THOMAS COUNTY — Three people were injured in an accident just before 6p.m. Saturday in Thomas County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Ford Windstar driven by Brandon Michael Bomsch, 32, Brewster, was southbound on Kansas 25 five miles south of Colby.
The driver lost control of the vehicle on the unbladed roadway. The van entered the west ditch and struck a utility pole.
Domsch and passengers Bladin Domsch, 13, and Amanda K. Marcum, 31, all of Brewster, were transported to the hospital in Colby. Three additional children in the van were not injured. All six were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
DERBY, Kan. (AP) — A Derby Middle School teacher and coach who was arrested last month following a child pornography investigation has been charged with 11 counts of sexual exploitation of a child.
Chitwood- photo courtesy Derby Middle School
Cody Chitwood, 37, made his first appearance in court Thursday morning. A preliminary hearing is set for later this month.
Chitwood was a special education teacher, football, track and girls’ basketball coach at the school. He’s been suspended without pay.
District spokeswoman Katie Carlson said the school is cooperating with police and that the charges against Chitwood do not involve any of the school’s students.
Derby was arrested Jan. 23 after a search warrant was served on his home.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Speedway officials are seeking information on who stole two trucks, a paint trailer and various tools last week from the speedway in Kansas City, Kansas.
Speedway officials are offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in the case.
Speedway President Patrick Warren says in a written release that he would also like people to “keep their eyes open in case anyone attempts to sell any of these items and to contact the police immediately.”
The items, which were stolen on Jan. 30, are worth as much as $100,000.
One of the trucks was abandoned and recovered. One still missing is a red 2001 Ford F250 that had a Kansas Speedway logo on the door.
WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas woman pleaded guilty Friday to producing child pornography while she was babysitting a seven-year-old girl in her home, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.
Larsen-photo KDOC
Stefanie Larsen, 46, Wichita, pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography.
In her plea, she admitted she allowed a man to produce a series of videos in which he masturbated in the presence of the sleeping child. When the child awoke and cried out, Larsen told her she had just had a bad dream. The man paid Larsen to let him make the videos.
Most of us work our entire lives providing for our families— food, shelter, values, tradition, and if we are lucky, possibly a family business or farm. While we hope we will be able to pass that heritage on, those very things we treasure—that family business or that land that has been in the family for generations — may not be guaranteed for the next generation unless we do things now to preserve it.
Planning for the future is vital and families must take steps to ensure precious assets for the next generation. Learning about the estate planning process and taking steps now can help you keep those hard-earned assets with the families who worked so hard to attain and develop them.
K-State Research and Extension will offer “Preserving the Family with Estate Planning,” to aid families in beginning the process of transitioning from one generation to another. These workshops will be held in two locations: Thursday, February 22, 2018 at the Phillips County Fair Building in Phillipsburg, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.; and on Monday, February 26, 2018 at the Great Bend Recreation Center– Burnside Room in Great Bend, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
A meal and materials are included in the $20 registration fee, and family members can attend for an additional $15 each if registered together at the same time. The registration deadline is February 15, 2018. Meals and materials cannot be guaranteed for late or walk-in registrations.
If you would like more information or a brochure sent to you, please contact the Phillips-Rooks Extension District – Phillipsburg office at 785-543-6845 or the Cottonwood Extension District offices in Hays– 785-628-9430 or Great Bend– 620-793-1910.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Commerce will host the annual Kansas International Trade Day conference on June 5 in Lawrence. The conference will feature speakers and sessions designed to help Kansas businesses start exporting or grow existing exports. The event will also feature success stories from the 2018 Governor’s Exporter of the Year Award finalists, as well as exhibits from export service providers.
The Kansas International Trade Day conference will include sessions on the following topics:
· How to Pick a Market (the How, Why and What of determining where in the world businesses should sell their goods).
· Financial Options for International Buyers (developing an understanding of financing export sales through the EXIM Bank).
· Growing Kansas’ Global Partnerships (featuring a panel of Consuls General from Canada, Mexico, China and the UK)
· Getting in Front of the Customer (marketing globally using federal and state financial assistance programs)
The conference will also feature a panel of representatives from companies that are in the running for the prestigious Governor’s Exporter of the Year award. These companies will share their success stories with advice on how to grow a successful export business in Kansas.
Registration and exhibits will open at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 5. Opening remarks will begin at 10:00 a.m. and the conference will conclude at 5:00 p.m. The conference will be held at the at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, 200 McDonald Dr., Lawrence, Kansas.
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. The registration fee includes lunch. To register or learn more about the agenda, speakers and sponsorship opportunities, please visit KansasCommerce.gov/2018TradeDay.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Emergency officials say one person has died in a house fire in north Wichita.
Crews on the scene of the fatal fire-photo courtesy KWCH
The fire was reported around 6:15 p.m. Friday. Firefighters say they saw no smoke or flames coming from the home when they arrived, but encountered thick smoke upon entering the house.
Fire Chief Tammy Snow says the victim was found on the floor and removed from the house. The man was not breathing and did not have a pulse when rescued and was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 7 p.m.
Authorities had not released the victim’s name by midday Saturday.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A bill in the Kansas House would earmark $8 million in lottery proceeds to finance state water programs.
The bill would require that $8 million in appropriations to the State Water Plan be drawn entirely from the Economic Development Initiatives Fund, which uses lottery revenue. Currently, state law requires that $6 million in general fund revenue and $2 million from the economic initiatives fund go to the water plan.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the new bill would take the entire $8 million from the EDIF.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Tom Sloan, a Lawrence Democrat, says it would require that $3 million be used by Kansas Geological Survey, Kansas Biological Survey and Kansas State University for research on maintaining a reliable supply of quality water.
Dr. Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend, is the First District Kansas Congressman.
Friend,
Before you sent me to Washington D.C. I made you a promise. I told you that funding our military was a top priority for me, and after many attempts, today I can happily say Congress has fulfilled this promise. This morning we passed a two-year budget plan that will fully fund our military, this is a huge victory for our country and our national security. This budget package eliminates the caps on crop insurance policies for livestock producers and clears a pathway to speed up the Farm Bill by including citrus, dairy, and cotton fixes.
In this bill, Congress explicitly recognized our Kansas producers who suffered huge losses from blizzards and wildfires in 2017. The budget included two bills introduced by Senator Moran and I that retroactively fix payment limits for affected livestock producers. As Kansans are rebuilding following the natural disasters, I am glad that this agreement recognizes the impact of these losses and aims to help make it right.
All in all, this agreement is far from a perfect bill, but after reviewing it, I truly believe this deal has many wins for Kansans. In the video (below) I share a few of my thoughts on my vote to pass the bipartisan budget.
This week I also got to meet with the Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue (pictured above). In a House Agriculture Committee hearing on the state of the rural economy, Secretary Perdue made it very clear that he understands our farmers need certainty, especially with regard to trade agreements. Perdue described farmers as the most resilient and optimistic people in America but said the state of our rural economy was ‘fragile.’ As we get closer to work on a Farm Bill, it is critical that we continue this type of solution-based discussion where our Ag community can come together and brainstorm. At the hearing, I advocated to open up more trade markets for our farmers. It is no secret overseas that Kansas products are top quality. I want our farmers to be able to prosper while giving people what they want – GOOD QUALITY BEEF.
In the video (below) you can see my exchange with the Sec. of Agriculture.
Section 199a and Grain Sales:
One issue that many producers and rural businesses have called my office to express concerns about involves an update of so called, “Section 199a” provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. While we have been hearing story after story of the benefits of tax reform, this appears to be a provision with unintended consequences for our local feedlots, dairies and grain handlers.
This week I meant with members of the Kansas Grain and Feed to discuss the need for a legislative fix that will ensure fair competition in grain purchasing. Representative Bob Gibbs, and I both questioned Secretary Perdue about the policy change during a hearing in the House Agriculture Committee hearing this week. I was glad to hear the Secretary affirm the need and support for a fix. You can see that hearing here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQweKTeDxPI&feature=youtu.be The 199a discussion starts at about the 45 minute mark.
National Prayer Breakfast:
“America is a nation of believers, and together we are strengthened by the power of prayer,” President Trump said this week at the 66th annual National Prayer Breakfast. The Prayer Breakfast is a tradition that brings thousands of people from across the globe together in the spirit of peace and unity through Christ. I was honored to attend and join the president in prayer. I think it’s important to remember the history of this annual event that was started by President Eisenhower in 1953. Read more on the Kansas history involved with this event here: https://www.facebook.com/RogerMarshallMD/posts/402735420171474
Evening Tours of the U.S. Capitol:
In closing for this week, I’d like to share with you one of my favorite things to do in Washington, evening tours of the Capitol with constituents. My staff and I guide evening tours where we discuss the architecture and reminisce about the history of our great nation. This week Laina and I had the pleasure of taking Kansas Wheat leaders on a tour.
For me as a history buff, it’s important not to forget the hard work past leaders put in to make our country the best in the world. Too often, in these hyper-partisan times we forget about our history and the pragmatic leadership it took to become the great nation that we are today. Below are some pictures from the tour, and call my office if you would like to set up a tour. We’d love for you to join us.
SHAWNEE COUNTY — A Kansas man was injured in an accident just after 12:30 a.m. Saturday in Shawnee County.
Scene of Saturday morning crash Photo by Shawn Wheat courtesy WIBW TV
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Honda Accord driven by Christopher B. Gallegos, 21, Topeka, was northbound on SW Medford Avenue at 15th Street in Topeka.
The vehicle left the roadway, struck a tree and split in half. The front section of the Honda struck a legally parked and unoccupied 1997 Subaru Legacy.
Gallegos was transported to Stormont Vail. He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
Listen to Mike Cooper interviewing Cardiologist Dr. Mohammed Janif, MD; from the DeBakey Heart Institute at HaysMed, by clicking the link above and then clicking the play button
Farmers come and join us for a “Weed Control Update Meeting” featuring K-State Research and Extension Weed Control specialists Dallas Peterson and Curtis Thompson.
Covering topics of required Dicamba applicator training for growing Dicamba resistant soybeans, weed control updates for field crops, troublesome weeds…Palmer Amaranth, Kochia, Marestail, and more! As always, there will be time for your questions and answers. In addition, Certified Crop Adviser continuing education units have been applied for.
The “Weed Control Update” is on Thursday, February 15 at the American Ag Credit Building, 5634 10th Street, Great Bend, Kansas. Registration begins at 2:30 p.m. with the program kicking off at 3 p.m. and concluding at 6 p.m. with a light supper.
RSVP requested for meal count by Monday, February 12; call Cottonwood Extension Office in Great Bend at 620-793-1910, or email Brenda [email protected]
Listen to Mike Cooper interviewing Cardiologist Dr. Mohammed Janif, MD; from the DeBakey Heart Institute at HaysMed, by clicking the link above and then clicking the play button
