TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas regulators have fined a northwest Kansas swine operation $152,000 for allegedly ignoring orders to halt construction of unauthorized facilities capable of housing tens of thousands of hogs.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports documents it obtained show Nelson Farms owner Terry Nelson and his associates did not get permission from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment before starting to build unauthorized facilities in Phillips and Norton counties.

The Kansas chapter of the Sierra Club and neighbors filed complaints about KDHE’s oversight of construction near the Nebraska border.

An attorney representing the Nelsons says the fines are being challenged, but otherwise declined comment.

Nelson submitted planning documents in October for a facility in Norton County for 9,300 head and a complex in Phillips County capable of handling 24,000 head.

HAYSMED

HaysMed, part of The University of Kansas Health System, is pleased to welcome Dr. Samuel J. Durham, Cardiothoracic Surgeon to the DeBakey Heart Institute. Dr. Durham will begin seeing patients at the DeBakey Heart Clinic on May 1.

“We are so excited to have a full time heart surgeon at HaysMed once again,” said Bryce Young, Chief Operating Officer. “Dr. Durham will be a great asset to our heart program.”

Young noted that heart surgery has been limited since Dr. Elizabeth Ashworth left HaysMed to care for her family. In the interim, Dr. Richard Toon, a cardiac surgeon from Salina has been performing surgeries on a regular basis.

“We’re very fortunate that Dr. Toon was willing to step in and continue to allow us to offer heart services to our patients,” remarked Young.

Dr. Durham graduated from Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. He did a residency in cardiothoracic surgery at the University Health Center in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He also completed a fellowship in pediatric cardiothoracic surgery and is board certified in general surgery and thoracic cardiovascular surgery.

His areas of focus include cardiothoracic surgery, adult cardiac surgery, adult cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, minimally invasive surgery, peripheral vascular surgery, thoracic surgery, thoracoabdominal surgery and vascular surgery.

“Twenty years ago HaysMed was the first, and remains today, the only facility to offer heart surgery to patients in western Kansas,” said Shae Veach, Vice President for Regional Operations. “We are dedicated to provide specialty services to the patients in the area so they can remain closer to their family and friends and not have to drive long distances to receive the care they need.”

For more information call 785-623-6544 or go to https://www.haysmed.com/debakey-heart-institute/.

The Hays Police Department responded to 4 animal calls and conducted 18 traffic stops Fri., April 20, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Driving Under the Influence–700 block Fort St, Hays; 12:04 AM
Driving Under the Influence–200 block W 8th St, Hays; 1:57 AM; 1:58 AM
Criminal Trespass–1200 block Vine St, Hays; 2:13 AM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–100 block E 27th St, Hays; 11:58 AM
MV Accident-Private Property–400 block Oak St, Hays; 1:31 PM
Disorderly Conduct–1900 block Vine St, Hays; 1:30 PM; 1:34 PM
Lost Animals ONLY–300 block W 7th St, Hays; 2:40 PM
Abandoned Vehicle–400 block E 7th St, Hays; 3:31 PM
Parking Complaint–45th and Vine, Hays; 4/19 3:36 PM; 4/20 3:36 PM
Shoplifting–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 3/26 8:24 PM
Tethering Violation–2400 block Fort St, Hays; 4:24 PM
Driving Under the Influence–700 block E 13th St, Hays; 11:25 PM; 9:27 PM
Harassment, Telephone/FAX–1700 block Golden Belt Dr, Hays; 9:47 PM
Found/Lost Property–1100 block Fort St, Hays; 10:30 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–2900 block Vine St, Hays; 11:25 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 7 animal calls and conducted 31 traffic stops Sat., April 21, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Liquor Offense, sell, furnish, transport–100 block W 7th St, Hays; 12:56 AM
Battery – simple–100 block W 7th St, Hays; 1:19 AM; 1:26 AM
Domestic Disturbance–100 block W 7th St, Hays; 1:46 AM; 1:52 AM
Suspicious Activity–1500 block Vine St, Hays; 2:37 AM
Disturbance – Noise–1300 block E 33rd St, Hays; 4:47 AM
Suspicious Activity–100 block W 7th St, Hays; 5:26 AM
Drug Offenses–3700 block Vine St, Hays; 8:57 AM; 8:59 AM
Animal At Large–33rd St and Vine St, Hays; 3:52 PM
Animal At Large–3300 block Vine St, Hays; 6:03 PM
Suicidal Subject–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 6:23 PM
Assist – Other (not MV)–2200 block Canterbury Dr, Hays; 8:07 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 1 animal call and conducted 26 traffic stops Sun., April 22, 2018, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Assist – Other (not MV)–300 block W 7th St, Hays; 12:20 AM
Drug Offenses–100 block E 13th St, Hays; 12:27 AM
Disorderly Conduct–800 block Ash St, Hays; 12:29 AM
Disturbance – General–500 block W 7th St, Hays; 1:48 AM
Drug Offenses–300 block E 8th St, Hays; 2:07 AM; 2:30 AM
Disturbance – Fight–4000 block Gen Hays Rd, Hays; 3:40 AM
Juvenile Complaint–4000 block Gen Hays Rd, Hays; 4:11 AM
Found/Lost Property–500 block W 7th St, Hays; 5:37 AM
Theft (general)–200 block W 10th St, Hays; 12 AM; 2 AM
Criminal Damage to Property–400 block W 11th St, Hays; 4/21 4 PM; 4/22 9:56 AM
Criminal Damage to Property–200 block W 5th St, Hays; 12 AM; 10 AM
Civil Transport–1300 block Kansas 264 Hwy, Larned; 11:33 AM
Animal Call–3300 block Vine St, Hays; 12:15 PM; 12:34 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–3300 block Hillcrest Dr, Hays; 2:20 PM
Found/Lost Property–200 block W 7th St, Hays; 3:25 PM
MV Accident-Private Property–2300 block E 13th St, Hays; 4:07 PM
Criminal Damage to Property–200 block W 5th St, Hays; 4/21 10 PM; 4/22 10 AM
Suspicious Activity–2900 block Vine St, Hays; 5:42 PM
Disturbance – General–1600 block E 27th St, Hays; 8:22 PM
Domestic Disturbance–2700 block Colonial St, Hays; 8:40 PM; 8:54 PM

OJA

TOPEKA — Chief Judge Glenn Braun of the 23rd Judicial District has been appointed to sit with the Kansas Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in one case on the court’s May 1 docket.

After hearing oral arguments, Braun will join Supreme Court justices in their deliberations and decision drafting.

“I am pleased that Chief Judge Braun is taking time from his duties in the 23rd Judicial District to sit with the Supreme Court,” said Chief Justice Lawton Nuss. “It’s a great help to our court, and we look forward to his contributions in deliberating and eventually deciding this case.”

Braun was appointed a district judge in 2012 and has been chief judge of the 23rd Judicial District since 2016. He presides over cases in Ellis, Rooks, Trego, and Gove counties.

“Having had the privilege of appearing before the Kansas Supreme Court as a practicing attorney, it is an honor to be extended the opportunity to sit as a judge with the court,” Braun said.

He is a graduate of Thomas More Prep-Marian High School in Hays, Kansas State University in 1978, and Washburn University School of Law in 1981. He was in private practice until 2012 and served as Ellis County Attorney from 1989 to 1997 and as a city of Hays prosecutor.

Braun served as president of the Kansas Bar Association in 2010-11 and as a commissioner of the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission from 2005 to 2012. He was admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.

A lifelong Kansan, he and his wife, Amy, have five children.

All Supreme Court oral arguments are webcast live through the Watch Supreme Court Live! Link in the right-hand column of the Kansas Judicial Branch website at www.kscourts.org.

The case Braun will hear is the third one scheduled on the Supreme Court’s 9 a.m. docket Tuesday, May 1:

Appeal No. 115,036: State of Kansas v. Yamuna Rizal

Johnson County: (Petition for Review) Rizal is a convenience store co-owner convicted of possessing with intent to distribute K2, a controlled substance, near a school zone in violation of K.S.A. 5705(c)(1)(A), now K.S.A. 21-5705(d)(2) and (5). District court sentenced Rizal to 36 months’ probation in lieu of 49 months in prison but conditioned the sentence on Rizal serving 60 days in jail. Issues on review are whether: 1) McFadden v. United States, 135 S. Ct. 2298, 192 L. Ed. 2d 260 (2015), applies to this case; and 2) the prosecution was required to show Rizal knew the synthetic cannabinoids she was selling were illegal.

TMP-M

Thanks to the generosity of many donors, the matching level of $100,000 for the 2018 Thomas More Prep-Marian ACE Auction Item #60 has been reached.

That means that every dollar raised from this point forward will be matched by the Leo J. and Albina Dreiling Trust up to another $200,000.

Thank you to all those who have contributed so far. If you haven’t made your contribution yet, now is the time to have it doubled. All gifts are appreciated and no amount is too small.

You can help keep the momentum going by not missing this opportunity to be a part of this milestone moment in TMP-Marian history as the current Center for Research is relocated and transformed into the Fr. Blaine Burkey Learning Commons.

Your donation will be tax exempt and tax deductible but is needed by Sat., April 28.

Visit https://tmp-m.org/ace/ to:
View all the fine ACE items in the catalog
Learn about the ACE Item #60 details
Purchase raffle tickets and donate to ACE Item #60

Call us at 785-625-9434 or email [email protected] for more details.

The Alumni Association of Thomas More Prep-Marian is proud to sponsor the 44th Annual Auction for Christian Education (ACE) on Saturday, April 28, 2018, beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the Al Billinger Fieldhouse. From the first auction in 1975 to 2017, ACE has raised $7,963,052.04 for Thomas More Prep-Marian.

The Hays business community, TMP-Marian parents, alumni and friends have worked many years together with the Capuchin friars and Agnesian sisters and now the Diocese of Salina to keep the dream of a Catholic educational option alive for Hays, Ellis County and western Kansas. Thanks to you, our alumni, and many others in the business and professional community, ACE is a continuing testimony to your support of, and belief in, our mission. ACE 2018 Co-Chairs are Stan and Pam Mayers and Gerald and Marcia Pfeifer and they will be rockin’ to an Elvis Presley theme “An Evening at Graceland!”