HARVEY COUNTY — One person died in a fire Friday in Harvey County.
Emergency crews responded to the fire in the 1200 block of S. Spring Lake Road in Halstead, just south of U.S. Highway 50, according to a social media report.
One person was found dead. Officials have not released additional details.
Wayne A. Jacobs, age 78, of Hays, KS, passed away on Thursday, July 19, 2018 at HaysMed.
Wayne was born on November 30, 1939 in Pfeifer, KS to Anthony and Regina (Breit) Jacobs. He was a longtime farmer and retired as Foreman for the Ellis County Road and Bridge Department. On October 23, 1971 he married Clairella R. Werth in Schoenchen, KS. He was a sports enthusiast that followed all sports, especially his beloved Duke Blue Devils. Wayne enjoyed spending time outdoors, tending to his garden, hunting and fishing with his family. Most of all, his family was most important to him. His grandchildren held a special place in his heart and he cherished following his children and grandchildren in their sports activities.
Survivors include his loving wife of 46 years, Clairella R. Jacobs of Hays; three daughters, Karla Neil and her husband Bill of Russell, Kristy Schlaefli and her husband Dustin of Hays, Kaylene Gabel and her husband Chris of Hays; two grandchildren, Mattison & Keaton Schlaefli of Hays; five sisters, Darlene Sander of Hays, Dolores Unrein of Broomfield, CO, Isabella Schuckman of Aurora, CO, Rosie Unrein of Bennett, CO, Carol Moeder of Arvada, CO. Wayne also leaves behind a large extended family consisting of 80 nephews and nieces as well as numerous cousins.
Wayne is preceded in death by his parents; brother, Marvin Jacobs; six sisters, Lucille Dreher, Elsie Stegman, Eva Jacobs, Wilma Kuhn, Theresa Bieker and an infant sister, Cecelia Jacobs.
A Funeral Mass will be at 10:30 AM on Monday, July 23, 2018 at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Pfeifer, KS. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, July 22, from 4-8:00 PM and Monday from 9-10:00 AM at the Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel & Crematory, 2509 Vine St., Hays, KS 67601.
A rosary will be held at 7:00 PM followed by a vigil service on Sunday at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions can be made to the donor’s choice.
To share a memory or to leave condolences, please visit www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or via email to [email protected].
Arrangements are by Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel & Crematory, 2509 Vine St., Hays, KS 67601.
FCFH
The final day to register for a free school backpack through the Backpacks For Kids program at First Call for Help (FCFH) in Hays is Monday, July 23.
Registration is available online at https://firstcallelliscounty.com/Backpacks-for-Kids or call FCFH at 785-623-2800.
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″ x 5″ 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.
Carol Jean Canfield, was born on September 15, 1939, to Albert and Wilhelmina Schmidt in Hays, Kansas. She fought a long and very courageous fight against pancreatic cancer. We are all very blessed to have had her in our lives. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She enjoyed traveling, gardening, golfing, spending time with her pets and going to the casino. She was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. She is preceded in death by her husband and the father of her children, James W. Gross; her husband, Duane E. Canfield; her three brothers, Ralph Schmidt, Rich Schmidt, and Howard Schmidt; her six sisters, MaryAnn Stecklein, Alice Freitag, Jeanette Gottchalk, Zita Dreiling, Joyce Gonzalez, and her infant sister, Pauline Schmidt; and two sons-in-law, Troy Bressler and Frank Dinkel.
Carol graduated from Girl’s Catholic High School in 1957. She went on to marry James Gross, with whom she shared five beautiful daughters. Carol was a devoted wife and mother. In 1972, she went to work for Baxter Laboratory where she spent a 15 year career that eventually relocated her to Mountain Home, Arkansas. She met a wonderful man, Duane Canfield, whom she married shortly thereafter. After ending her career with Baxter, she became a licensed Real Estate Agent which she enjoyed for approximately ten years, until retiring. From that point on she focused on her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She is survived by her five daughters, Stacey Bressler of Fayetteville, Ginger Brown of Fayetteville, Jackie Schumacher and husband Craig of Wichita, Kansas; Bobbi Dreiling and fiancé Jeff Gridley of Hays, Kansas; and Bonnie Pfannenstiel and husband Russ of Hays, Kansas; two brothers, Joe Schmidt of Catharine, Kansas, and Bill Schmidt of Westminster, Colorado; one sister, Gladys Jacobs of Overland Park, Kansas; ten grandchildren, Jamie Klug and husband Darren, Dustin Rupp and wife Meghan, Nicki Gonder and husband Mitch, Austin Brown and wife Mari, Jeremy Schumacher and wife Shannon, Chelsey Holden and husband Jerry, Collin Schumacher, Jordan Schumacher, Dylan Cobb and fiancé Jenna Jacobs, and Carly Dreiling; ten great-grandchildren; and her beloved dog, Coco.
A visitation and rosary will be held from 9:00 – 10:00am with a funeral mass to follow at 10:00am on Monday, July 23, 2018, at Saint Joseph Catholic Church at 1722 N. Starr Dr., Fayetteville, AR 72701. Interment will follow at 12:00pm at Fayetteville National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Arkansas Children’s Hospital at https://www.archildrens.org/, the Humane Society of the Ozarks at https://hsozarks.org/, or Willard Walker Hospice home at https://www.wregional.com/hospice/willard-walker-hospice-home.aspx.
KDWPT
PRATT – While the odds are very low that you will be bit by a venomous snake in Kansas, that’s little consolation for anyone who ends up with a bite.
Of the 42 species of snakes in Kansas, there are only four native venomous snakes you might encounter: the prairie rattlesnake – found in the western half of the state; the massasauga rattlesnake – found in the eastern two-thirds of the state; the timber rattlesnake – found in the eastern fourth of the state; and the copperhead, found in the eastern third of the state. Cottonmouths are very rare in Kansas. Just two specimens of the northern cottonmouth have been recorded in the Spring River drainage in the far southeastern corner of the state. Western diamond-backed rattlesnakes were introduced, but are not widespread and have been recorded in only a few central-Kansas locations.
All venomous snakes found in Kansas are pit vipers, meaning they have heat-sensitive pits in front of each eye to help locate prey. Their venom is hemotoxic, causing internal bleeding and tissue damage.
Snakes are active during the warmer months between late March and November – the same time when people are most active outdoors. Most snakes are found in rural or semi-rural areas where there is suitable habitat and prey. They may be found in woodlands and shrubby areas; brush, log or rock piles; around water; in tall grass; around rocky outcrops or ledges; or even under ornamental shrubbery and gardens. Kansas’ venomous snakes feed primarily on rodents, but their diet may also include insects, frogs, toads, lizards, small birds and other snakes. Snakes cannot regulate their body temperature internally, so when it’s hot, they may be more active at night, retreating to shady areas or under rocks and logs during the day. When it’s cooler, they tend to be more active during the day.
Hiking, camping, fishing, or hunting may put you in areas where you could encounter a snake, so be snake-savvy and snake-aware. Venomous snakes are generally shy and aren’t looking for a fight, but they will bite in self-defense if you step too close, step on or provoke them. Learn how to recognize them. They are well-camouflaged, so watch where you walk, and don’t go barefoot or wear flip-flops or sandals, even on established trails or around campgrounds. Instead, wear sturdy leather shoes or boots. To help protect your legs, wear long pants or jeans rather than shorts. Special snake chaps and tall leather boots are available if you’ll be working in brushy areas where you suspect venomous snakes live. Wear leather gloves when handling brush, and never reach into an area you can’t see. Don’t try to handle or tease a snake.
Snakebites in Kansas are rarely fatal and effective treatment is available. If you think you’ve been bitten by a venomous snake, stay calm to slow the spread of the venom. Keep the site of the bite quiet and below the level of your heart. Call 911 or get to a hospital as quickly as possible, but do not try to drive yourself.
It is not necessary to catch or kill the snake because a single type of antivenom is used to treat all pit viper bites in the U.S. Do not apply a tourniquet or ice, and never attempt to cut the bite marks and suck out the venom. Do not drink alcohol or caffeinated beverages.
There are usually one or two puncture marks. If the snake injected venom (they can choose whether to inject venom and about 25 percent of bites are “dry”), there may be burning pain along with redness, and swelling around the bite that may progress along the limb. Nausea and vomiting can occur. Your vision may be affected and breathing can become labored. Other symptoms may include increased salivation and sweating and numbness or tingling around your face and limbs.
Nationwide, venomous snakebite deaths are rare, but bites can be very painful and cause serious tissue damage. Always seek immediate medical attention if you think you have been bitten. Learn about our venomous snakes so you’ll know where they live and how to recognize them.
A great resource is the online Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas hosted by the Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University: https://webapps.fhsu.edu/ksherp/default.aspx. There you’ll find color photos, descriptions, life history, range maps and a calendar of peak activity.
You can reduce the risk of venomous snakebite by learning all you can about snakes and our wild areas, taking a few simple precautions, and being aware at all times.
– KS DEPT. OF WILDLIFE, PARKS & TOURISM –
Preliminary estimates reported by the Kansas Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.4 percent in June. This was unchanged from May and down from 3.6 percent in June 2017.
“Current trends in the Kansas labor market are strong,” said Secretary Lana Gordon. “Job growth has exceeded the national average and the number of people receiving unemployment benefits is the lowest in ten years.”
Jobless rates across northwest Kansas showed an uptick, but the unemployment rate remains extremely low across the region. Ellis County unemployment rose from 2.3 percent in May to 2.7 percent in June, while Russell County saw a 0.7 percent increase to 3.2 percent.
Rooks County had the highest unemployment in the region at 3.3 percent. Click the map above for a county-by-county breakdown.
Seasonally adjusted job estimates indicate total Kansas nonfarm jobs increased by 1,900 from May. Private sector jobs, a subset of total nonfarm jobs, increased by 1,600 from the previous month.
“Private sector job growth in Kansas has accelerated throughout 2018,” said Labor Economist, Emilie Doerksen. “June was the 10th consecutive month of private sector job gains in the state, including consistent growth in professional and business services and recent increases in manufacturing and trade, transportation and utilities.”
Since June 2017, Kansas gained 24,800 seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs and 22,200 private sector jobs.
Maxine Dietrich, age 79, of Hays, Kansas passed away Wednesday, July 18, 2018 in Hays.
Arrangements are pending with Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory 2509 Vine Hays, KS 67601.
RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on child sex allegations.
Just before 2p.m. Thursday, police arrested Ashley Alaine Bradford, 22, Manhattan, in the 1800 Block of College Avenue, according to the Riley County Police Department booking report.
She is being held on a $20,000 Bond for “Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child; Intercourse, Criminal Sodomy; Child>14 & <16 And Indecent Liberties with a Child Indecent liberties with a child;14<16; Fondle,” according to the arrest report.
Police released no additional details early Friday.
Longtime western Kansas broadcaster Kay Melia, Goodland, died Thursday in Parker, Colo., at the age of 88.
Melia was the former general manager of KAYS Radio in Hays. He was inducted into the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1981 and was the recipient of the KAB’s Distinguished Service Award.
An avid gardener, Melia also was the author of “The Gardener’s Common Sense Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Midwest.”
Services are tentatively scheduled for Thursday, July 26, in Goodland.
Boise State Office of Communications and Marketing
Mark Bannister has been named interim dean of the College of Business and Economics, effective Aug. 1.
Bannister currently serves as dean of the Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship at Fort Hays State University (FHSU), where he has led a rapidly growing college.
“Mark’s strong vision and leadership style make him an outstanding choice for the college at this time. He brings a wealth of experience from Fort Hays State, and I know that he’ll respond very well to the many exciting initiatives in COBE. It’s a great fit,” said Interim Provost Tony Roark.
“We wish outgoing Dean Ken Petersen the very best in his new role as the Helen Robson Walton Endowed Chair in Marketing Strategy and Professor of Marketing and Supply Chain Management at the University of Oklahoma.”
The search for a permanent Dean of COBE will commence in the 2019-20 academic year with guidance from the incoming university president.
Bannister was a finalist for the COBE dean position four years ago. Based on his experience and his familiarity with Boise State’s programs, the university initiated discussions with him in May. Bannister visited Boise twice in June to meet with COBE leadership, faculty and staff.
“I am very pleased and excited to join an outstanding group of faculty, staff, alumni and other supporters who are dedicated to providing students with a high quality education. I am also impressed with the research, thought leadership and service of the faculty,” Bannister said. “Boise State’s growth and innovation are important factors in drawing me to the college and university. I look forward to building on an outstanding base and working together to continue to build a truly notable college of business.”
The Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship has significant traditional on-campus instruction, domestic distance-learning programs and on-the-ground international programs in China.
Bannister has received Fort Hays State University’s Pilot Award, its highest teaching honor, and has been recognized repeatedly for his teaching by FHSU student groups. He initiated the “Entrepreneur Direct” speaker series that has brought a series of entrepreneurs to campus to present and to interact with faculty and students, and also has worked with the FHSU Foundation to increase private giving to the college and its departments.
He is a Senior Policy Fellow of the Docking Institute of Public Affairs and a principal in Bannister Capital. He teaches course work on legal issues and management of information technologies, as well as supervises and participates in research and programming on entrepreneurship, telecommunications, strategic planning and community development.
Bannister holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas as well as a Master of Science in Communications Studies.
David Lee Rude, 68 of Russell, Kansas, passed away Tuesday, July 10, 2018 at Wheatland Nursing Center in Russell, Kansas.
David was born September 14, 1949 in Longmont, Colorado. He was the son of Howard Adrain and Patricia Ann (Owens) Rude. He grew up and attended schools in Longmont.
David served his country in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. After his duty he returned to the States where he worked in Construction field.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
A Memorial Service with Military Honors will be conducted at 1:00 PM, Friday, July 20, 2018 at the Kansas Veterans Cemetery in Wakeeney, Kansas with Pastor Randy Gibbs officiating. No visitation be held, cremation has preceded the services. Condolences may be sent to Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, who is in charge of these arrangements.
Harold S. (Hal) Dumler, 66, of Los Angeles, CA passed away on June 22, 2018.
Hal was born in Russell, KS on February 27, 1952, to Harold L. and Faith L. (Seeley) Dumler. He attended school in Russell, was active in the music program, and participated in sports (basketball in particular). He graduated from Russell High School as class president in 1970. He attended the University of Kansas, was a member of Delta Upsilon Fraternity, and graduated in 1975, with a degree in general studies.
Hal was employed in the banking industry initially in Topeka, KS. He then worked for a small bank in Colorado Springs, CO. He continued in the financial industry working in Denver, CO for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), San Francisco, CA for the California Department of Insurance, and Dallas, TX as a loan officer for a mortgage company. In 2001, he moved to Los Angeles to be closer to his brothers, and became interested in work with clients in drug and alcohol recovery. He eventually became a recovery center’s administrator. Hal worked vigorously in this business and found it appealed to himas it addressed his desire to help others. He continued to work at the center until medical impairments caused disabilities that prevented him working.
Hal loved fine food and was an extremely talented cook. His Bolognese sauce was phenomenal and he was never happier than when he worked in the kitchen. He greatly enjoyed talking about food, exchanging recipes, experimenting with new cooking techniques, and eating out both in fine restaurants and local dives.
Hal is survived by his daughter, Jessica of Topeka, KS; brothers Earle (Ray) of Los Angeles, CA and Brian of Glendale, CA; nephews Chris Dumler (Becky) of Santa Monica, CA, and Kale (Yvette) of Tehachapi, CA; and niece Katie Cook (Aaron) of Newport Beach, CA.
A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 A.M, Monday, July 23, 2018 at the Russell City Cemetery in Russell, Kansas with Pastor Ezekial Koech officiating. No visitation being held. Condolences may be sent to Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, who is in charge of these arrangements.
WICHITA- (AP) — Two luminaries in the democratic socialist movement — one its national leader, the other its new star — are descending on solidly Republican Kansas on Friday, taking their emboldened liberal message to an unlikely testing ground before next month’s congressional primaries.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who rose to fame following her surprise win in last month’s New York congressional primary, see an opportunity to influence Democratic voters in Kansas ahead of the state’s Aug. 7 primary. They’re especially focused on a crowded congressional primary in the Kansas suburbs of Kansas City.
In an election year defined by energized Democratic voters seeking to send President Donald Trump a message, Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are betting they can stoke the liberal march in places where the left rarely competes. Some liberal voters are welcoming the spotlight.
“Progressive voters and even some moderate voters have been disheartened by the lack of positive news from Kansas,” said Anne Black, 43, a Democratic precinct committee member from suburban Kansas City.
The trip is unusual on several fronts. For one, Trump won Kansas in 2016 by 20 percentage points, making it seemingly inhospitable for Democrats, much less democratic socialists. Moreover, Sanders is a 76-year-old Jewish senator from Vermont, while Ocasio-Cortez is a 28-year-old Latina from the Bronx who is poised to become the youngest member of Congress.
This political odd couple is scheduled to headline an evening rally in Kansas City, Kansas, for Brent Welder, a labor lawyer running in a crowded Democratic primary in Kansas’ 3rd District. The district, represented by four-term Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder, is on Democrats’ target list as they aim to seize the GOP-controlled House in November. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton narrowly carried the district in 2016.
Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are also scheduled to campaign together in Wichita for Democrat James Thompson, a civil rights lawyer running in Kansas’ 4th District. Like Ocasio-Cortez and Welder, Thompson was an activist for Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign.
While organizers were forced to change venues for the Wichita event because of high demand for the Friday afternoon rally, the race in the 3rd District is considered more competitive. Still, Republicans are skeptical.
State Rep. Tom Cox, a moderate Kansas City-area Republican, said there are pockets of liberal Democrats in the Kansas City suburbs but questioned whether Sanders’ message will resonate more broadly. He said Democrats tend to be split between liberals and moderates, with some union members and supporters holding conservative views on social issues.
“Even our Democrats around here are not socialist democrats,” he said. “If someone would describe the 3rd District, I would say center right.”
Democrats, who have been shut out of statewide and congressional races since 2010, are having a similar debate among themselves. They must pick up at least 23 Republican-held seats to claim the House majority, and they are focusing on 25 districts where Clinton won, or Trump won narrowly.
Leading candidates in the Democratic primary for governor have said their party must rebuild its brand in rural, heavily GOP areas. And despite surging energy among lefist Democrats in the Trump era, it was unclear if there were enough votes in the 3rd District for a liberal Democrat to win.
In 2016, Clinton narrowly won in this urban and suburban district whose neighborhoods are out of keeping with the agriculturally rich prairies that make up much of that state. And before Yoder first won in 2010, it had been held for 12 years by centrist Democrat Dennis Moore, who relied on moderate Republicans during his tenure.
Yet Sanders and his brand of liberalism have proved popular. He won more than two-thirds of the votes in the state’s 2016 presidential caucuses, surpassing Barack Obama’s 2008 vote total.
But registered Republicans in the 3rd District outnumber their Democratic counterparts by more than 50,000, while unaffiliated voters also edge Democrats. Republicans outnumber Democrats by 2-to-1 in the 4th District.
Liberals argue that they are not just convincing moderate Democrats or disaffected Republicans but also engaging new primary voters, as Ocasio-Cortez did in New York this summer and as Sanders did in his insurgent 2016 presidential campaign.
“If you’re going to flip the district, you have to get new people involved in the political process,” said Sanders spokesman Josh Miller-Lewis. “There are so many people not involved.”
And candidates promoting Sanders’ agenda have won Democratic primaries in several of these districts, such as in Orange County, California, and suburban Philadelphia.
A race for Kansas Democrats to watch lies just 180 miles (290 kilometers) north on Interstate 29.
Democrat Kara Eastman won the May primary against moderate former Rep. Brad Ashford on messages much like Sanders’ in Nebraska’s 2nd District, which includes the city of Omaha and its suburbs.
She faces first-term Republican Rep. Don Bacon in this Republican-leaning district, where Trump won narrowly in 2016 but Obama won in 2008.
