Indianapolis woman came up for air, she was alone. She prayed.
“I said, ‘Jesus please keep me, just keep me so I can get to my children,'” Coleman told television station KOLR.
She spotted a rescue boat and swam as fast as she could.
Coleman’s husband and three children, ages 9, 7 and 1; her 45-year-old sister-in-law and 2-year-old nephew; her mother-in-law and father-in-law and her husband’s uncle all died Thursday night in the deadliest accident of its kind in nearly two decades. Others killed included a Missouri couple who had just celebrated a birthday; another Missouri couple who was on what was planned as their last extended vacation; an Illinois woman who died while saving her granddaughter’s life; an Arkansas father and son; and a retired pastor who was the boat’s operator.
State and federal investigators were trying to determine what went sent the vessel, originally built for military use in World War II, to its demise. An initial assessment blamed thunderstorms and winds that approached hurricane strength, but it wasn’t clear why the amphibious vehicle even ventured into the water.
Coleman said the crew told passengers they were going into the water first, before the land-based part of their tour, because of the incoming storm. The area had been under a severe thunderstorm watch for hours and a severe thunderstorm warning for more than 30 minutes before the boat sank.
Suzanne Smagala with Ripley Entertainment, which owns Ride the Ducks in Branson, said it was the company’s only accident in more than 40 years of operation. The company hasn’t commented on Coleman’s account of the tour, which usually begins with a tour of downtown Branson, known for its country shows and entertainment, before the vessel enters the lake for a short ride on the water.
Company President Jim Pattison Jr. said the boat captain had 16 years of experience, and the business monitors weather.
Twenty-nine passengers and two crew members were aboard. Fourteen people survived, including two adults who remained hospitalized Saturday. Coleman and her 13-year-old nephew were the only of the 11 members of her family who boarded the boat to make it out alive.
Another survivor was 12-year-old Alicia Dennison, of Illinois, who says her grandmother, 64-year-old Leslie Dennison, saved her from drowning. Alicia’s father, Todd Dennison, told the Kansas City Star that his daughter recalled feeling her grandmother below her, pushing her upward after the boat capsized.
Another young survivor was 14-year-old Loren Smith of Osceola, Arkansas. She suffered a concussion, but her father, 53-year-old retired math teacher Steve Smith, and her 15-year-old brother, Lance, died.
Others killed included 65-year-old William Bright and his 63-year-old wife, Janice. The couple had recently celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary and had talked about Branson being one of their last big trips, recalled neighbor Barbara Beck.
The couple moved to Higginsville from Kansas City, Missouri, three years earlier to be closer to a daughter and grandchildren and quickly embraced small-town life.
William Bright’s final public Facebook posting noted the wedding anniversary and how happy he was with his wife, three kids and 16 grandchildren. Life, he wrote, had “been a lot of fun.”
Another Missouri couple killed in the accident were 69-year-old William Asher and 68-year-old Rosemarie Hamann. The St. Louis-area couple had been celebrating Hamman’s birthday earlier in the week. In a final Facebook photo postedby Hamann, he’s sticking his tongue out and she’s smiling.
“I can only imagine what they were going through. They were so in love. It’s just heartbreaking,” said friend Russ McKay, who said talked to Hamann the day before the accident.
McCay says Hamann told him the couple had just gone on a paddle boat and were planning to go again. He doesn’t know why they chose the duck boat instead.
Chance also brought the Colemans aboard the doomed vessel.
Tia Coleman said her family initially lined up for the wrong tour so they had to switch out their tickets for the 6:30 p.m. ride.
She says the crew showed passengers where the life jackets were but said, ‘Don’t worry about it, you won’t need it’,” Coleman said.
When swells crashed into the boat, they were told to stay seated, she says.
“When that boat is found all those life jackets are going to be on there” Coleman said. “Nobody pulled them off.”
The company’s website had been taken down by Saturday, save for a statement that its operations would remain shuttered to support the investigation and allow time for families and the community to grieve.
While the boat captain survived, its driver, 73-year-old Bob Williams, did not.
Branson Mayor Karen Best said Williams was a “great ambassador” for the city. Williams’ family in Rhode Island, where he’d lived for decades before retiring to Branson, remembered him as a deeply religious man who founded a local church.
“Pastor Bob was a prince of a man, loving, kind, and generous, whose loss to our family is incalculable,” said Williams’ son-in-law, Bishop Jeffery Williams, who now leads King’s Cathedral in Providence.
TOPEKA – The application period for the 2018 Kansas Firefighter Recruitment and Safety Grant (KFRSG) is now open until the grant deadline of October 1, 2018. The grant is made possible with the state of Kansas budget passed by the State Legislature and signed by Governor Jeff Colyer.
This year, the previous grant budget of $200,000 has been doubled to $400,000, to assist volunteer and part-time fire departments across the state with firefighter safety and recruitment.
Grants issued through the KFRSG program will cover the costs of safety gear for firefighters and physical examinations for firefighters whose physicals are not covered by their departments. It will also provide funds for the purchase of new washer-extractor machines used to clean bunker gear following a fire, with further funds available for the creation of Explorer programs to attract youth volunteers into the fire service.
Volunteer and part-time fire departments face recruitment and retention challenges because they do not have the funding to provide safety equipment. Without new equipment provided by the recruiting fire department, potential volunteers are faced with not only donating their time but also providing their own safety gear, sharing gear with others, or doing without.
Safety gear which can be purchased through this grant program based on a proven and demonstrated need, includes bunker or wildland gear, to include: coat, pants, helmet, gloves, hood and boots; and new masks for Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) units for new department members.
This grant program not only addresses safety of firefighters, but their health as well. The OSFM provides grants to local firefighters to assist in paying for physical examinations not otherwise covered by their departments. A physical examination by a doctor could identify underlying health issues and, hopefully, decrease the number of health-related deaths.
The OSFM also uses grant funds to purchase and strategically place washer-extractor machines throughout the state. It is vital to the health of firefighters to properly clean bunker gear following a fire to prevent the transfer of carcinogens, particulates and biohazards to firefighters, and those they serve. Further, as more and more particles attach to protective gear and chemicals remain on clothing, the gear gradually loses its effectiveness – putting firefighters at increased risk.
A key goal for the KFRSG program is firefighter recruitment, which provides funding for the start of Explorer programs. These programs offer a great way for local fire departments to give the youth of their area an opportunity to explore both career and voluntary opportunities in the fire service. All fire departments will be able to apply for funding to cover the Explorer program or the National Volunteer Fire Council National Junior Firefighter Program initiation fees up to $500, plus a $100 start-up fund.
Grant applicants must be established and recognized volunteer or part-time Kansas fire departments in good standing with OSFM (must be current with NFIRS reporting) or a firefighter in good standing with their local fire department. All safety gear purchased through the program would become the property of the requesting department and not of the individual for whom it was requested.
Applications are available at www.firemarshal.ks.gov/KFRSG. The deadline for submission to receive funds through the KFRSG is Oct. 1, 2018. Grant funding will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
KANSAS CITY– The suspect connected to a shooting which occurred Friday in Blue Mound, Kan., was arrested Saturday following a vehicle chase.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) special agents were working with Kansas City area police departments to locate a shooting suspect who was wanted for attempted murder, according to a media release.
An officer from the Leawood Police Department spotted the vehicle at approximately 6:20 p.m. in the area of Roe and College. The suspect did not stop for the officer and a pursuit began.
Near I-435 and Wornall, the suspect identified as John Butler, 35, Lenexa, crashed his vehicle and exited on foot into a wooded area. KBI agents and officers pursued him on foot, and he was arrested a short time later.
Butler is jailed on numerous charges to include attempted murder. Nothing further will be released at this time.
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LINN COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is assisting the Linn County Sheriff’s Office with an investigation into a shooting.
Just after 1:30p.m. Friday, authorities responded to the report of a shooting at a residence at 604 E. Walnut Ave., in Blue Mound, Kan.
Image courtesy KBI
Upon arrival, a male shooting victim was located, and was transported by EMS to a Kansas City area hospital for treatment. He is expected to survive his injuries, according to the media release.
A shooting suspect was identified, and the investigation led the KBI’s High Risk Warrant Team, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, and the Mound City Police Department to conduct a tactical operation near the 500 block of Main in Mound City between approximatley 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. Friday.
The suspect was not apprehended as a result of this operation, and the search continued overnight.
Anyone with information related to this shooting is asked to contact the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME or the Linn County Sheriff’s Office at 913-795-2665.
