LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — University of Kansas fraternity leaders say they are developing plans to reduce hazing and dangerous drinking.
The new initiative comes about a month after a freeze on the fraternities’ social activities was enacted and then quickly revoked after fraternity leaders complained.
The new plan will require fraternities to reform recruitment and pledging processes at the 24 chapters. It will also require chapters to meet with university administrators yearly to review progress.
That action came after several houses were sanctioned this semester for hazing and drinking.
The new initiative also will require fraternities to revise programs for new members, undergo substance abuse education, ban hard liquor at houses and limit the number of guests at social events.
Information on how policies will be enforced wasn’t released.
PRATT – It’s human nature to want to “save” a wild animal that appears injured or abandoned. But aside from human health concerns and laws prohibiting possession of wildlife, the reality is the animal will have its best chance for survival if it’s left in the wild. Taking a young wild animal with the intention of “saving” it and keeping it as a pet isagainst state lawand strips the animal of its dignity and the opportunity to live wild. The other harsh reality is that most wild animals “rescued” by individuals don’t survive long after capture.
Only licensed wildlife rehabilitators can possess wild animals in Kansas because they require specialized care and may carry rabies or distemper. Wild animals commonly have fleas and ticks, which can transmit blood-borne diseases, and they carry bacteria, roundworms, tapeworms, mites and other protozoans that could infect humans and their pets.
Each spring, fawn deer are found and assumed abandoned. However, the fawns’ mothers are usually not far away, avoiding drawing attention from predators. If you come across a fawn hidden in the grass, enjoy the sight for a few seconds, then back away.
Storms may blow young birds out of their nests. If the young have feathers and can perch, place them back in a tree or shrub, away from cats or other pets. The parents will still care for them. And don’t worry, they’ll care for them even if you touch them. Birds have a very poor sense of smell and human touch won’t drive the parents away. If you find a nest with featherless nestlings, place it in a plastic bowl and back in the tree. This will be their best chance of survival.
Enjoy watching wildlife this spring, especially if you see youngsters. But make a pact to leave them alone. Let nature take its course and know they have the best chance of survival by staying wild.
KANSAS CITY (AP) – The family of a man whose body sat in a Kansas City International Airport parking lot for months is suing the company responsible for monitoring vehicles in the lot.
The Kansas City Star reports that Randy Potter’s widow and children sued SP+ Corp. and two of its employees Friday. The lawsuit accuses the Delaware-based company of causing the family “extreme trauma and emotional distress.”
Airport police found Potter’s body in September in a pickup truck, when someone called to report a bad smell. Potter’s parking pass was dated Jan. 17. Police said it appeared Potter committed suicide.
The lawsuit says the family provided SP+ employees a description of Potter’s truck and license plate about a week after he disappeared and were assured that if Potter’s truck were in the lot, it would soon be found.
SP+ attorney Jan Paul Miller said the company would be “vigorously defending the suit.”
KANSAS CITY – A Romanian national has been charged in federal court related to a scheme to covertly steal and utilize illicitly obtained debit card data by placing skimming devices on ATMs inside QuikTrip stores in Olathe, Kan., and Riverside, Mo, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Kansas City.
Pinhole camera discovered on ATM-file photo
David Velcu, also known as Luca Antoni, 23, a citizen and national of Romania residing in Anaheim, Calif., was charged in a criminal complaint filed Thursday, April 19, 2018, in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. Velcu remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on April 24, 2018.
The federal criminal complaint alleges that Velcu, with the intent to defraud, possessed unauthorized access devices – approximately 78 re-encoded magnetic strip gift cards.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, a manager at an Olathe QuikTrip store noticed on April 7, 2018, that a metal piece was not sitting evenly along the card slot of the ATM. He subsequently pushed the metal piece with a key and it popped out of the card slot. Upon doing so, he noticed that one side of the metal was a mag strip reader and a circuit board was glued to the reverse side of the metal. There was also a piece of molded plastic fascia with pinhole camera that was applied directly above the keyboard designed to capture Personal Identification Numbers (PIN’s) of unwitting victims. Footage from the store’s surveillance cameras captured two unidentified juveniles responsible for placing the skimming device earlier that day.
Velcu entered the store later on the same date, the affidavit says. He wore a jacket exactly like one of the two unidentified suspects, and proceeded directly to the ATM, which had signage indicating that it was “Out-of-Service.” After staring at the ATM for an unusual amount of time, the affidavit says, Velcu purchased some food items and left the store in a sliver Audi A6 with California license plates. Surveillance video captured the same vehicle in a nearby parking lot where the two juvenile suspects had been seen earlier that morning.
Investigators used the license plates on the Audi A6 to identify the vehicle’s owner, Velcu (using the alias of Luca Antoni). Investigators determined the vehicle had recently had an oil change in Independence, Mo., and an employee of the business identified Velcu from a photo obtained from the QuikTrip surveillance camera. An Olathe, Kan., police detective then drove to several motels in the area on the hunch that perhaps he might be able to locate the suspect vehicle in a motel parking lot. The detective found Velcu’s vehicle in the parking lot of American Inn in Independence.
According to the affidavit, the motel manager told investigators that a large group of Romanians had checked into the motel on April 8, 2018, and that the group had three vehicles.
On April 9, 2018, an ATM skimmer device configuration was discovered at a QuikTrip in Riverside, Mo.
On April 10, 2018, Velcu, one of the juvenile suspects from the Olathe QuikTrip surveillance video, and an unidentified woman (with an infant) walked out of the hotel and left in Velcu’s vehicle. Officers stopped the vehicle. Velcu initially presented a counterfeit Italian driver’s license, but officers later located his Romanian ID card. The woman told officers that she is Velcu’s wife, and the unidentified juvenile suspect (who had a Romanian ID card) is her brother; she and her brother entered the United States illegally via the Mexican border over a year ago.
Officers searched the vehicle and found three re-encoded mag strip cards with stickers on the front depicting 4-digit codes, three tubes of Super Glue, and two small crowbars. Upon deploying a card reader to ascertain the track 2 data on the mag strips, investigators ascertained that each one of them contained a different 16-digit account number than the 16-digit number embossed on the cards.
One of the other vehicles that arrived with the group of Romanians, bearing a temporary Texas tag, pulled in the motel’s parking lot soon afterward. The driver of the vehicle initially presented a counterfeit Italian driver’s license but officers later located a genuine Republic of Ireland passport with a photo that matches the driver. Officers searched the vehicle and found re-encoded gift cards with 4-digit stickers applied, surface skimmers, circuit boards, gray and silver paint for fascia plates, memory cards, lithium battery packs, super glue and cutting tools.
Officers searched Velcu’s motel room and found 78 re-encoded gift cards, memory chips/cards, circuit boards, super glue, plastic fascia plates, lithium battery packs, cutting tools, cables, and three laptop computers. In this case, 16-digit account numbers were put onto plastic magnetic strip gift cards in order to fraudulently apply credits derived from various bank Visa debit card checking accounts. In addition, each of the plastic magnetic strip cards had a circular sticker applied to the front suggesting the corresponding PIN affiliated with the 16-digit re-encoded account number on the magnetic stip. Both elements are necessary in order to steal cash from ATMs.
The charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
PRATT – Kansas weather will get better, we promise. And after the past several months we’ve endured, we understand why those who crave outdoor experiences are more than ready to get out. It’s what our parents called “cabin fever.” Whatever you call it, there is one indubitable cure – camping at a Kansas state park.
Just in time to accommodate the masses suffering from cabin fever, Kansas’ 26 state parks will celebrate “Let’s Camp America!” with free park entrance on May 5, 2018. Sponsored by America’s State Parks, “Let’s Camp America!” is in its fourth year, and is designed to showcase the wide array of healthy activities available to campers in state parks with hopes of engaging new audiences, including youth, millennials, diverse communities and urban citizens.
On May 5, 2018, you can get into any Kansas state park for free (camping fees still apply). And you can enjoy an array of special events and activities planned, including OK Kids Day events at Meade, Webster, Cheney, Cross Timbers and Fall River state parks; and a Backyard Barbeque Competition at Elk City State Park.
OK Kids Day events provide a host of outdoor activities for families and are designed to give youngsters hands-on experiences in outdoor recreation. Events are added daily, so be sure to check out the events calendar at ksoutdoors.com, or call your favorite state park office for up-to-date information.
Kansas state parks feature 10,000 campsites; more than 100 rental cabins; 500 miles of hiking, biking and horse trails; water access for boating and fishing; and the beauty of nature. Find your big fish story, paddle, hike, watch the sunrise, make s’mores and count stars. There are endless experiences waiting for you whether at a campsite, in a cabin or in your RV.
To reserve a cabin or a campsite, and download maps and brochures featuring the state parks of your choice, visit ksoutdoors.com.
For more information about Let’s Camp America!, go to www.stateparks.org.
Gene PolicinskiIf the burning national question of the moment is whether Fox News Channel star Sean Hannity is a “journalist” or not, let’s use the long-held set of journalistic questions to investigate: The proverbial who, what, when, where, why and how?
First, the “who”: Sean Patrick Hannity is a cable TV conservative talk show host and best-selling author. Most recently he is said to serve as an unpaid advisor to President Trump — some say that relationship is so close that he “has a desk” at the White House. Hannity was born in New York City, and has spent much of his broadcast career there.
Next, let’s go to “when” and “where”: Hannity’s TV show anchors Fox prime-time lineup with an audience of about 3 million nightly. His syndicated radio show goes out via the web as well as on a host of radio stations. He spent a few early years at TV stations in Alabama and Georgia, before returning to that self-proclaimed urban liberal bastion of New York City to find conservative fame and fortune.
“How” and “why” generally are outside the realm of First Amendment consideration. The nation’s founders didn’t include any specific definition of a free press practitioner, and why Hannity — or any of us — speaks or writes about politics is none of the government’s business.
So, what about the “what”? Hannity said that he is a journalist in a 2016 interview with The New York Times — and said that he is not a journalist (“I’m just a talk show host”) in a 2016 interview with The Boston Globe. The Washington Post’s Paul Farhi just wrote that in an interview with the Times earlier this year, Hannity said, “I’m a journalist. But I’m an advocacy journalist, or an opinion journalist.”
As it happens, the First Amendment’s protection of a free press covers any and all of those roles in terms of free expression. Objective or biased, nonpartisan or politically motivated: All protected.
But it’s trickier when it comes to the professional definitions and codes of journalism, where ethical standards come into play. And yes, journalism does have ethics — and most journalists follow them, despite some people’s claims to the contrary. Transparency about business relationships is a basic rule, along with the admonishment to avoid such complications if at all possible.
Did Hannity have an obligation to let viewers know of his connection to President Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen — which for some as-yet unknown reason he and Cohen reportedly sought to keep secret? Yes, but not because of politics. In plain terms, we should just know “where he’s coming from.”
No one has been shocked that Hannity is highly critical of federal authorities who served search warrants at Cohen’s office, home and hotel room and confiscated records and computers, and that he defends Trump’s privacy and attorney-client privilege. But was that defense rooted in a personal matter? There were audible gasps in the courtroom, reports say, when Hannity was revealed during a recent hearing in New York to be a client of Cohen.
Was the non-disclosure in any way connected to the fact that Cohen’s two other clients (Trump and a high-ranking GOP official) apparently used the lawyer to broker financial deals with women who claim a sexual relationship with them? Or could it be just a simple defense of a friend, rather than one related to legal standards or constitutional concerns?
To some degree, the “Hannity Hassle” afflicts much of the cable talk show world, where the motivation seems focused more on generating chatter (i.e., ratings) than doing actual journalism. And then there’s the larger problem that reporters from news organizations so often now appear on such shows as pundits, while the networks’ hosts — often former politicians — claim at times to be reporting “breaking news.”
It’s not just on TV that the crossover duties have impact: In some large part, a push for a national shield law protecting journalists and their confidential sources has failed because of the difficulty of defining who is a journalist.
Making it harder for all of us to determine if the “what” we see and hear is fact or opinion, which damages the very foundations of self-governance.
When the nation’s founders protected a free press, they presumed it would be part of an independent system that would keep an eye on government and society on behalf of the rest of us — not just generate ratings or circulation.
We cannot make the required decisions of a self-governing society if the facts on which we base those decisions come to us via blurry “news” sources whose role and motivations are suspect — or worse, kept secret.
And that admonition does not just apply to Sean Hannity.
Gene Policinski is president and chief operating officer of the Newseum Institute. He can be reached at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter at @genefac.
It was another busy week on the KAYS Eagle Morning Show. Here’s what you missed!
Monday
Jerry Ubert – Kiwanis Club Hays
Jerry was on the show to let us know about the Kiwanis Club American Flag project:
The American Flag project began in 2000 as a fundraiser for the Kiwanis Club
If you are a current member and haven’t received a renewal card in the mail, give Jerry a call at 785-625-3592
The cost for getting flags put up is just $35 for the whole year. Here’s Jerry on where that money goes and what it’s used for:
Catholic Schools Report: Holy Family Elementary: 2B Teacher Mrs. Kayla North
Mrs. North talked about preparing the 2nd graders at Holy Family Elementary for their First Communion and the 2nd/3rd grade church tours field trip this week. Here’s Mrs. North about what it’s like being a Catholic school teacher:
Sternberg Museum: Education & Outreach Manager Ian Trevethan
Ian joined C.D. & Mike on the Eagle Morning Show to talk about upcoming educational programs at the Sternberg Museum:
Here’s Ian with more on the outreach programs at Sternberg Museum:
Tuesday
Ellis County Commission Recap: County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes, County Commissioner Marcy McClelland, and Eagle news director Jonathan Zweygardt
The Ellis County Health Department moves to new location at 601 Main Street on Monday
USD 489 Report: Hays Middle School Principal Craig Pallister
Mr. Pallister joined us for the last time as the Hays Middle School principal as he prepares for retirement:
Dietician and FHSU associate professor Glen McNeil
Mr. McNeil talked with us about grilling season:
Grilling vegetables
Adding more color to the vegetables you cook
Friday
Downtown Hays Development Executive Director Sara Bloom
Sara made her monthly visit on the show to talk about the upcoming events in downtown Hays
Upcoming Spring Art Walk & Ribbon Cutting of the Downtown Pavilion
For more information about the events and businesses in downtown Hays, visit the DHDC website
Bob Schwarz Financial: Bob Schwarz and Cortney Dale
Here’s Bob with what Bob Schwarz financial can do for you and your retirement:
Here’s Cortney with more information on a free medicare educational event coming up on May 15th at 2pm and 6pm at the Center for Health Improvement. If you have any questions, call the office at 785-301-2716.
Coming up next week on the Eagle Morning Show:
Cortney Dale – Bob Schwarz Financial
Stacy Campbell – Cottonwood Extension District Agriculture Agent
Linda Beech – Cottonwood Extension District Family & Consumer Sciences
Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
She taught the masters. She became one of the most famous, sought-after teachers of professional violinists in the world. Her name was Dorothy DeLay, and she came from rural Kansas. Thanks to K-State violin professor Cora Cooper for her help with this article.
Dorothy DeLay was born in 1917 in Medicine Lodge. Her parents were musicians and educators. She later described her upbringing as strict and religious. The family moved to Neodesha where her father became school superintendent, and Miss DeLay grew up there.
Her musical talents surfaced early. She began studying the violin at age 4 and did a recital at her church at age 5. She was so advanced that she graduated from Neodesha High School at age 16 and enrolled at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio. Miss DeLay later transferred to Michigan State.
Dorothy DeLay was an outstanding violinist. After her graduation in 1937, she moved to New York to continue her violin studies at Juilliard. She also formed a musical group called the Stuyvestant Trio. This consisted of a pianist, Dorothy on the violin, and her sister Nellis on the cello.
Dorothy toured Latin America as a member of Leopold Stokowski’s All-American Youth Orchestra. After that tour, on the cross-country train trip back home, she met a young writer named Edward Newhouse. Apparently it was true love. Four months later they were married. The marriage lasted 61 years until her death in 2002, but she was always known professionally as Miss DeLay.
As do many students, Miss DeLay pieced together a handful of invitations for part-time teaching and assistantship positions to support herself during school. She taught part-time at the Henry Street Settlement, the Juilliard School and Sarah Lawrence College. In the process, she found that she enjoyed teaching more than she enjoyed performing. After graduation, she accepted a full-time teaching position at the prestigious Juilliard School where she spent the rest of her career.
By the 1970s, she became a highly sought-after violin instructor. According to the New York Times, she became the first woman – and for that matter, the first American-born violinist – to be regarded as a master violin teacher in the tradition of the great ones.
Eventually she would teach and mentor at least two generations of students. Her pupils included such prominent violinists as Itzhak Perlman, Sarah Chang, Midori, Nigel Kennedy, Albert Stern, Anne Akiko Meyers, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Gil Shaham, Shlomo Mintz, Cho Liang-Lin, and many others whose names I can’t even pronounce. Some of her pupils became founders of the world’s great chamber groups, such as the Juilliard, the Tokyo, the Cleveland, the Vermeer, the Takacs, and the Ying Quartets. Others became conductors or played in orchestras around the world.
In 1997, she was appointed the first person to hold the Dorothy Richard Starling Chair of Violin Studies at Juilliard. She also taught at Meadowmount, Aspen, Sarah Lawrence College, the University of Cincinnati, the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts, the New England Conservatory, and the Royal College of Music in London.
A 2002 book about Miss DeLay was titled “Teaching Genius: Dorothy DeLay and the Making of a Musician.” In addition to many honorary degrees, Miss DeLay received the National Medal of Arts, the National Music Council’s American Eagle Award, the Sanford Medal from Yale University, the Artist Teacher Award from the American String Teachers Association, and the Order of the Sacred Treasure from the Japanese Government. She was later named one of the great women artists who shaped music.
Dorothy DeLay passed away in 2002 at age 84. At the time of her death, the Juilliard faculty included 14 of her former students.
It’s an impressive record for someone who grew up in the rural community of Neodesha, population 2,319 people. Now, that’s rural.
She taught the masters. She was known as one of the world’s most famous teachers of the violin. We salute Dorothy DeLay for making a difference with her creative talents and with her teaching of the world’s best violinists.
And there’s more. A current music teacher in her home town is carrying on her musical tradition today. We’ll learn about that next week.
HaysMed Sports Medicine is hosting their 17th Annual Athletic Testing Combine on Saturday, April 28 from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at The Center for Health Improvement, Hays, Kansas. Registration fee is $20 per person. This testing is for male or female, grades 6 through 12. A makeup combine session will be held on Saturday, May 5 at 3:00 pm at The Center for Health Improvement. During the 17 years the combine has performed over 5,000 tests on area athletes.
Every athlete strives to do his or her best in whatever sport they participate in. In order to achieve that goal, it is important to know at what level you are performing and how that performance can be improved. The Athletic Testing Combine is designed to assess athlete’s individual strengths and weaknesses in order to help them reach their highest athletic potential.
Tests performed during this event include: Height, Weight, Seated Shot Put, Pro Agility, Vertical Jump, Standing Long Jump, Bench Press and 10 Yard and 40 yard dashes which are electronically timed. HaysMed Sports Medicine provides highly qualified staff and professional testing equipment including the use of electronic timing equipment accurate to the 1/100th of a second. This ensures accurate and reliable results.
Each athlete in attendance will receive an individual athletic profile. This includes test results, percentile rankings, and an overall athletic rating allowing athletes to identify specific strengths and weaknesses. In addition coaches from each school will be provided similar reports. The results are also sent to Midwest colleges for their review of athletes interested in playing college sports. Participants also receive a T-shirt.
Registration can be mailed to Shawn Landers, PO BOX 8100, Hays, KS 67601, dropped off at The Center for Health Improvement, or participants can bring the registration the day of the event and pay the fee then. For more information contact Shawn Landers, MS, LAT, ATC, CSCS at 785.623.6369, https://www.haysmed.com/the-center/athletic-testing-combine/ or email at [email protected].
Kreir grew up in Holcomb, Kansas, where her single mother worked for a Tyson beef processing plant. She says she fully understands both the good and the bad that large animal processing production brings, but that for her mother and family, the job was, well, a job.
“She knew she had job security,” she said. “She had good income. If she needed to take time off she had days where she could take time off and paid as well.”
Broadway Plaza in Concordia, KS CREDIT BRIAN GRIMMETT
Many parts of rural Kansas would love to land a big company like Tyson, fully aware that it would bring foul smells and pose a potential threat to the local water supply. Even though the jobs are hard labor with modest pay, the wages would be better than what comes with the dwindling work available now. Enough, at least, to help save towns struggling to keep people.
Larger and more prosperous suburban areas, however, have already chased Tyson away. They’d rather see growth in the tech or aerospace manufacturing industries. Companies offering lower salaries aren’t as enticing when you can commute to a job that pays $60,000 a year. It’s an economic development luxury that many smaller communities don’t have.
In September, Tyson announced plans for a $320 million poultry complex on the outskirts of Tonganoxie that would employ about 1,600 people. Then-Gov. Sam Brownback applauded the plan as a boon for the Kansas economy. But local residents weren’t as excited. They were upset that the project was announced before receiving any input on how the plant would change their lives.
Protests followed by a group called Citizens Against Project Sunset, the code name city and state officials used to discuss the project. The group worried about what the plant, and the chicken farms that would come with it, would bring — water pollution, bad odors, and decreased property values.
Those opponents also said that Tonganoxie didn’t need those jobs. The average Tyson wage of $13 to $15 an hour, they said, was far worse than the average salary of most of the people already living in the area.
With so much backlash, it took less than a month before city officials voted to pull their support for the project.
Sedgwick County officials faced similar backlash when they began showing interest as a potential replacement destination for Tyson. And just like in Tonganoxie, county officials quickly turned their attention elsewhere.
By early December the commission had issued a statement that they would not offer Tyson any tax incentives. Instead, it entered into a partnership with Spirit Aerosystems to give $7 million to help expand the company’s production line.
“We just evaluated, ‘Where should our resources go?’,’’ Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O’Donnell said. “And Spirit is where this commission went.”
The Kansas Legislature has also entered the debate. This year, it passed a bill that increases how many chickens can be housed inside of barns within a mile of other inhabited buildings. The bill is essentially an invite to the poultry industry.
“I’m confident that there are communities across our state that are interested and willing to see this as an economic development opportunity for their region,” Kerry Wefald, director of marketing, of the Kansas Department of Agriculture said.
The department received more than 40 letters of interest from Kansas communities in the state after Tyson backed off of the Tonganoxie plant.
Cloud County’s proposal, where Concordia is located, was among a few that stood out.
It has many of the things a company would look for — infrastructure and potential employees.
U.S. 81 runs right through the middle of Concordia and Cloud County. It eventually connects into Interstate 70 at Salina.
The county produces truckloads of grain, handy feed for chickens.
Ashley Hutchinson, the head of Cloud County’s economic development organization, said they also have people who would be excited to work there. The median salary in Cloud County is $11.86 an hour. That’s less than the average hourly wage Tyson says it would pay at a new facility.
“For us, these are incredible jobs,” she said. “They’re jobs that put food on people’s tables.”
None of that might matter.
Tyson said it is in no active discussions with any community in Kansas to build a new processing plant, the company said in an email. It’s focused on building a facility in Humboldt, Tennessee. It may still consider building additional plants in the future if there is enough demand, the email said.
The good news for Kansans wanting to draw in the poultry industry is that economists expect the demand for all types of meat to continue to grow.
Glynn Tonsor, professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University, said that’s because nationally and internationally more people are eating meat. As income increases in countries like India and China, the ability to have more protein in the diet also increases. Low grain prices have also contributed to increased production.
But even if demand remained flat, Tonsor said, Kansas could still be a potential site of future growth. As older processing facilities elsewhere age, companies could shift production to Kansas. Companies don’t want to reinvest and put new buildings in a location if the advantages aren’t the same as when it was first constructed.
“The industry puts the building where they are the best fit for today,” Tonsor said.
Meanwhile, communities interested in the industry are waiting.
Hutchison said Cloud County is going to continue to be proactive in their efforts to lure someone to the area, whether that’s Tyson, or one of other producers such as Costco, Smart Chicken, or Perdue.
She just hopes that what happened in Tonganoxie, hasn’t already ruined their chances.
“We are a state that feeds the nation and feeds the world,” she said. “If you don’t particularly want that opportunity on your doorstep in a metro area, that doesn’t mean we don’t.”
For Brandon Pfanenstiel, drag racing has been something he has been familiar with since he was born. Pfanenstiel’s father got him into the scene at a young age and, by 14, he was racing for the first time. By 16, he took over his dad’s car.
The Pfanenstiel Dragster
Pfanenstiel, who is from the Hays area and currently lives in Plainville, recently discovered a way to combine his passion for drag racing with a way to give back to military veterans for their service after a virtual meeting with the founder of Armed Forces Racing.
“I met the founder, Jeff Lambert, through an online racing school that I’m a part of and wanted to do my part to help. I didn’t have a lot to donate but I felt like I could do more on the promoting side of things and help get more donations for them,” Pfanenstiel said.
Armed Forces Racing is a nonprofit organization started to provide recreational therapy to disabled veterans. Veterans who build and race cars through Armed Forces Racing find it is therapeutic and helps them recover from disabilities such as post-traumatic stress disorder by keeping them active and busy when they return home. The organization is based out of McConnells, S.C., and officially became a 501(c)3 nonprofit in December.
“It all started when we built a car for a restoration project as a tribute to veterans, but what happened was we started getting veterans volunteering and coming down to work on the car and we found that by doing that, it became a recreational therapy,” said Lambert, who served active duty in the Navy from 1992 to 1996. “They started telling us that this changed their lives and made them feel like they have a mission and purpose. They loved getting to hang out with other veterans. That’s kind of what started it and I said ‘instead of a tribute, we should do more.’ So that’s how Armed Forces Racing came to be.”
Pfanenstiel volunteered to be an ambassador for Armed Forces Racing by promoting and fundraising in the Hays area. He has started visiting local businesses to make them aware of the organization.
“Brandon actually became the first official ambassador for us. We actually started the ambassador program because of Brandon,” Lambert said. “We just got an ambassador in Pennsylvania and we got another ambassador in Virginia because of what Brandon did.”
While there is not currently an Armed Forces Racing program in the area, Pfanenstiel’s ultimate goal is to eventually set up a program in the area for local veterans to be able to take advantage of the therapeutical upsides of building cars, racing cars and being on a crew for a racing team.
“For myself, it is definitely a type of therapy. It’s my getaway … ..it’s what I do. Sometimes putting it into words isn’t easy I just think of it like any project. I get satisfaction out of working on my car, making it run, and racing it,” Pfanenstiel said. “I am simply a volunteer trying to do my part to give back. Drag racing has always been my thing, so this is my way to combine the two.”
Armed Forces Racing Decal on Dragster
Since Armed Forces Racing is a nonprofit, any and all donations go toward the cost of buying parts to build the dragsters and getting the veterans out to the track.
TOPEKA – Participants in a pilot project in Salina are living healthier and more active lives after KanCare (Kansas’ Medicaid program) and Cerner collaborated to improve their overall well-being. Starting in June 2015, the initiative used targeted data to focus on eligible Medicaid beneficiaries diagnosed with high blood pressure and diabetes, and those who were pregnant. Those beneficiaries then learned how they could improve their health through things like healthy eating and exercise.
“The pilot program identified effective ways to improve the health and engagement of those in the Kansas Medicaid program,” said Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer, M.D.
When the program ended in July 2016, those who took part in all the program requirements reported a drop in triglycerides and total cholesterol, as well as an increase in physical activity. Total cholesterol fell an average of 9.8 mg/dL, while triglycerides fell an average of 27.5 mg/dL. The group also self-reported an increase in moderate or vigorous physical activity — from 82 percent to 93 percent.
“Cerner and the State of Kansas have a shared vision for improving the health of its residents. The pilot project allowed us to collaborate on innovative ways to engage KanCare beneficiaries and provide a tailored health care experience which led to improved health outcomes,” said Christa Roberts, director of population health client performance management, Cerner.
To encourage participation, Cerner looked at the geographic data on disease prevalence and set up physical locations close to where beneficiaries lived, worked and shopped, including the Salina Emergency Aid /Food Bank, Central Kansas Foundation and Walmart.
At those locations, Cerner’s health team administered labs and biometric screenings, provided health coaching services and offered education about food and transportation resources. Cerner health navigators also matched participants to physicians, monitored program engagement and shared information about the participants’ progress with those involved (managed care coordination). As an incentive, enrollees received water bottles, pedometers or Walmart gift cards for their participation in the program.
Cerner and the University of Kansas Business School created a survey to collect data on participants’ health beliefs, motivations and hopes. Survey results helped break the respondents into various groups. Health navigators then communicated with participants in each group with personalized messaging to encourage further participation.
“Through the program, we found a way to incentivize members to make healthy behavior changes,” said Colyer. “The incentive strategy, combined with collaborative relationships between beneficiaries and their health team, are helping Kansans achieve better outcomes.”
Now that the pilot project is complete, it could lead to similar future projects to improve the health of Medicaid beneficiaries.
TOPEKA – Kansas International Trade Day will be held June 5, 2018 in Lawrence, Kansas, at the Lawrence DoubleTree Hotel. The conference will feature speakers from business and government with sessions designed to help Kansas businesses start exporting or grow existing international sales. The day-long event will be followed by the Team Kansas Award Banquet where the 2018 Governor’s Exporter of the Year will be announced.
The Governor’s Exporter of the Year award is presented annually to a single Kansas company in recognition of its excellent performance in international trade and its outstanding international marketing. This year marks the 30th anniversary of this prestigious award. A list of previous winners can be found at: https://www.kansascommerce.gov/156/Governors-Exporter-of-the-Year
Kansas Commerce would like to extend a special thank you and acknowledge the demanding work by the members of the Kansas International Trade Coordinating Council in reviewing candidates for the Governor’s Exporter of the Year award and in selecting the winner. The Kansas International Trade Coordinating Council is comprised of representatives from companies that have previously won the award along with international trade specialists from business, government and academia.
The candidates being considered for this award have undergone a thorough evaluation process. Companies may self-nominate or can be nominated by regional economic development offices or local chambers of commerce. From several dozen candidates, five finalists are selected for additional review before a final selection is made. The rigorous selection process includes site visits to each finalist and interviews with the company’s management team.
This year’s Kansas International Trade Day conference will not only feature a panel of representatives from companies that are finalists for the 2018 Governor’s Exporter of the Year award, but the “Founding Father” of the award, Harland Priddle, will be on-hand to open the conference. Mr. Priddle served as the first Secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce from 1987 to 1991 and helped establish the Kansas International Trade Coordinating Council. The Council seeks to facilitate access to the state’s international resources and established the award to recognize the significance of foreign trade for our state’s economy.
In 2017, Kansas exported more than $11 billion of merchandise, with Canada, Mexico, and Japan topping the list of export destinations. More than 2,600 small and medium-sized firms in Kansas were involved in exporting.
The “early bird” rate to attend the conference is $50 for anyone registering prior to May 1. Those registering after May 1 will pay $75. To register or learn more about the agenda, speakers and sponsorship opportunities, please visit KansasCommerce.gov/2018TradeDay. The registration fee includes lunch.
