SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug charges after an I-70 traffic stop.
Rodriguez-photo Shawnee Co.
Just after 11:30a.m. Wednesday, deputies stopped a vehicle near Urish Road for a license plate registration violation, according to Sergeant Todd Stallbaumerl.
The suspect identified as 29-year-old Robert C. Rodriguez, refused to follow a deputy’s instructions. Another officer tased Rodriguez.
He was taken to a local hospital for a medical examination before being booked for possession of marijuana with the intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia. Deputies reported finding 11.5 pounds of marijuana worth approximately $20,000 inside the vehicle
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — American sorghum farmers fear they will lose their largest export market if China follows through with a tariff on their crop.
China imposed preliminary anti-dumping tariffs of 178.6 percent on U.S. sorghum this week as part of its ongoing trade dispute with the U.S.
President Donald Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on up to $150 billion of Chinese goods to counteract what he says are that country’s unfair trade policies.
Sorghum farmers like Don Bloss in southeast Nebraska are caught in the crossfire. Bloss said the tariff news isn’t enough for him to change what he plants this year, but farmers will have to adjust if the tariff is enacted.
“We can’t make real quick decision,” he said.
According to the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission, the Sorghum Belt runs from South Dakota to Southern Texas and the crop is grown primarily on dryland acres. In addition to animal feed it is used for ethanol production. Kansas, Texas and Arkansas are among the top Sorghum producing states, according to the the commission’s web site.
It won’t be easy replacing the Chinese market. Last year, Chinese buyers purchased more than 90 percent of the 245 million bushels of sorghum America exported.
“Basically, this will shut off grain sorghum exports to China for the United States,” said Mark Welch, an agricultural economist at Texas A&M University.
Sorghum, which is used primarily as animal feed and in liquor distilling, is grown in crop rotations with corn and in areas where conditions are dry because it is drought tolerant. But it is a smaller U.S. crop, grown on about 6 million acres compared to corn and soybeans, which will each be planted on nearly 90 million acres this year.
Both U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and the National Sorghum Producers association said they may challenge the tariff.
“Our sorghum producers are the most competitive in the world and we do not believe there is any basis in fact for these actions,” Perdue said.
A spokeswoman for the sorghum producers trade group said sorghum prices fell 20 to 25 percent after China announced in February it was launching an investigation into the sorghum trade. Prices declined again this week.
In the long run, Bloss said he believes farmers will find a new market for their sorghum, whether that’s other export markets or ethanol producers. Having lived through the effects U.S. tariffs on Russia had on grain markets in the 1980s helps give the 69-year-old Bloss confidence.
“There’s going to be market opportunities out there,” he said.
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — The mother of a 17-year-old who was shot to death by an Overland Park police officer is suing the officer and the city.
Law enforcement authorities on the scene of the fatal shooting-photo by Grady Reid courtesy KCTV
The lawsuit filed Tuesday by Sheila Albers says the officer who shot her son in January was never in danger and used excessive force. The lawsuit also contends Overland Park didn’t have adequate policies or didn’t enforce its policies.
Officers went to the Albers’ home in January after someone reported he was on social media and appeared to be suicidal. Police said Albers backed a minivan out of the family’s garage toward an officer, who shot at the van 13 times after his orders to stop were ignored.
Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe ruled in February that the shooting was justified.
GEARY COUNTY —A 25-year-old Kansas man has been sentenced to 44 years in prison for fatally shooting a Manhattan man during a robbery in 2016.
Craig-photo Geary Co.
Joseph “DoDa” Craig was sentenced Wednesday in Geary County.
In February, a jury found him guilty in the January 2016 shooting death of David Phillips, 23, Manhattan., at a West 12th Street Apartment in Junction City.
Craig was also found guilty of Intentional Second Degree Murder, Conspiracy to Commit First Degree Murder, Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Robbery, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm,
Williams-photo Geary Co.
A second defendant in the case, 20-year-old Gabby Williams was sentenced in February to 15-years in prison for her role in the murder and robbery.
GOVE COUNTY — Two people were injured in an accident just before 4p.m. Wednesday in Gove County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Toyota 4-runner driven by Diana Middleton, 58, Gove, was southbound on County Road 58 fifteen miles south of Park.
The vehicle became unstable, entered the east ditch and rolled onto the passenger side.
Middleton and a passenger Serenity Middleton, 10, Gove, were transported to Gove County Medical Center. Both were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
The Cottonwood Extension District, in partnership with the Hays Public Library, will host a free educational program on Emergent Literacy on Wednesday, April 25, 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the Schmidt Gallery at the Hays Public Library, 1205 Main Street, Hays.
Dr. Bradford Wiles, Extension Child Development specialist, will be the guest speaker for this program which is suitable for parents, grandparents, child care providers and early childhood professionals.
According to Dr. Wiles, children become readers and writers though a continuous developmental process called ‘emergent literacy’.
While each person learns to read differently, research shows that building emergent literacy skills can be done intentionally and provides great fun for both the adult and child. The most important aspect of the process is to read with the child, as opposed to reading to the child.
Join us for this free program to learn how it is done.
Pre-registration is helpful to ensure adequate program materials. Call the Hays office of the Cottonwood Extension District at 785-628-9430 to sign up for this program and learn to set the stage for future development of the children in your life.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge says Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach violated her order that some voters were eligible to cast a ballot while a lawsuit challenging a state law requiring proof of U.S. citizenship worked its way through the courts.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach CREDIT FILE PHOTO Kansas News Service
U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson found Kobach in contempt of court Wednesday. She didn’t impose a fine but ordered Kobach to pay for damages, including attorney fees.
The American Civil Liberties Union sought the contempt ruling after Kobach refused to update the state’s election guide or ensure that county officials sent postcards to residents who registered at driver licensing offices without providing citizenship documents.
Robinson said in March that she had made it clear voters covered by a May 2016 injunction she imposed were not to be treated differently.
Thomas More Prep-Marian’s Tate Garcia signed a national letter of intent Tuesday afternoon to play baseball for Benedictine College in Atchison. Along with playing baseball, Garcia plans on pursuing an engineering degree while in school. He has been a three sport athlete at TMP all four years participating in football, basketball and baseball.
He has helped the Monarch baseball team this season to a 9-1 start. Garcia is 5-0 on the mound with a 2.10 earned run average. He has also been solid as a second baseman being error free through the first 10 games. At the plate Tate is hitting at a .289 average with 11 hits and 11 runs batted in.
The Benedictine Ravens are 22-23 this season playing in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. The conference features 14 schools, three of which are in Kansas (Benedictine, Baker, Mid America Nazarene)
The owner and operator of 15 Kansas nursing homes has consented to be placed in receivership after defaulting on payments to vendors and failing to meet payroll.
Tim Keck, secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, says the state is moving quickly to find a new owner for the nursing homes. FILE PHOTO-Kansas News Service
Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services Secretary Tim Keck has been appointed receiver and will oversee operations of the homes, which are scattered across the state.
The owner, Skyline Health Care LLC of Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, previously acknowledged that it had insufficient funds to pay basic utilities and food service vendors.
The 15 Kansas facilities have about 845 residents and 950 employees, according to court documents. Three of the nursing homes are in Wyandotte County, one is in Johnson County and one is in Leavenworth County.
Keck said that Mission Health, a Tampa, Florida-based operator of nursing homes that already operates 14 skilled nursing facilities in Kansas, has assumed day-to-day oversight of the Skyline nursing homes.
“They have done a really good job of getting things organized and back to some level of certainty in the last week or so,” Keck said.
The next step, he said, is to find a new owner.
“It may or may not be Mission Health,” Keck said. “I don’t know if they will be interested in it or not. We have heard from several people that they are interested in some or all of the facilities.”
“Our end goal,” he added, “is to get all the facilities back on sound footing with some certainty and then turn them over to another operator in the next few months. We’ve got a pretty aggressive timeline.”
Mission Health has operated in Kansas since mid-2015, when it took over facilities previously operated by Deseret Health Group, which had become insolvent. In that case too, the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services facilitated the takeover.
Northjersey.com, a Gannett-affiliated website, reported Monday that Skyline had received millions of dollars in Medicaid revenues for the care of thousands of elderly residents in eight states. It said that Skyline, which operates out of a second-floor office above a pizzeria and barbershop, had expanded rapidly in the last couple of years, acquiring dozens of skilled-nursing homes from financially troubled chains.
Last month, Nebraska health officials placed 21 nursing homes and 10 assisted living facilities operated by Skyline in receivership. Kansas officials moved to take over the 15 facilities in Kansas five days later.
Keck said that legal action against Skyline could be in the offing.
“I think that’s something we will attack on many fronts, probably through some litigation,” Keck said. “And we probably need to take a fresh look at our regulations on that, as to what the state has the ability to look at going forward. … But I can tell you we’ll be very aggressive to make sure that Kansas gets what we’re entitled to make us as whole as possible when it’s all said and done.”
Skyline is owned by Joseph Schwartz. A bio he provided to the Pennsylvania Department of Health says he was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and is married with four children. It says he began his career in 1986 as an independent insurance broker and “has built a profitable portfolio of real estate investments throughout the North East Region.”
The bio goes on to say that Schwartz founded Skyline in 2005 “with the purpose of purchasing and managing health care facilities.” From November 2015 to the present, it says, he has acquired 76 health care facilities, including the ones in Kansas.
Calls to Schwartz were referred to Juda Engelmayer, president of a public relations firm called Herald Strategies. Engelmayer said Skyline was not trying to run away from its problems but it wasn’t in a position to discuss them now.
“I expect within a week you’ll be hearing from me,” he said.
To facilitate the move to 2507 Canterbury, the Ellis County Health Department will be closed Thursday and Friday. The department will be reopen and resume normal business hours at 2507 Canterbury on Monday, April 23 at 7 a.m.
The department will be offering expanded services with the addition of Maren Moody, APRN, who will provide services such as adult healthcare, women’s healthcare and pap smears, sports physicals, back-to-school physicals, kindergarten physicals, sexually transmitted infection testing and acute self-limiting healthcare including urinary tract infections, ear infections, conjunctivitis, sinusitis, bronchitis, pharyngitis, seasonal allergies, and others.
New student senators, and a student president and vice president for the 2018-19 school year were recently elected to the Student Government Association at Fort Hays State University. Changes to the SGA constitution and a new student fee were also approved.
Electees are listed by title and college.
President:
Adam Schibi, Hays senior majoring in accounting, is a Thomas More Prep-Marian graduate.
Vice President:
Kayelani Kirschbaum, Merino, Colo., senior majoring in biology, is a Merino High School graduate.
Student Senate:
College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Jackilyn Dougherty, Wichita sophomore majoring in organizational leadership, is an Independent School graduate.
Roy Koech, Russell junior majoring in criminal justice, is a Creek Valley High School graduate.
Denice Lastra-Blanco, Fort Collins, Colo., freshman majoring in organizational leadership, is a Fort Collins High School graduate.
Michael Musgrove, Imperial, Neb., sophomore majoring in political science, is a Chase County High School graduate.
Kaytee Wisley, Wichita sophomore majoring in political science, is a Wichita High School Southeast graduate.
W.R. and Yvonne Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship
Graham Applegate, Cozad, Neb., senior majoring in management, is a Cozad High School graduate.
Nicholas Glassman, Hays senior majoring in accounting, is a Hays High School graduate.
Alicia Kroeger, Ellis graduate student majoring in business administration, is an Ellis High School graduate.
Emily Prine, Hays junior majoring in business education, is a Hays High School graduate.
College of Health and Behavioral Sciences
Reilly Franek, Elbert, Colo., senior majoring in social work, is an Elbert High School graduate.
Lucy Partlow-Loyall, Colorado Springs, Colo., senior majoring in social work, is a Coronado High School graduate.
Samantha Rohleder, Hays senior majoring in nursing, is a Hays High School graduate.
Mariam Sears, Calhan, Colo., senior majoring in radiologic technology, is a Branson School online graduate.
Peter Werth College of Science, Technology and Mathematics
Brent Hirsch, Abilene junior majoring in technology studies, is an Abilene High School graduate.
Kenton Lindsey, Goddard senior majoring in mathematics, is an Eisenhower High School graduate.
Wade Minihan, Wheaton junior majoring in agricultural business, is an Onaga High School graduate.
Osiris Nunez-Espinoza, Topeka freshman majoring in geosciences, is a Topeka High School graduate.
At-Large Senators:
Joshua Becker, Scott City sophomore majoring in political science, is a Scott Community High School graduate.
Kaylee Brin, Hays sophomore majoring in sociology, is a Hays High School graduate.
Alvaro (Fred) Escobedo, Salina sophomore majoring in political science, is a Salina High School South graduate.
MANHATTAN — Fire crews rescued two dogs after an apartment fire in Manhattan.
Just before 9a.m. Wednesday, the Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to 1010 Garden Way for a report of a structure fire, according to a social media report.
Upon arrival, crews found a three-story apartment building with smoke showing from Apartment A.
The fire was quickly contained in less than 10 minutes. There was no one inside the apartment that had the fire and all other occupants exited prior to fire department arrival. Crews were able to remove two dogs and were able to resuscitate them.
A total of 19 firefighters responded on 5 fire apparatus with the last units still on scene at the time of this release.
The building is a three-story, six-unit apartment building. All occupants were able to return to their apartments, other than Apartment A where the fire occurred.
Loss is estimated at $5,000 to contents and $25,000 to the structure. The owner is listed as 3SC Venture I LLC of Liberty, Missouri. The fire cause is under investigation, but preliminary investigation appears to indicate it was accidental.
Riley County Police Department, Riley County Emergency Medical Service, and City of Manhattan Animal Control assisted at the scene.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a vehicle theft and searching for a suspect.
Paxson -photo courtesy Wichita PD
Just after 10 p.m. Monday, police responded to a stolen auto report at Davis Moore, 7525 E. Kellogg in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.The vehicle was a black 2016 GMC Yukon. Through the investigation, a WPD officer located the stolen vehicle in the 5800 block of east Pawnee.
He observed an unknown suspect pumping gas in the vehicle and getting into the driver’s seat. The officer made contact with the suspect who immediately began resisting arrest, refusing to comply and striking the officer in the mouth, causing injury. The suspect then jumped into the passenger seat of a blue Pontiac G6 which fled the scene.
Another officer located the Pontiac G6 at Pawnee and Oliver in Wichita, according to Davidson. A traffic pursuit ensued but was discontinued due to excessive speeding in a residential neighborhood.
The WPD is requesting the public’s assistance locating 40-year-old Brandon J. Paxson. He is a person of interest in this case. Paxson is also wanted for an outstanding warrant in Sedgwick County.
Paxson has previous convictions for theft, aggravated battery, criminal threat, aggravated endangering a child, drugs and forgery, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Anyone knows the whereabouts of Paxson, should call 911 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.
