RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a an alleged scam.
Just after 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, police filed a report for theft by deception in the 3700 block of Peach Tree Cir. in Manhattan, according to the Riley County Police Activity report. A 44-year-old Manhattan told police an unknown suspect was scammed her out of money by impersonating the IRS.
The estimated total loss associated with this case is approximately $32,000.00.
Police ask that anyone with information contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.00.
Calvin D. Kruse, age 92, passed away on Wednesday, June 6, 2018 at the Scott County Hospital in Scott City, Kansas. He was born on February 13, 1926 in Frederick, Kansas, the son of Walter and Sadie Janssen Kruse. A Scott City resident since 1947 moving from Loraine, Kansas. He was a successful farmer.
He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Scott City, Kansas and was an avid Bowler and Golfer. Calvin was a US Navy Veteran of World War II.
Survivors include his Two Nieces – Ann & Otis Sisson of Blue Springs, Missouri, Carole Bailey & Robert Sutherland of Flippin, Arkansas, Companion – Betty LaToush of Scott City, Kansas and Numerous Cousins & Close Friends.
Calvin was preceded in death by his Parents and One Sister – Twila Kruse-Sutherland.
Funeral Services will be held at the First Baptist Church in Scott City, Kansas at 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 11, 2018 with Rev. Kyle Evans presiding.
Memorials in lieu of flowers may made to the First Baptist Church in care of Price & Sons Funeral Homes.
Interment will be in the Scott County Cemetery in Scott City, Kansas
Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Saturday and 1:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m Sunday at Price & Sons Funeral Home in Scott City.
Beginning this fall, students at Fort Hays State University no longer will purchase their books on campus, instead they will order them online.
In an email this week, Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Joey Linn announced the university will launch a new online bookstore and the on-campus store will be converted to a “spirit store” that will sell FHSU merchandise.
According to the announcement, all book orders will be done online through Akademos, and they will be shipped to the individual student. The Tiger Spirit Shop will offer an in-store pickup option for course materials.
On the KAYS Morning Show Thursday, Linn said said the move will allow students to save money.
Akademos is a virtual bookstore that provides textbooks and course materials to more than 120 colleges and universities.
The new on campus Tiger Spirit Shop will sell FHSU merchandise and school supplies. The spirit shop will be managed by indiCo, a network of campus stores.
The university plans on providing more information on the changes in the future and anyone with questions can contact Edie McCracken at the Memorial Union at 785-628-5305 or [email protected].
MANHATTAN — Charles Taber, the vice provost for graduate and professional education and dean of the Graduate School at Stony Brook University, New York, has been named the new provost and executive vice president of Kansas State University.
Stony Brook University; Department of Political Science, Professor Charles Taber- courtesy photo
Taber’s appointment was announced by Richard Myers, university president. He will assume his new duties on Aug. 15.
“Charles Taber is ideally qualified to become the next provost and executive vice president of Kansas State University,” Myers said. “Along with his extensive academic leadership and teaching experience, Dr. Taber brings expertise on two major initiatives facing Kansas State University: strategic enrollment management and budget modernization.”
Taber will play an essential role in the implementation of both initiatives as the university works to stabilize and build enrollment and adopt a new budget model to better address the many funding challenges facing higher education. As the higher education landscape continues to evolve, he will address and identify opportunities to advance K-State’s land-grant mission.
“I am excited to be joining the K-State family, especially because of the strong commitment to community,” Taber said. “It’s easy to see why K-State has been on such a positive trajectory. I am looking forward to working with the leadership team, faculty, staff, and students to tackle our remaining challenges and opportunities. The future is bright at K-State and I am thrilled to be part of it!”
As the university’s chief academic officer, Taber will report directly to Myers, serving as a close advisor and strategic leader on all aspects of university governance and the academic enterprise. He also will serve as the university’s chief executive officer in the president’s absence.
Taber will provide strategic oversight for academic planning, resource allocation and innovation in all academic programs while ensuring excellence and relevance in the design of the curriculum. He will focus on the quality of teaching and learning; providing global perspective and strategic direction to successfully manage operating budgets; and enhance the quality of the student experience at all levels.
Taber has served in his current position since 2013. He joined Stony Brook in 1989 as an instructor of political science, earning a promotion to full professor in 2008. He has served in many administrative positions at the university, including associate dean for postdoctoral affairs, dean of the School of Professional Development and interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. At Stony Brook, he has been involved with graduate enrollment management and addressing budget challenges in higher education.
A leading scholar in the fields of political psychology and computational modeling, Taber has more than 50 scholarly publications. His work has earned millions of dollars in grant funding from the National Science Foundation. His research has contributed to the growing literature on the psychological mechanisms that drive public opinion. In 2000, he received the Paul Lazersfeld outstanding paper award from the American Political Science Association for a paper on the causes of bias in political reasoning, published in the American Journal of Political Science. Along with Milton Lodge, Taber developed an influential theory of unconscious thinking in political behavior. Their 2013 book, “The Rationalizing Voter,” from Cambridge University Press, won the Robert E. Lane Book Award and the Book of the Year Awards from the Experimental Politics and Migration and Citizenship Sections of the American Political Science Association.
His teaching and research interests include diversity in higher education, budgeting in higher education, political psychology, public opinion and international relations. Taber earned his doctorate and master’s degree in political science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor’s degree in political science from East Tennessee State University.
Taber replaces April Mason, who is leaving the university at the end of June after serving as provost and senior vice president since 2010.
This is it. The end. I’m not going to be around anymore to nag you about low birth rates, shrinking populations out west, and the inevitability of change and its costs and responsibilities. No more scoffing at ridiculous claims about the sanctity of free enterprise without government interference while watching lobbyists, entrepreneurs, and local boosters line up every year in Topeka to get the legislature to expand, maintain, or create another avenue for private benefit at public expense.
Dr. Mark Peterson
Instead, I want to tell you about the good impressions Kansas has made on me in my 20 years of living and working here. First and foremost it has been my great privilege to personally interact with some remarkably fine people. Many of them have been public figures, and those people have reinforced in me the belief that the crudeness, vitriol, and visceral animosity expressed by so many of the sensation-mongering, babble-first and feel no remorse faces and voices that dominate our public sphere are of no importance. Pay attention to the people who go about their work with seriousness, good will, and knowledge. Ignore the loudmouths, me-firsters, fear-thy neighbor and us-against-them nitwits who are always available to distract and incite.
And your sons and daughters are great! I’ve taught 20 years at a small, public institution that continues its existence in the Kansas soil of its founding over 150 years ago. The greatest share of the kids I’ve taught have been products of the local K-12 educational systems. There are not a lot of class valedictorians, or National Merit Scholars, or kids “born with a silver spoon” in their mouths. We get more of those three types than most people know, but by-and-large we get the kids who ‘hoped’ they’d go to college rather than knew it all their young lives.
Kids today are more distracted and less academically able in some ways, however, they use and understand communication technologies that are making such sweeping changes that a new social and economic revolution is at hand. They are certainly more conscious of and concerned about what is happening to this tiny blue space ship we call Earth than my generation was on the first Earth Day. The Great Recession of a decade ago deeply affected them. Many of these kids are much more vocational and economic security oriented than I, as an academic, would wish they were.
I worry that many are missing this never to be repeated opportunity of having four years to explore as much of the world’s knowledge as possible before taking up the mundane chores of their next forty or forty-five years. Having seen most of them accomplish great things in this transitional period of college life, I have great confidence. If the rest of you have the good sense to make a space for them and give them the room to prosper, this will be the generation that raises the angle of the line marking the future progress of the Sunflower State.
Good luck to you all.
Dr. Mark Peterson has been teaching political science for thirty years and writing for Insight Kansas since 2012. He is retiring and this is his last column.
KANSAS CITY – A Colorado man was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday after traveling to Kansas City to meet an undercover FBI agent, whom he believed to be a mother with her 7-year-old daughter, for sex, according to the United States Attorney’s office.
Mausner -photo Wyandotte Co.
Ryan Edward Mausner, 42, of Basalt, Colo., was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City
Tuesday’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Mausner on May 25, 2018.
The federal indictment charges Mausner with one count of attempting to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, and one count of traveling across state lines with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Mausner was actually communicating (via the Kik messaging application and texts) with an undercover FBI agent, who portrayed a single mother with a 5-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter. Mausner allegedly engaged the undercover agent in several private chat sessions in which he said he wanted to engage in sexual activity with the mother and daughter.
In the course of these chats, the affidavit says, Mausner made numerous sexually suggestive or overtly sexually explicit comments including BDSM terminology about the mother and daughter.
Mausner traveled from Denver, Colo., to Kansas City on May 25, 2018, and arrived at Kansas City International Airport at about 5 p.m.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
STOCKTON — The Rooks County Historical Society and Museum, in partnership with the Solomon Valley Highway 24 Heritage Alliance, is sponsoring a free admissions event June 10th, starting at 2:00 p.m. at the Historical Museum, 921 South Cedar, Stockton, KS.
Leo Oliva, a noted local historian, will be presenting “Railroaded: The Industry That Shaped Kansas”. It is his newest presentation and should be quite entertaining, as well as educational.
This event is also being funded by Humanities Kansas through their grant program and Speaker’s Bureau.
The Hays Community Theatre has invited the public to a number of upcoming events this summer.
The organization is pleased to officially unveil its new venue at 121 E. 8th (the former Fraternal Order of Eagles building) during a Hays Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting event Friday, June 8 at 4 p.m.
On Friday, June 15, art enthusiasts are encouraged to stop by the venue again for a behind-the-scenes sneak peek of “The King and I” in the making during the Hays Arts Council-sponsored Summer Art Walk between 6:30-9:30 p.m. The exhibit will feature a number of costumes to be used in the production as well as set designs, a cast photo wall and show-inspired refreshments. A yet to be announced artist will also be featured throughout the evening. HCT will perform the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic July 26-28 at Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center on the Fort Hays State University campus. All performances begin at 7 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at www.hctks.com/events.
An informational meeting for a proposed adult peer-to-peer acting workshop is scheduled for Saturday, June 23 at 11 a.m. in the HCT venue for those interested. The group would meet once a month to perform short monologues/scenes, and then provide one another with constructive criticism with the goal of offering a variety of opinions and points of view from individuals of varying experiences and backgrounds.
Feature performances for the 2018 season will also include the annual “Haunted Hays City Historic Tours” in late October and “Little Women” to be performed in December. The children’s show, “Junie B. Jones The Musical,” is also scheduled for performance this fall, with specific dates to be announced.
As additional events and productions are scheduled, they will be added to the HCT website (www.hctks.com) and the group’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/hayscommunitytheatre).
HCT is made up of 100% volunteers, from the nine-member board of directors, to the countless directors, actors, stage and technical crew members, costume designers and dressers, set builders and painters, and more. Those interested in participating in upcoming performances or assisting behind-the-scenes are encouraged to contact HCT at [email protected].
Sponsorship opportunities for the 2018 season are available. HCT, a non-profit 501(c)(3), operates solely on the generous financial support of area businesses, grants, donors and volunteers. Those interested in underwriting the 2018 season are encouraged to visit the website (click the “Get Involved” tab) for more information.
About the Hays Community Theatre
HCT aims to provide an organization serving Hays, Kansas and surrounding communities that challenges and inspires individuals of all ages and backgrounds to share talents and abilities through theatrical productions.
Ellis County received another welcome bout of precipitation overnight Wednesday, with 1 inch of rain reported just northeast of Hays.
There was a report of 1.01 inches of rainfall north of Ellis, while most of the city of Hays received just less than a half inch of moisture.
Rooks County had reports of 1.11 inches, while most of Russell County received just trace rainfall.
Thursday could bring more rain and possibly storms to the area overnight. According to forecasts, skies should begin clearing and remain so through what is expected to be a very hot weekend.
Hailey Hochanadel, 21, Olathe, died in the early hours of May 19 after the boat struck a rock bluff on the Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Twenty-three-year-old Joseph LeMark and 24-year-old Daniel Lewis both of Overland Park also died. Ashley Lamb, 22, a senior at Kansas State University remains hospitalized from injuries in the crash.
The family says charitable fund will go towards causes that Hailey was passionate about including anti bullying and the mentally disabled, according to the GoFundMe page.
First responders working the fatal accident -photo courtesy Missouri State Highway Patrol
The crash happened before 2 a.m. May 19 throwing Hochanedel, LeMark and 22-year-old Hayden Frazier and into the water, according to the MSHP. All five people involved were friends who graduated from high school in Olathe.
Rip WinkelSoil, the substance that makes up the ground in which we walk, is often thought of and referred to as dirt. Actually, “dirt” is the substance that you sweep up off of the floor and then discard.
Soil, however, can actually be regarded as a living organism. To begin with, soil consists of three basic components; the component being 45% mineral particles (sand, silt or clay), the second is 50% pore space (for water and/or air), and the last is 5% organic material (decomposed vegetable and animal matter). These three components will vary in percentages according to its mineral make up, its age, location, etc., of any given soil.
What is intriguing is that within these 3 components, a team of life exists in the forms of both micro- and macro-organisms.
Micro-organisms found in soils for the most part consists of bacteria, but there is also fungi, algae, and protozoa to be found. Macro-organisms on the other hand may include earthworms, nematodes, slugs and snails, and various insects, like millipedes, pill bugs, spiders, mites, and the like. These organisms sustain life both below and above ground.
Fred Magdoff and Harold van Es in their book “Building Soils for Better Crops” described soil as a diverse community of over 100,000 living organisms. Bacteria, fungi, insects, and even small animals like moles all play an important role in the soil ecosystem and in plant health. Soil organisms, whether they be small or large, keep ecosystems in balance, move nutrients around, break down organic matter, make nutrients available and aerate the soil.
For examples, earthworms may not seem important to soil health, but they are one of the most important soil organisms. According to Magdoff and van Es, earthworms can create 800,000 underground channels per acre of soil that allow water to reach greater depths and provide more efficient infiltration rates during rain events. Earthworms are also remarkably good at moving soil particles. They state that in a 1 acre area, earthworms can move 1,000 tons of soil per year. That is a lot of soil for such a little critter.
Click this link (https://bit.ly/1MiGJT5) to view a fun and informative short video called “Soils Are Living” from the Soil Science Society of America as part of their 2015 Year of Soils effort. If you want to read more about soil organisms, follow this link (https://bit.ly/2x31l2N) to the “The Living Soil” chapter in “Building Better Soil for Better Crops.”
Rip Winkel is the Horticulture agent in the Cottonwood District (Barton and Ellis Counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact him by e-mail at [email protected] or calling either 785-682-9430, or 620-793-1910.
LOGAN — The Dane G. Hansen Museum presents Recollections of Nature, a solo exhibition of paintings by landscape painter of the West, David Vollbracht.
Vollbracht works primarily in oils and has a special fondness for prairie and mountain scenes. A strong representational painter that incorporates some impressionistic techniques, Vollbracht’s goal is to communicate the emotion he felt at the scene in his paintings. He allows himself artistic liberties in directing compositional flow, so he can draw viewers in and guide them completely through the work. David is most captivated by light; especially by the patterns and shapes natural light creates in the outdoors. He is a studio and plein air painter and his paintings are usually completed by incorporating a combination of both work settings. The Hansen Museum is delighted to host this Kansas artist’s solo exhibition from June 1 – July 15, 2018.
Vollbracht, a Signature Member of Oil Painters of America, has shown his work in numerous shows including: Mountain Oyster Club Show, Tucson, AZ; One Man Show Wichita Center for the Arts, Wichita, KS; National Miniature Show, La Luz, NM; Rocky Mountain Plein Air Show, Winter Park, CO; and National Oil Painters of America Exhibitions. Vollbracht currently resides in Medicine Lodge, Kansas.
Recollections of Nature opened June 1, 2018, at the Dane G. Hansen Museum located at 110 W. Main Street, Logan, Kansas. Museum hours are Monday through Friday 9-12 & 1-4; Saturday 9-12 & 1-5; Sunday & holidays 1-5. We are handicapped accessible and thanks to the generosity of the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, there is never an admission fee. For more information, please contact Shari at 785-689-4846.
Just after 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, police filed a report for theft by deception in the 3700 block of Peach Tree Cir. in Manhattan, according to the Riley County Police Activity report. A 44-year-old Manhattan told police an unknown suspect was scammed her out of money by impersonating the IRS.
