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Author: Hays Post

Warm, windy Monday

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Today Sunny, with a high near 89. South wind 10 to 18 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph.

Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 60. North northeast wind 7 to 13 mph.

Tuesday A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 90. Northeast wind 7 to 9 mph.

Tuesday Night A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Increasing clouds, with a low around 64. East wind 7 to 9 mph.

WednesdayA 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. East wind 7 to 16 mph becoming south southeast in the afternoon.

Wednesday NightA 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70.

ThursdayMostly sunny, with a high near 98. Breezy.

Police arrest Kan. suspect in Sunday shooting death

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SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting death and have made an arrest. Just after 4p.m. Sunday, police responded to a residence in the 1000 block of NE Wabash in Topeka on a report of a person having been shot, according to Lt. Robert Simmons.

Investigators on the scene of Sunday’s shooting death-photo courtesy WIBW TV

A man identified as 38-year-old Shane Cunningham was pronounced dead at a local hospital from apparent gunshot wounds. This incident is being investigated as a homicide. Subjects involved are known to each other and a person of interest in this case has been taken into custody.

Anyone with information relating to this crime; please call the Topeka Police Department at 785-368-9400 or Crime Stoppers at 785- 234-0007.

Larks win series finale against El Dorado

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HAYS, Kan. – After falling 2-0 after two and a half innings Sunday night, the Hays Larks would get a three-run rally in the third inning in part thanks to a two-RBI double by Wyatt Divis to take a 4-2 lead. El Dorado would tie the game at 4-4 in the top of the sixth before Kolby Robinson would score on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the inning to give Hays the 5-4 lead and the eventual winning score.

Frank Leo Postgame Interview

Two shutout innings by pitcher Sloan Baker and a scoreless ninth inning save by Fabian Muniz would seal the deal for the Larks and give them the 2-1 series win over the El Dorado Broncos.

John Rensel Jr. lead the way for the Larks with two hits and a run scored. Wyatt Divis finished 1-3 with 2 RBI’s and a run scored.

Austin Thomason gave up five hits in five innings pitched and two earned runs and four strikeouts in the no-decision for Hays. Sam Slusser pitched one inning and gave up a run in his first win of the season.

The Larks go on the road for a three-game series in Liberal starting Tuesday.

Kansas teen remains jailed in Iowa for alleged sex crime

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ANKENY, IOWA — A Kansas teen remains jailed in Iowa for alleged sex crimes.

Miller- photo Polk County Jail

Just after 8p.m. Thursday, authorities in Iowa booked 18-year-old Devin Michael Miller  of Rose Hill into the Polk County Iowa Jail on requested charges of enticing away a minor under 13 for sexual abuse or exploitation, according to the Polk County Jail booking report.

The case involves allegedly sending and receiving nude photos on a cell phone in April, according to Ankeny police.

Kan. Supreme Court sends DNA request back to lower court in Kan. rape case

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has remanded a convicted man’s request for DNA testing back to Leavenworth County District Court for further review.

George -photo KDOC

The court on Friday reversed earlier rulings by a district judge and the Kansas Court of Appeals that denied the request from 39-year-old Gregory Mark George Jr., who is serving time for rape, aggravated robbery and aggravated intimidation of a witness.

The Leavenworth Times reports George was convicted of raping a clerk during a robbery at a Lansing convenience store in 2004.

In 2013, George filed a petition for DNA testing of hairs that were collected as part of his case but were never tested.

The state Supreme Court ruling asks a district judge to determine whether the requested testing might produce evidence that could help exonerate George.

State accepting nominations for Minority Enterprise Development Week awards

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KDC

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Commerce Office of Minority and Women Business Development is accepting nominations for Kansas minority and/or women-owned businesses, advocates, young entrepreneurs, and corporations. These nominations celebrate National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week, October 14-20, 2018. Nominees and winners will be recognized at the annual Kansas Minority and Women Business Awards Luncheon to be held on October 11, 2018, at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Topeka.

“Minority and women-owned businesses are essential drivers of our Kansas economy, and this special awards ceremony will honor the tremendous accomplishments of these amazing entrepreneurs in our state,” said Robert North, Interim Secretary for the Kansas Department of Commerce.

The deadline to nominate a business or individual is June 15, 2018. Online nomination forms can be accessed at KansasCommerce.gov/MEDweek.

The 2017 award winners included:

Kansas Women-Owned Businesses

  • MySmartPlans – Kansas City (Construction Firm)
  • Advanced Welding Technologies, LLC – Wichita (Manufacturing Firm)
  • FSC, Inc.- Overland Park (Professional Service Firm)
  • Toronto Lumber Company – Toronto (Retail Firm)
  • Sage Restoration LLC – Overland Park (Service Industry Firm)
  • International Express Trucking, Inc. – Kansas City (Supplier/Distributor Firm)

Kansas Minority-Owned Businesses

  • Recyclable Materials Relocating, LLC – Kansas City (Construction Firm)
  • Quik Tek Machining, LLC – Wichita (Manufacturing Firm)
  • LaborMax Staffing KC Metro – Kansas City (Professional Service Firm)
  • Paleterias Tropicanas – Kansas City (Retail Firm)
  • Project Fitness LLC DBA Project Fitness CrossFit – Garden City (Service Industry Firm)
  • Sarin Energy Solutions – Overland Park (Supplier/Distributor Firm)

Minority Business Advocate

  • Sandra Olivas, Bank of Labor – Kansas City

Women Business Advocate

  • Debra Kunz, Center for Deliberate Growth™ – Mission

Young Entrepreneur

  • Paul Kaster, Crooked Branch Studio – Leawood

Corporation of the Year

  • Textron Aviation – Wichita

About the Kansas Department of Commerce Office of Minority and Women Business Development

The Office of Minority and Women Business Development provides assistance in business management, identifying resources for financing and establishing contacts in the public and private sectors. The office is responsible for certifying minority- and women-owned businesses as small disadvantaged businesses for procurement and subcontracting opportunities.

Fundraiser to benefit WaKeeney cancer victim

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By LINN ANN HUNTINGTON
Contributing Writer

After Audrey Macke of WaKeeney survived breast cancer eight years ago, she hoped the cancer wouldn’t come back. Then in February the disease struck again—this time in the form of stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

Macke recently completed her fifth round of chemotherapy at Cancer Treatment Center of America in Tulsa, where she has stayed since her treatments began, said her daughter-in-law, Jonna Dinkel of Hays.

Dinkel and other family members and friends are holding a fundraiser on Saturday, June 23, to help with Macke’s expenses.

The community flea market, “Bargains for a Benefit,” will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of Westview Church, 3000 W. 41st St. in Hays. Macke has been a longtime member of the church.

Community members are encouraged to hold their own garage sales at the event, donate items for the benefit sale, and just come and browse for bargains, Dinkel said.

“All vendors are welcome, and we are accepting any types of donated items,” she added.

Donated items may be dropped off at the church on Thursday and Friday, June 21 and 22. Dinkel is also currently accepting donated items at her home, 2221 Southview Drive, outside of Hays, where she will store them until the sale.

Those holding their own garage sales at the event are asked to donate 20 percent of their proceeds to the fundraiser, Dinkel said. That money will help with Macke’s living expenses while she is getting treatment, Dinkel said.

Those attending the flea market will be able to purchase items from food vendor trucks. Farmer’s market vendors will also be selling items. Dinkel said several local groups have donated nice items that will be raffled off.

Volunteers are needed to sort through and price items prior to the sale, Dinkel said. Those wishing to participate in the sale, volunteer, or make donations are asked to contact her at 785-656-2505 or at [email protected]. In case of rain, the event will be moved inside the church, she said.

Police: Kansas woman hurt in party bus shooting

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SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a drive by shooting that sent one person to the hospital.

Just after 11:30 p.m., Saturday, police responded to a drive-by shooting call at the Keeper of the Plains, 650 N. Seneca in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.

Police located a 19-year-old woman on a Spots Party Bus with a single gunshot wound to her shoulder.

She was taken to an area hospital for treatment of a non-life-threating injury.  Through the investigation it was learned the party bus was dropping off individuals when an unknown suspect, outside of the bus, fired multiple gunshots at the bus striking the victim.

During the incident a silver 2002 Honda Civic occupied by three individuals was also struck by one gunshot.

No individuals were injured in the Honda, according to Davidson.

Police have made no arrests. Anyone with additional information on this case please call Crime Stoppers at 267-2111 or WPD Detectives at 268-4407.

Kansas teen sentenced in death of transgender woman

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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas teenager has been sentenced to juvenile corrections in the stabbing death of a transgender woman.

Tyreece Walker-photo courtesy Biglow Funeral Home

Sedgwick County authorities say the boy was sentenced Friday for second-degree murder in the 2016 death of 32-year-old Tyreece Walker.

The juvenile, whose name was not released, was sentenced to juvenile corrections until the age of 22½ with aftercare until he’s 23. The Sedgwick County District Attorney’s office says that was the maximum sentence allowed under Kansas law for juvenile offenders.

The teenager, who was 16 when Walker was killed, claimed he acted in self-defense when he stabbed Walker at an apartment complex.

If the teen commits a new violation while serving his juvenile sentence or during aftercare, he could be sent to an adult prison for nearly 14 years.

🎥 Hays author listed in Kansas Notable Books

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KS STATE LIBRARY

TOPEKA  — Acting State Librarian Eric Norris has announced the 13th annual selection of Kansas Notable Books. The fifteen books feature quality titles with wide public appeal, either written by a Kansan or about a Kansas-related topic.

“I am proud to present the 2018 Kansas Notable Book list.  Choosing only 15 books is no easy task,” said Eric Norris, Acting State Librarian. “The selection committee began with a pool of over 100 submitted titles and worked diligently to identify the year’s best works by authors and illustrators from Kansas, as well as those works that highlight our history and heritage. Kansans are encouraged to visit their local public library and celebrate the artists and the artistry of Kansas.”

Kansas Notable Books is a project of the Kansas Center for the Book, a program of the State Library. The Kansas Center for the Book is a state affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Throughout the award year, the State Library promotes and encourages promotion of all the titles on this year’s list at literary events, and among librarians and booksellers.

An awards ceremony will be held at the Kansas Book Festival, Saturday, September 8, 2018, 9:30 a.m., at the State Capitol to recognize the talented Notable Book authors. The public is invited.

2018 Kansas Notable Books

Bad Kansas: Stories by Becky Mandelbaum (Rockport WA), University of Georgia Press

In this darkly humorous collection, Kansas becomes a state of mind as the characters struggle to define their relationship to home and what it means to stay or leave, to hold on or let go.

Cricket in the Thicket: Poems about Bugs by Carol Murray (Overland Park), illustrations by Melissa Sweet (Portland ME). Henry Holt & Co

Playful poems highlight surprising facts about the world of insects – from familiar ants and exotic dragonflies to cringe-worthy ticks and magnificent fireflies in this picture book for children.

Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West by Tom Clavin (Sag Harbor NY), St. Martin’s Press

Cowpokes, desperadoes, and lawmen: it wasn’t always easy to tell which was which. This rollicking tale of Dodge City brims with colorful characters. From frontier settlement, to cattle drives, to a railroad town, the history of Dodge City is the story of how the West was won.

Feet of the Messenger: Poems by H.C. Palmer (Lenexa), BkMk Press Books

Between the horrors of the Vietnam War and the pacific silences of the Kansas prairie, these poems honor both the beauty of the English language and the ancient powers of poetry to speak experience without diminishing it.

Fireflies in the Gathering Dark: Poems by Maril Crabtree (Mission), Aldrich Press

These poems traverse landscapes, inner and outer: physical landscapes and metaphysical ones; the landscape of relationships; the landscape of age, from childhood to maturity; and the questing landscape that leads to new understandings.

Headlights on the Prairie: Essays on Home by Robert Rebein (Irvington IN), University Press of Kansas

These essays bring a storyteller’s gifts to life’s dramas, large and small. Moments of singular grace and grit encapsulate the lives of feedlot cowboys, long-haul truckers, and farm kids dreaming of basketball glory.

Ike and McCarthy: Dwight Eisenhower’s Secret Campaign Against Joseph McCarthy by David A. Nichols (Winfield), Simon & Schuster

This fast-paced account reveals President Eisenhower’s subtly clever role in the destruction of demagogue Joe McCarthy. Drawn from documents in the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Nichols presents a gripping story of a classic power struggle.

Kansas Baseball, 1858-1941 by Mark E. Eberle (Hays), University Press of Kansas

The early history of baseball in Kansas is the story of towns and the ballparks they built. It was a time when baseball was adopted by early settlers, then taken up by soldiers sent west, and finally by teams formed to express the identity of growing and diverse communities.

Click here to watch an Eagle TV interview with Eberle and Mike Cooper about the book.

Kansas Guidebook 2 for Explorers by Marci Penner (Inman) and WenDee Rowe (Inman), Kansas Sampler Foundation

The ultimate guidebook for all things to see and do in Kansas features 4,500 attractions, 843 eateries, and more than 1,600 color photos. Counties are arranged alphabetically within six geographic regions as are the cities within each county. Entries include directions, hours and contact information.

The Man from the Train: The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery by Bill James (Lawrence) and Rachel McCarthy James (Lawrence), Scribner

A baseball statistician and his daughter deliver a provocative story that aims to solve a 100-year-old mass murder case. The two painstakingly scoured thousands of newspapers and records to discover and reveal the identity of one of the deadliest serial killers in America.

Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson (Asheville NC), HarperTeen

While the stories of three women span multiple generations and thousands of miles, their lives are intertwined. Before leaving Kansas to go to Mars, Adri discovers Catherine’s journal of the Dust Bowl and Lenore’s letters about World War I. Each story weaves a unifying thread of hope.

The Shape of Ideas: An Illustrated Exploration of Creativity by Grant Snider (Derby), Abrams ComicArts

What do ideas look like? Where do they come from? These one- and two-page comics have been featured in the New Yorker, the New York Times, and the Kansas City Star. They are a colorful look into the creative process.

Stark Mad Abolitionists: Lawrence, Kansas, and the Battle over Slavery in the Civil War Era by Robert K. Sutton (Bethesda MD), Skyhorse Publishing

In 1854, Boston was in an uproar. Businessman Amos Adams Lawrence was inspired to put his efforts and considerable fortune toward keeping slavery out of Kansas. The town that came to bear Lawrence’s name became part of a bigger story of people willing to risk their lives and fortunes for freedom.

That is My Dream! by Langston Hughes and Daniel Miyares (Lenexa), Schwartz & Wade

Langston Hughes’s inspiring and timeless poem “Dream Variation” comes joyously to life in a gorgeously illustrated picture book. Follow one child on a walk through his small segregated town in the 1950s. Then watch his mind take flight as he images a brighter, more inclusive world.

To The Stars Through Difficulties by Romalyn Tilghman (Long Beach CA), She Writes Press

Inspired by the women who built fifty-nine Carnegie libraries in Kansas, the No Guilt Quilters overcome numerous obstacles to build the Cultural Center on the Plains- proving that New Hope is more than just the name of a town.

Woman sues NASA in Kansas over moon dust possession

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Tennessee woman is suing NASA in Kansas to affirm her ownership of lunar dust she says astronaut Neil Armstrong gifted to her.

Image courtesy U.S. District Court-Cicco v. National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Laura Murray Cicco filed the federal lawsuit Wednesday seeking to establish her moon dust ownership under the Declaratory Judgment Act of the United States Code.

Cicco was 10 when her mother gave her a vial of dust with a note appearing to be from Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon and a friend Cicco’s father.

“To Laura Ann Murray — Best of luck — Neil Armstrong Apollo 11,” the note read.

NASA has not tried to claim ownership of the dust, but Cicco filed the lawsuit proactively because the agency’s position is that all lunar material belongs to the nation.

“Laura was rightfully given this stuff by Neil Armstrong, so it’s hers and we just want to establish that legally,” said Chris McHugh, her attorney.

Cicco lives in Tennessee but filed her lawsuit in Kansas because of a 2016 case in Wichita where a federal judge ruled in favor of a collector who bought a space bag with moon dust that was mistakenly placed in an online government auction. The bag sold at auction last year for $1.8 million. McHugh also represented the collector.

Cicco’s family moved to Cincinnati in 1969 or 1970, where her father Tom Murray became close enough friends with Armstrong that the former astronaut signed his note to Cicco on the back of one of Murray’s business cards. The signature has been authenticated by an expert as Armstrong’s, according to the lawsuit.

STRONG TOWNS: How bike lanes benefit businesses

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Protected bike lanes create an environment where pedestrians feel safer walking and cars still have easy access to shops along the street. (Source: Green Lane Project)

By RACHEL QUEDNAU
Strong Towns

Kenmore Boulevard in Akron, Ohio is in the process of a street redesign which may involve the loss of some on-street parking spots in order to create protected bike lanes. This sort of transition is happening all over the country as more and more cities recognize the transformative impact that bike lanes can have on their city, as well as the prosperity that impact can create.

But still, there’s no doubt that installing bike lanes can feel like a big change. When you’ve owned a business on the same street for years and suddenly the view outside your window looks different, it makes sense that you might wonder whether the outcome will be positive or negative for your customers and your bottom line.

Today I want to share several reasons why business owners can rest easy about the addition of bike lanes—and, even better, celebrate their new infrastructure. In city after city, business owners are seeing more customers come through their doors and more revenue flowing into cash registers when streets are redesigned to be more walk- and bike-friendly.

CUSTOMERS WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE PLENTY OF PARKING OPTIONS

Concerns about parking are absolutely valid. Business owners who are used to having lots of open parking spaces right outside their door may be concerned when their street is redesigned. It’s natural to feel worried about the impact of that sort of change. But let’s zoom out just a tiny bit to get a fuller picture.

Akron’s Kenmore Blvd, with available street parking marked in orange and off-street parking marked in pink. (Created by Rachel Quednau with Google Maps image)

In the above aerial image of Akron’s Kenmore Blvd (the main street running east/west in the illustration) from approximately 16th to 13th Street, I’ve highlighted all available street parking in orange that will not be removed as a result of the street redesign. As you can see, there are a ton of parking spaces no more than 1-2 blocks (about 150-300 feet) away from each Kenmore Blvd business that will be easily accessible for customers after the redesign.

Compare this to a mall or grocery store parking lot, which is typically much larger and which often requires a customer to walk farther than 150 or 300 feet. These are very standard distances that people have no problem traveling on foot on a daily basis.

Yes, customers may need to slightly adjust their habit of parking directly outside a business’s front door. But we’re talking about a difference of a 30- or 60-second walk when we compare a front door parking spot with parking spot just down the street. What’s more, during that walk customers will pass by other businesses on Kenmore and see them up close instead of viewing them through a fast-moving car window. This benefits everyone.

Just to add some additional perspective, in the above image I’ve also highlighted all of the surface parking lots in the vicinity of this segment of Kenmore Blvd in pink. While most of these are private, they show that most customers of the adjacent businesses will be parking in those lots, leaving even morespace on the street for customers of the businesses that don’t own private lots.

As I examined these streets on Google Maps, I saw hardly any cars parked on them — perhaps one or two at most. Combining this assessment with data from the City of Akron, it’s safe to say there will be dozens, if not hundreds, of vacant spots ready to be occupied by customers of Kenmore Blvd businesses at all times, even after the bike lanes are installed.

A TRANSITION THAT BENEFITS EVERYONE

Business owners can take some very simple steps that will make the transition to a new street design go smoothly, and they can also take heart that this transition is a positive change for Kenmore Blvd and other places like it.

One way to make extra sure that customers aren’t deterred by a slight change in parking is to create signage outside that directs people to nearby side streets and tells customers that these shops are still open for business, even if the street looks slightly different than they’re used to. Posting on a business’s website and/or Facebook page to let people know where they can park can be helpful as well.

The overarching goal of this street redesign is to make Kenmore Blvd a more attractive, welcoming and safe place for everyone, creating a better atmosphere for business to flourish.

Picture the busiest, most successful shopping districts in America. Think Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago or Pike Place Market in Seattle. Are these areas filled with parking lots and parking spaces? No. They’re filled with people walking around from store to store.

Akron, Ohio is, of course, a very different place from Chicago or Seattle, but that doesn’t mean the same basic concepts won’t apply. When you make an area appealing for people on foot or on a bike — when you slow down the pace of life in that neighborhood just a little — suddenly visitors are lingering longer and stopping in more stores. Suddenly residents are walking or biking over on a regular basis to see what’s new.

This street redesign aims to create more access to Kenmore, not less. As I’ve shown in the illustration above, the decreases in automobile parking will be minimal — but the increases in bike access and walk-friendliness will be huge, and those will bring lots of new customers to the area. In other cities around the country, some business owners have chosen to offer small discounts or incentives for people who bike to their shop, which capitalizes on the change in street design to invite new customers to patronize a store. Other business owners may choose to install a bike rack outside to further encourage people to stop and stay a while.

Extra steps like these are by no means necessary to reap the benefits of a bicycle-friendly street redesign, but they’re small things a business can undertake to enhance the experience even further and supercharge profit potential in the process.

BUSINESSES THRIVE IN OTHER CITIES WITH PROTECTED BIKE LANES

But if this still isn’t enough to convince you, I’ve compiled research from a variety of cities on the impacts of removing parking for the sake of road diets and bike lanes. These perspectives from real business owners across the country prove that bike lanes often have a positive effect on sales and customer traffic.

In San Francisco, after a bike lane was added on Valencia Street “two-thirds of the merchants said bike lanes had been good for business.”

In Seattle, the creation of a new bike lane, which eliminated 12 on-street parking spaces resulted in a serious increase in retail sales along the street.

When a new protected bike lane was installed on Broadway in Salt Lake City, sales on the street rose 8.8%, in spite of the fact that the bike lanes decreased on-street parking by 30%. Surveys of business owners along the street showed that a majority of them felt that the change was positive, and most of the remaining business owners felt neutral about it (see charts on the side, courtesy of People for Bikes).

In 2013, the city of Vancouver installed protected bike lanes on a key street, which involved removing 20 parking spaces. For business owners along this corridor, their initial fears about losing sales did indeed come true. But that was only a short-term result. Soon after the bike lanes were installed, one local restaurant owner happily reported that business was better than ever and stated, “We definitely have benefited from the increased usage of the bike lane.” With a slew of bike riders now streaming by, he was able to reach a range of new customers.

I’ll note that many of the examples I’m sharing here are from large cities, but that’s not because the results won’t apply in smaller communities. It’s just because those are the places where data has been collected, and where bike lanes have grown more prevalent. I hope we can add more examples from smaller cities like Akron to the list very soon.

As an article on the transportation website, Streetsblog, explains, “Streets that accommodate all users — including cyclists, pedestrians, and transit riders — mean less traffic congestion and better quality of life. Not surprisingly, then, they are also linked to higher commercial property values and lower vacancy rates.”

When faced with the prospect of losing some on-street parking outside a local business, it completely makes sense for business owners to be concerned about the impact on their customer base. But the on-the-ground evidence as well as nationwide data paints a very different picture.

Rest assured that, if bike lanes are coming to your street and some parking spaces are disappearing in the process, local businesses shouldn’t see losses in profit. In fact, they’re likely to see gains.

This essay is part of an ongoing engagement with Akron, Ohio, supported by the Knight Foundation. Learn more about it here.

 

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