Gail Dee Lynch, 79, died February 10, 2018 at Redbud Village, Plainville. He was born January, 22, 1939, the first son of Victor LeRoy Lynch and Hazel LaVelle (Tyler) Lynch, in the home of his grandmother Bertha (Lynch) Lamb, rural Codell. Gail graduated with the Class of 1957, Plainville Rural High School. He attended Fort Hays Kansas State College following high school. He married Caroline Walker August 28, 1960, in Woodston. They later divorced. They had two children, Bradley Gail and Connie Jo.
Gail was a man of many talents, and could fix anything from a car to a baby doll. He worked for Boeing and Cessna aircraft companies in Wichita, Kansas; in the Plainville area he worked in the oil patch, oil industry service, Schult Manufactured Homes; also Gardenia Mobile Homes,
Lucas. He operated the Woodston Telephone Company with his wife Caroline. Gail loved Ford cars, especially Mustangs and Torinos, NASCAR, music, history and searching family tree information. He could often be seen in the country, exploring. Gail was an avid Plainville Cardinal fan.
He is survived by his son, Brad Lynch (Marla), S. D., daughter, Connie Manis (Mark), Stockton, brother Terry Lynch (Virginia), Kingman Ariz.; sisters Gloria Sudduth, Azusa, Calif., Vinda Dechant (Nick), Hays, and Candace Rachel, (Donnie), Plainville; grandsons Colton Pfeifer and friend Rachelle Nelson, Stockton, Brad Lynch Jr., Charlotte N.C., Dyllan Lynch, Hill City; granddaughter Kassi Meyers, Hays, and great-grandsons Eythun and Davyn. He was preceded in death by his parents, granddaughter Lindsey Piefer, great-granddaughter Chloe Wyatt, and brother-in-law Joe Sudduth.
A private family viewing will be held. Gail chose cremation, and a Graveside Service will be held Sunday, 3:00 P.M. February 18, 2018 at Shiloh Cemetery near Codell, Kansas. Memorials in Gail’s name are suggested to the Codell Tornado Memorial Sculpture in care of the Codell Community Service Club, PO Box 153, Plainville, KS, 67663.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities are investigating a deadly shooting in Kansas City, Kansas, as a possible case of self-defense.
O’Donnell-photo Wyandotte County Sheriff
Jarrod O’Donnell, 48, Tonganoxie, was killed late Saturday. His ex-fiancee, Misty Bartlett, says she was home with a friend and her 8-year-old son when O’Donnell shattered a sliding glass door and attacked her. The friend in the home eventually shot and killed O’Donnell, an act that Bartlett said was in self-defense.
Police Detective Cameron Morgan says initial information in the case points to a self-defense shooting, adding that O’Donnell died from multiple wounds to his abdomen. But he stressed that the investigation is ongoing.
Morgan says he believed O’Donnell had recently moved out of the house.
By TISA MASON Fort Hays State University president
As I have been reacquainting myself with Fort Hays State University, I have been exploring impact stories. As human beings, we all have unlimited potential to make a difference in the world, and what I love most about this community is the limitless stories of how we care for and nurture one another.
My collection of impact stories is rapidly growing. The stories are inspirational, varied, and humbling. They are stories about how lives have been transformed through selflessness. One such story is that of alumna Irene Waters.
Born into a Kansas farming family, Irene was raised by parents who worked long hours in the fields to provide food and shelter for the family. While she was in grade school, the Great Depression struck. Adding to the hardship, a terrible farming accident blinded her father. Even today, the memory brings tears to her eyes.
As a result of the struggling economy and her father’s accident, the family’s resources were very strained. Irene’s mother returned to the fields. The hired hands were let go. College wasn’t going to be an option, and piano lessons were clearly out of the question. But she continued to dream about music.
One day, Irene was visiting her great aunt, who asked her, “If you were able to go to college and major in what you really want to do, what would it be?” The answer was, “Music! Without a doubt!”
On the next visit, a check was waiting to send her to college. Irene says, “I don’t think my feet hit the ground going home. I was so elated! I can still remember the feeling, as it was unbelievable to me. I had never had a lesson, but playing music was all I wanted to do!”
So Irene was off to Fort Hays State University. During her college days, she earned 25 cents an hour working seven hours a week cleaning and 15 hours a week at the library. With her great aunt paying tuition and her mom bringing food once a week, Irene got by. She deeply appreciated the opportunity to study music. She graduated in 1944 and began teaching in Utica, Kansas.
Irene knew she wanted to honor the incredible opportunity her great aunt had bestowed on her, so she started saving money with her very first paycheck, which was about $10. She saved something from each check throughout her 70-year teaching career, and in 1992 Irene established the Holtzinger Family Scholarship in honor of her mother and father.
Each year since, and forever in the future, students studying piano at Fort Hays State will benefit from Irene’s generosity. She says, “I owe everything to FHSU, where I received my start. I want to make opportunities available for students like me.”
I love Irene’s story. Her passion for music, her drive to “pay it forward” and her deep gratitude make up one of the many stories that weave together an incredible tapestry of the people and community of Fort Hays State University. #EveryGiftMatters
Dr. Tisa Mason is the 10th president of Fort Hays State University.
COLBY — America’s Navy is coming to Colby, one of 21 cities in 12 states to host a performance by the United States Navy Band during its 2018 tour — one of the signature outreach programs of the U.S. Navy.
The United States Navy Concert Band performance is scheduled for March 4, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. CST at the Colby Community Building, 285 E 5th Street. The Navy Band concert is co-sponsored by The Western Plains Arts Association and The Colby Free Press and Country Advocate.
While all Navy Band performances are free and open to the public, Band personnel encourage people to order advance free tickets. For tickets send self-addressed stamped envelope to: Pat Zeigelmeier, Colby Community College, 1255 South Range Ave., Colby, Kansas 67701
The Navy Concert Band, the premier wind ensemble of the U.S. Navy, presents a wide array of marches, patriotic selections, orchestral transcriptions and modern wind ensemble repertoire. As the original ensemble of the Navy Band, the Concert Band has been performing public concerts and participating in high-profile events for nearly 90 years.
One of the U.S. Navy Band’s primary responsibilities involves touring the country. All of the band’s primary performing units embark each year on concert tours throughout specified regions of the country, allowing the band to reach out to audiences in areas of the country that do not have opportunities to see the Navy’s premier musical ensembles on a regular basis. The concerts are family-friendly events, meant to be entertaining to veterans, families, individuals and those interested in joining the Navy.
“For many years, Navy bands have been where it matters, when it matters, just like the rest of our Navy. Today, we have Sailors performing around the world, improving relations with our allies abroad as well as telling the Navy story here at home,” said Capt. Kenneth Collins, U.S. Navy Band commanding officer.
QUICK FACTS
-The U.S. Navy Band is the flagship musical organization of the Navy, and one of 11 Navy bands located around the world.
-The U.S. Navy Band is based at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C.
-The Navy Band has been touring the country since 1925.
-There are six performing ensembles in the Navy Band: the Concert Band, Ceremonial Band, Sea Chanters chorus, Commodores jazz ensemble, Country Current country/bluegrass ensemble, and the Cruisers popular music group
-Ensembles from the Navy Band tour nationally 12-15 weeks each year.
-Sailors in the Navy Band are full-time professional musicians.
-Almost all of the Sailors in the Navy Band have undergraduate degrees in music, and most have graduate degrees.
LINKS
U.S. Navy Band (www.navyband.navy.mil)
Navy Band tours (www.navyband.navy.mil/national_tour.html)
Navy Concert Band (https://www.navyband.navy.mil/concert_band.html)
The 2018 Sweetheart candidates have been annouced. They are Savannah Yost ’18, daughter of Greg & Candace Yost – Michael Braun ’18, son of Glenn & Amy Braun – Brianna Romme ’18, daughter of Darrell & Melissa Romme – Chase Werth ’18, son of Kent & Shawnda Werth – Kayla Vitztum ’18, daughter of Brian & Tina Vitztum – Luke Ruder ’18, son of Russ and Janel Ruder – Aubrey Koenigsman ’18, daughter of Joe and Tami Koenigsman – Trenton Mayo ’18, son of Matt Mayo and Amy Mayo – Cheyenne Rhoades ’18, daughter of Chris & Leah Rhoades and Robin Lovewell – Tate Garcia ’18, daughter of John and Tara Garcia.
VICTORIA — Victoria Interested Parents will be providing a German meal from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Victoria High School cafeteria.
The fundraiser will include homemade creamed dumplings and noodles and beans. Meals may be taken to go. All proceeds support VHS drug- and alcohol-free activities.
The luncheon at the Victoria High School is a fundraiser to help pay for the expenses of Project Prom, an event that takes place after prom for the students who attend to have a fun night with different various activities.
The Victoria Interested Parents group consists of 14 parents of students who attend Victoria Jr./Sr. High School.
“The German meal is a good meal, and it is the first luncheon on the first Friday of Lent,” said Teresa Hammerschmidt, head of the group.
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
Guess who’s coming to dinner? A Hollywood movie star, a best-selling author, or maybe even the President of the United States. These were the remarkable types of visitors who came to call on rural Kansas newspaper editor William Allen White. In 2018, White’s home in Emporia is celebrating 150 years since the birth of this amazing Kansan.
William Allen White was born in 1868 in Emporia. Roger Heineken and Kathie Buckman, volunteers with the William Allen White Community Partnership, shared the story of his home and his life.
White grew up in the rural community of El Dorado, with a population at the time of 3,466 people. Now, that’s rural. He attended the College of Emporia and the University of Kansas.
“Sheer luck got me in the newspaper business,” White would write later. As a student, he wrote three letters asking for a job: One to a grocer, one to a merchant, and one to a newspaper editor. The grocer and the merchant “knew my desultory ways and rejected me,” White wrote in modesty. The newspaper editor knew White’s father and hired him, and his journalism career began.
In 1892, White became an editorial writer for the Kansas City Star where he met and married Sallie Lindsay. In 1895, the Whites borrowed $3,000 to buy the Emporia Gazette and moved to Emporia where they lived for the rest of their lives.
One day, White was accosted on the street by some men who disagreed with his politics. White was furious. He went to his office and dashed off an editorial which criticized what he considered the backward-looking, anti-business policies of the Democrat and Populist parties. The editorial was titled “What’s the Matter with Kansas?”
The editorial went viral, as we might describe it in 2018. The Republican Party distributed hundreds of thousands of copies of his editorial across the nation. Virtually overnight, White became nationally famous. In following years, he became a key leader of the progressive wing of the Republican Party and a friend of Teddy Roosevelt.
In 1899, the Whites moved into a home named Red Rocks because of the red Colorado sandstone which covers the first story. The house is located at 927 Exchange Street in Emporia.
If only the walls of this home could talk. Through the years, it hosted some of the most famous people of its day. These ranged from actor Douglas Fairbanks to author Edna Ferber to scientist Albert Einstein – including, by some accounts, five presidents.
“The main line of the Santa Fe railroad ran right through Emporia so it was convenient for major figures of the day to stop and see him,” Roger Heineken said.
The Whites had two children, William Lindsay and Mary Katherine. William went to Harvard and eventually succeeded his father at the Emporia Gazette.
In 1920, 16-year-old Mary was tragically killed in a horseback riding accident. White’s editorial tribute to her became one of his most enduring works, reprinted in textbooks for years. The White family dedicated a park in Emporia in her memory. It is called Peter Pan Park, in reference to the literary figure who would never grow old. Today, a bust of William Allen White and a plaque with the text of that editorial stand on a peaceful place next to the lake in Peter Pan Park.
In 2001, Red Rocks was donated to the State of Kansas after 100 years of White family ownership. Today it is open to visitors as a historic site, managed by the Kansas State Historical Society with support from the William Allen White Community Partnership. The beautiful home is filled with fascinating historic artifacts and furnishings.
Guess who’s coming to dinner? A remarkable list of guests visited this home in its heyday, and now the public can visit as well. We commend the volunteers of the William Allen White Community Partnership for making a difference by preserving and sharing this history. They provide a voice for the walls which cannot talk.
And there’s more. In the next generation, a British war orphan came to join the White family permanently. We’ll learn about that next week.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas father fighting efforts by the U.S. to deport him to Bangladesh was returned Wednesday to Missouri from Honolulu, even as members of Congress push legislation that would make him and his wife lawful permanent residents.
Jamal-photo courtesy the online petition
Syed Ahmed Jamal, 55, was being held Wednesday near Kansas City in the Platte County, Missouri, jail his attorney, Rekha Sharma-Crawford, said on Facebook. The post did not give any other details.
U.S. immigration officials put Jamal on a plane bound for Bangladesh Monday before an immigration panel granted a temporary stay in the case. He was taken off the flight when it stopped to refuel in Honolulu and his attorneys had announced earlier Wednesday that he was returning to the Kansas City area.
Family spokesman Alan Anderson said the hope is that Jamal will be allowed to stay with his wife, 44-year-old Angela Jamal, and three children in Lawrence, Kansas, under an “order of supervision” while the family fights the matter in the courts, which could take months.
Jamal’s return came one day after Republican U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins, whose district includes Lawrence, introduced a bill that would provide for the “relief” of Jamal and his wife, whose legal name is Zaynaub Jahan Chowdhury. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat from Missouri who has also taken up Jamal’s case, helped draft the bill and “fully supports” it, said spokeswoman Heather Frierson.
Jenkins said in a statement that she is “hopeful that an appropriate solution can be reached for a man who has spent 30 years here and is well respected and valued in the Lawrence community.”
Jamal, who has worked as an adjunct professor and researcher at Kansas City-area colleges, has been battling his deportation since Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested him Jan. 24 at his family’s home.
Jamal entered the U.S. legally in 1987 to attend the University of Kansas but overstayed his visa while pursuing a doctorate. He was ordered deported in 2011 but had been allowed to stay in the U.S. and check in regularly with immigration authorities. Sharma-Crawford said Jamal has a work permit that is valid until October and that he was trying to work within what she calls a complicated immigration system.
His wife, who also is from Bangladesh, came to the U.S. in 2002, and there also was an order for her removal several years ago, Frierson said. The couple’s children are U.S. citizens.
Cases such as Jamal’s have been on the rise. Shortly after taking office last year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that widened the categories of immigrants in the U.S. illegally who could face deportation. The number of arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement surged almost 40 percent from the time of Trump’s inauguration to the end of September, compared with the same time period the year before. ICE has also detained or deported people who had received reprieves from the agency during the Obama administration.
Nikolas Cruz jailed on 17 counts of murder-photo Broward Co. Sheriff
PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on the deadly shooting at a Florida high school (all times local):
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel says the 19-year-old suspect in the deadly school shooting, Nikolas Cruz, had been expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for “disciplinary reasons.”
Israel says he doesn’t know the specifics of what happened.
But Victoria Olvera, a 17-year-old junior, says Cruz was expelled last school year after a fight with his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend.
School officials haven’t confirmed such accounts, but say Cruz was attending another school in Florida’s Broward County after his expulsion.
The @FBI has set up a website where you can upload images and video of the #stonemanshooting. Visit https://t.co/7k6vAb5Csa to submit any information you have on the shooting that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
One 17-year-old junior, Dakota Mutchler, says he used to be friends with Cruz but hadn’t seen him in more than a year after his expulsion. He says of Cruz: “He started progressively getting a little more weird.”
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This story has been corrected show that Dakota’s last name is Mutchler, not Mentcher.
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Florida Gov. Rick Scott has joined law enforcement agents near the site of the deadly school shooting and offered his condolences to the victims’ families and survivors. He says the attack that claimed at least 17 lives “is just absolutely pure evil.”
Scott told reporters Wednesday evening he can’t imagine what the families of the victims are going through. He also said he would be visiting hospitalized survivors.
Sheriff Scott Israel of Broward County also said at the news conference that 12 of the dead have been identified but some weren’t carrying identification and that slowed confirmation efforts. The families are being notified.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi says the state will cover funeral expenses for the victims and counseling for survivors.
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A law enforcement official says the former student suspected of killing at least 17 people at a South Florida high school posted highly disturbing material on social media before the shooting rampage.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said Wednesday the 19-year-old suspect, Nikolas Cruz, had been expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for unspecified disciplinary reasons.
Israel says investigators are dissecting the suspect’s social media posts and found material that is “very, very disturbing.” He didn’t elaborate.
An ex-schoolmate recalled Cruz posting on Instagram about killing animals and said he talked of doing target practice in his backyard with a pellet gun.
A school superintendent, Robert Runcie, told reporters he didn’t know of any concerns raised about Cruz.
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A student who escaped the deadly shooting at a Florida high school says he knew the suspect when he attended the school, describing him as a “weird kid” and something of a “loner.”
Authorities said 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz is in custody after the attack Wednesday that claimed 17 lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Officials say Cruz was a former student, having been expelled from the school.
Student Daniel Huerfano told The Associated Press he remembers seeing Cruz walking around the school with his lunch bag, adding, “He was that weird kid that you see … like a loner.”
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Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida says he is “devastated and saddened” by the deadly shooting attack on a high school in his state.
The Republican senator says he remains ready to assist state and local officials and “anyone impacted by this horrible tragedy.” He also said in his statement Wednesday that he hopes authorities can find out in coming hours and days more about why and how the killer “carried out this carnage.”
Meanwhile, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz of Florida has also issued condolences. She called the attack in Parkland, Florida, “another senseless school shooting … this time in our community.”
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Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords says the deadly school shooting in Florida should “strike fear into all Americans.”
The Democrat from Arizona was shot in the head and survived a shooting attack in 2011.
She said in a statement Wednesday that her heart goes out to the victims and survivors of the school shooting that claimed 17 lives in Parkland, Florida. She called it the latest attack in an epidemic of gun violence that continues “days after deadly day.”
She also says in a statement that the latest in a series of deadly U.S. shootings should stir fresh resolve in Congress to “find the courage to pass the laws we need to protect our children.”
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Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida says the shooter in the attack on a high school in his state wore a gas mask and had smoke grenades.
The Florida Democrat said in an interview with CNN that he was briefed on the attack by the FBI.
Nelson says the attacker “set off the fire alarm so the kids would come pouring out of the classrooms into the hall. And there the carnage began.”
Nelson says he did not know if the gunman had used the smoke grenades but he assumed that’s why he had a gas mask on.
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Doctors say 16 people wounded in a deadly shooting at a Florida high school were taken to area hospitals for treatment and two of them have died.
Dr. Evan Boyar at Broward Health North told reporters Wednesday that eight victims and the suspect had been brought to his hospital. Boyar says two victims died, three were in critical condition and three were in stable condition. He says three patients were still in the operating room Wednesday evening. The suspect was treated and released to police.
Boyar says all the victims were shot but declined to comment on their ages or the extent of their wounds.
Eight other victims were taken to other hospitals, but he did not have information on their conditions.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel says a 19-year-old former student has been arrested in the shooting that killed 17 people.
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This item has been clarified to note that 16 people were transported to be treated but two of them died.
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Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida says lawmakers have offered their condolences after the latest school shooting, this one in his district.
Deutch says he found his colleagues’ outreach — in his words — both “heartwarming and obscene.” Authorities say 17 people died in Wednesday’s attack in Parkland, Florida, and the suspect, a 19-year-old former student, is in custody.
The congressman says he uses the word “obscene” because school shootings have become so commonplace that lawmakers were offering him guidance on what to expect in coming days as constituents grapple with the tragedy.
Deutch says it’s time to find ways to save lives. He says he wants President Donald Trump to call those concerned to the White House to “do something” about gun violence.
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A Florida sheriff says that 12 of the 17 confirmed deaths in Wednesday’s shooting attack on a high school were found in the school.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel says the attack began outside the school Wednesday afternoon.
He told reporters that authorities subsequently found 12 people dead in the building and two more dead just outside the school and one more in a nearby street. Israel says two other people died later under medical treatment.
Israel says the suspect, a 19-year-old former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, is in custody. He says the male suspect was checked out at a hospital after his arrest and is now being held at a secure location in a public building.
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5:20 p.m.
A federal official has identified the Florida school shooting suspect as Nicolas Cruz.
“I’m saddened to say that 17 people lost their lives.”- Sheriff Scott Israel #stonemanshooting
The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The official says he had been briefed on the investigation into the shooting at the South Florida high school, but was not authorized to discuss it publicly.
Authorities in Florida say the shooter opened fire at the school Wednesday afternoon, killing “numerous” people. The shooting sent frightened students running out into the streets and SWAT team members swarming the building.
Authorities later announced that they had taken a former student, about 18 years old, into custody after locating him off the school grounds.
5 p.m.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel says the shooting suspect is an 18-year-old former student at the South Florida school where the shooting erupted.
He says the teen was arrested without incident after he was located off the school grounds in a nearby community. He didn’t give details of when the suspect had attended the school. But the sheriffs says the suspect wasn’t currently enrolled.
“It’s catastrophic. There really are no words.” – Sheriff Israel
“I don’t know why he left,” Israel said, briefing reporters Wednesday afternoon.
He also says the shooter was outside and inside the school at points during the attack. He didn’t elaborate.
The sheriff says several SWAT teams have gone in during the afternoon and are clearing every building at the Parkland high school complex to ensure no other threat remains.
He also says the FBI has stepped in and will begin processing what he describes as “horrific scene.”
Said the sheriff: “This is a terrible day … This is catastrophic.”
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4:40 p.m.
Parents described a chaotic and frightening situation as they rushed to find their children in the frantic minutes after reports of a shooting at a South Florida high school began to spread.
Caesar Figueroa says he was one of the first parents to arrive at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. He says he saw police officers bringing out big weapons as they approached the school.
Figueroa’s office is only five minutes from the school where he sends his 16-year-old daughter.
“My wife called me that there was an active shooter and the school was on lockdown. I got on the road and saw helicopters, police with machine guns. It was crazy and my daughter wasn’t answering her phone.”
According to Figueroa, she texted him that she was hidden inside a closet at school with friends: “She was in a classroom and she heard gunshots by the window. She and her friends ran into the closet.”
Another parent, Beth Feingold, says her daughter sent a text at 2:32 p.m. saying “We’re on code red. I’m fine.” But she then sent another text soon afterward saying, “Mom, I’m so scared.” The girl was later able to escape the school unharmed.
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4:25 p.m.
A school official says there are numerous fatalities from the high school shooting in South Florida.
So far we have at least 14 victims. Victims have been and continue to be transported to Broward Health Medical Center and Broward Health North hospital. #StonemanShooting
Broward County Superintendent Robert Runcie says “There are numerous fatalities. It is a horrific situation.” He added, “It is a horrible day for us.”
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office tweeted Wednesday afternoon that “so far we have at least 14 victims.” The tweet added: “Victims have been and continue to be transported to Broward Health Medical Center and Broward Health North hospital.”
The sheriff’s statement didn’t elaborate on the victims or their injuries.
4:10 p.m.
Authorities say the shooter at a South Florida high school is now in custody.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office gave no details in briefly tweeting that development. It did not identify the shooting suspect nor say how the person was taken into custody.
Television footage showed police putting a person in the back of a police car outside the high school.
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A shooting at a Florida high school Wednesday sent students rushing out into the streets as SWAT team members swarmed in and locked down the building, and police warned that the shooter was still at large. School officials said they had received reports of multiple injuries.
Coral Springs Police said on their Twitter account Wednesday that Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was locked down and that students and teachers inside should remain barricaded until police reach them.
Police are working an active shooter scene, and ask that if you are in touch with your student you ask that they remain calm and barricaded until police come to their room, this is for everyone’s safety. Do NOT call our 911 or non-emergency number unless it is an emergency.
Len Murray’s 17-year-old son, a junior at the school, sent his parents a chilling text around 2:30pm: “Mom and Dad, there have been shots fired on campus at school. There are police sirens outside. I’m in the auditorium and the doors are locked.”
A few minutes later, he texted again: “I’m fine.”
Ambulances converged in front of the school, and TV news broadcasts showed at least one person being wheeled to an ambulance on a gurney. Live footage also showed emergency workers appearing to treat possibly wounded people on the sidewalks. It wasn’t immediately clear how many were wounded. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office tweeted that the shooter was still at large even as the evacuation was underway.
Television footage showed police in olive fatigues, with weapons drawn, entering the school, then dozens of children frantically running and walking quickly out. A police officer waved the students on, urging them to quickly evacuate. Some students exited the building in single-file rows with hands raised overhead to show they carried no weapons. Others held onto other students as they made their way out past helmeted police in camouflage with weapons drawn.
The Broward Schools department said on its website that it had received reports of “possible multiple injuries” and was dismissing students. The department said students and staff heard what sounded like gunfire and the school immediately went on lockdown.
Murray said he raced to the school only to be stopped by authorities under a highway overpass within view of the school buildings. He said he told his son to save his battery and stop texting, while the boy’s mother told him to turn off his ringer.
No information has been provided yet to parents, he said. “I’m scared for the other parents here. You can see the concern in everybody’s faces. Everybody is asking, ‘Have you heard from your child yet?'” Murray said.
Murray said he’s had just one thought running through his mind since he got his son’s text: “All I keep thinking about is when I dropped him off this morning – I usually say, ‘I love you,’ and I didn’t think morning. He’s 17, he’s at that age, and I didn’t say it this morning, and I’m just kicking myself right now over and over and over. Say it early and often, I’m telling you.”
The high school is a sprawling complex set on a tract in the South Florida community of Parkland, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) north of downtown Miami.
The school had just over 3,100 students in the 2016-2017 academic year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Major streets run along two sides and an expressway passes nearby on the other not far from a residential neighborhood of single family homes.
Today Partly sunny, with a high near 62. West wind 7 to 16 mph becoming north in the afternoon.
Tonight Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. Windy, with a north wind 15 to 25 mph.
Friday Sunny, with a high near 39. North wind 8 to 13 mph becoming light and variable.
Friday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 23. South wind 9 to 13 mph.
SaturdaySunny, with a high near 56. Breezy, with a west southwest wind 8 to 13 mph becoming northwest 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — An agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement accused of sending a Wichita television news anchor sensitive law enforcement material has pleaded guilty to exceeding authorized access to a government computer.
ICE Agent Andrew J. Pleviak was taken into custody at Wednesday’s change-of-plea hearing after a federal judge found there were no conditions that can reasonably assure the safety of the community or Pleviak’s compliance with bond requirements.
A probable cause affidavit released in January shows KAKE-TV anchor Deb Farris told police that Pleviak was sending her sensitive law enforcement material and texting messages that were sexual in nature. Police photographed about 185 screenshots of text messages between them.
Farras has said Pleviak was texting her things that made her uncomfortable and scared her.
DOUGLAS COUNTY —Sheriff’s authorities say officers found an assault rifle and more than 1,300 rounds of ammunition in a car after a chase in Lawrence.
Douglas County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kirsten Channel says the chase began early Wednesday when a sheriff’s deputy stopped a car in Lawrence for a traffic violation. He called for backup after seeing an AR-15 rifle in the car, and the suspect drove off. The car eventually was stopped. Officials say a search uncovered the rifle, ammunition and drugs.
The 26-year-old driver identified as Vince Wyatt from Kansas City, Kansas, was scheduled to appear before a judge Wednesday.
Wyatt is on parole, with previous convictions including seven felony burglaries in Leavenworth County.
Gail Dee Lynch, 79, died February 10, 2018 at Redbud Village, Plainville. He was born January, 22, 1939, the first son of Victor LeRoy Lynch and Hazel LaVelle (Tyler) Lynch, in the home of his grandmother Bertha (Lynch) Lamb, rural Codell. Gail graduated with the Class of 1957, Plainville Rural High School. He attended Fort Hays Kansas State College following high school. He married Caroline Walker August 28, 1960, in Woodston. They later divorced. They had two children, Bradley Gail and Connie Jo.
Today Partly sunny, with a high near 62. West wind 7 to 16 mph becoming north in the afternoon.
