WICHITA (AP) — Federal prosecutors have filed four cases seeking to keep more than $358,000 in suspected drug money recovered by Kansas officers in separate traffic stops on Interstate 70 in August and September.
The U.S. Attorney’s office filed the four cases involving traffic stops in Ellis, Ellsworth, Shawnee and Wabaunsee counties.
In the most recent case filed Wednesday, a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper reportedly found $98,600 during a stop in Ellis County. The money was wrapped in rubber bands inside vacuum-sealed plastic bags hidden in a quarter panel.
Federal prosecutors filed four similar cases in June in Shawnee, Wabaunsee, Ellsworth and Chase counties.
The eight cases filed since June total about $884,000 in suspected drug money seized by law enforcement officers on interstate highways in Kansas.
Did you know with any 8th Street Liquor purchase you can get your game day cups for tailgating?
Fort Hays State takes on Missouri Western on Sept. 12 and then Missouri Southern on Sept. 28 and we want to see photos of your 8th Street Liquor Cups out supporting your Tigers.
Take your best tailgate photo at the game or in the comfort of your home with your 8th street cup and upload here for your chance to win this Coors Ultimate Tailgate Grill!
Entries will be accepted through Sept. 29. Then we’ll let the community vote on their favorite tailgate photo Sept. 30 to Oct. 6!
“As members of this community as well as being sworn to protect our citizens, we will do our best to make sure everyone here remains safe and protected,” the department said in a social media release.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (800) KS-CRIME or the Rooks County Sheriff’s Office at (785) 425-6312.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A mother has testified in the trial of a suspended Kansas priest charged with molesting her daughter that she was raised to hold priests in high regard and didn’t know how to respond when she became concerned.
Rev. Kallal-photo Wyandotte Co. Jail
The mother said Wednesday that she waited months to come forward after seeing the Rev. Scott Kallal chase her daughter into the bathroom of Kansas City, Kansas, church, go in after her and carry her out.
The mother testified that said she didn’t see him touch her daughter’s breast, as the girl later reported, and feared her concerns would be “swept under the rug.” Her daughter also says Kallal touched her inappropriately at a graduation party earlier in 2015. She was 10 at the time.
Kallal is being tried on two felony counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. He’s pleaded not guilty.
DOUGLAS COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before 10p.m Wednesday in Douglas County.
A pickup driven by Silvestre Guebara, 52, Wichita, was northbound in the 1200 Block of Iowa Street in Lawrence, according Police Sgt. Amy Rhoads. The pickup exited the road at Stratford, struck a tree and rolled.
Guebara was pronounced dead a the scene.
At this time, it appears as though no other vehicles were involved in the accident. Police released no additional information early Thursday.
Coleen Rita Nuss, 70, passed away September 11, 2019, at Wheat State Manor, Whitewater. She was born July 26, 1949, at Great Bend, to Eilt and Reita (Yarmer) Miller. Coleen married Larry Nuss December 18, 1971, at Albert. He died November 22, 2010.
Coleen, a lifetime Barton and Rush County resident and a 1967 graduate of Otis Rural High School, was a member of Peace Lutheran Church, rural Albert, and enjoyed woodworking, skilled in producing anything from crafts to fine furniture. Most of all, she loved and adored her grand and great grandchildren. Coleen was a 20 year employee of Sunflower Diversified Services, retiring in 2017, managing day workers, shop workers and serving as a direct contact for in-home clients.
Survivors include one daughter, Tonya Ross and husband Mike of Whitewater; foster daughter, Beverly Witt and husband Nicholas of Calumet, Okla.; one brother, Stephen Miller and wife Julie of West Des Moines, Iowa; one sister, Shelly DeWald of Otis; seven grandchildren and six great grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; and canine companion, Destiny.
Coleen was preceded in passing by her parents; husband, Larry; brother-in-law, Paul Menzer; and beloved pet dog, Jessie.
Funeral will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, September 14, 2019, at Peace Lutheran Church, rural Albert, with Pastor Wayne Baldyga and Pastor Tonya Andrews presiding. Interment will follow at Peace Lutheran Church Cemetery. Visitation will be from Noon to 9:00 p.m., Friday, September 13, 2019, at Bryant Funeral Home, with family receiving friends from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Memorials have been designated to the Coleen Nuss Memorial Fund, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
GIRARD, Kan. (AP) — A 22-year-old southeast Kansas man who was a school bus monitor has admitted to sexually abusing an elementary school student.
Bryant photo Crawford Co.
Jacob Quentin Bryant, of Arma, pleaded guilty Tuesday to rape and aggravated indecent liberties with a child.
Investigators determined that Bryant abused a Northeast Elementary School student on a school bus in November 2018.
Bryant faces up to 19 year in prison when he is sentenced Oct. 31.
Crawford County Attorney Michael Gayoso said his office worked with the victim’s family on the plea deal and noted it will avoid requiring the child to testify at trial.
Bradley Lane Funk, 47, of St. George, Kansas, passed away Monday, September 9, 2019.
Bradley was born February 8, 1972 in San Antonio, Texas. He was the son of Larry Dean and Carolyn L. (Wilson) Funk. His dad was in the Air Force while he was growing up and they lived in Big Spring, Texas; Salina, Kansas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Edwards Air Force Base, California; Hampton, Virginia; Las Vegas, Nevada; Oslo, Norway; and finally ending up during his high school years in Manhattan, Kansas. He graduated from Manhattan High School and then he attended the Air Force Academy. He returned to Kansas State University where he obtained a Masters Degree in Accounting.
Bradley worked for the Sink, Gilmore & Gordan Accounting Firm for over five years before he started his own business. He was the owner and operator of the Funk & Associates Accounting. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Manhattan. In college, he was a member of the Delta Chi Fraternity. He also was a member of the Board of Accountancy in the State of Kansas. He enjoyed playing golf and soccer, and fishing and hunting. His greatest love in life was his children.
Bradley’s surviving family include his three children; Emmalee Funk Raleigh, North Carolina, Abbygale Funk of Lexington, Kentucky, and Garrison Funk of Great Barrington, Massachusetts; parents, Larry and Carolyn Funk of St. George, Kansas; sister, Lora Collins (Shane) of Chelsea, Alabama; and three nieces, Katherine Collins, Michaela Collins and Christie Collins; and several Aunts, Uncles and Cousins.
Funeral Services for Bradley will be held at 2:00 PM, Monday, September 16, 2019 at Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell. Burial will follow at the Russell City Cemetery. No visitation is planned at this time. A Memorial has been established with 1st United Methodist Church of Manhattan. Contributions and condolences may be sent to Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, who is in charge of these arrangements.
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
“Kansas: The Mushroom State.” No, mushrooms have not surpassed wheat or sunflowers as a leading product in Kansas. In fact, today we’ll meet the only certified and inspected mushroom grower in the state. He and his family are growing and marketing mushrooms and honey as healthy, tasty foods. Thanks to Doug and Linda Beech for this story idea.
Mike and Amy Jensen are the owners of Jensen Farms and Professor’s Classic Sandwich Shop & More in Hays. Mike grew up on a farm northwest of Hays near the site of Yocemento. Amy grew up at Hays, came to K-State on a golf scholarship, and finished her degree at Fort Hays State. They met and married.
When he was a kid, Mike enjoyed hunting for morel mushrooms. Then he started growing mushrooms himself. His family also had a large garden but it needed pollination so they wanted bees. Mike and Amy met a farmer at Osborne who had a bunch of equipment for raising bees, and he gave it to them. They started raising bees along with the mushrooms, and it changed their perspective about healthy food.
In 2003, they bought the Professor’s restaurant in Hays and leased it for others to operate. Professor’s had been a long-time fixture in downtown Hays. As their honey production increased, the Jensens needed a storefront to serve as a retail outlet.
By 2017, Professor’s restaurant had closed so the Jensens reopened it as Professor’s Classic Sandwich Shop & More. They also got a permit to raise mushrooms in the basement below.
To produce mushrooms, they hand-pack long plastic sleeves with pasteurized straw and cottonseed hulls. Then they add mushroom spawn, seal the sleeves, and hang them straight down. “In three weeks, we’ll have mushrooms,” Mike said. A 10-pound sleeve will produce ten pounds of mushrooms, four times in a season.
Mike and Amy Jensen
Contrary to what some may think, these mushrooms are not grown in compost or manure. Mushrooms are so unusual that, when the Kansas Department of Agriculture food inspector came for an inspection, Mike had to walk him through the process.
The Jensens specialize in oyster mushrooms, but they also produce shiitake and lion’s mane mushrooms. For these, the growing process is slightly different. Shiitakes are grown on blocks which the Jensens create from wood pellets, water and flour. The blocks are sterilized before spawn is added and they are sealed for a subsequent harvest.
“Our mushrooms are medicinal as well as gourmet,” Mike said. Some believe these mushrooms have anti-cancer properties and can help with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
“Mushrooms can clean up the environment,” Amy said. They can absorb oil, for example.
The Jensens utilize their mushrooms and honey in their restaurant dishes as well as marketing the product directly. A diner can get a meal or buy raw honey and dried mushrooms or both.
The restaurant menu includes a mushroom taco burger and mushroom stir fry, for example. Each sandwich comes with a homemade honey cookie. Made-from-scratch honey lemonade is one of the drink offerings. There are no fried foods or sodas. “We use as much farm-to-table food as we can get,” Amy said. “We want people to know where their food comes from.”
The Jensens maintain 50 to 75 beehives each year. They live on the family farm northwest of Hays, near what was the community of Yocemento. Yocemento is now just a rural crossroads with only about five residents. Now, that’s rural.
The Jensens’ two kids were active in 4-H, and the family still manages the 4-H food stand during fair week. The family is environmentally sensitive, having recently decided to phase out Styrofoam packaging. “We want to be part of the solution,” Amy said.
Kansas: The Mushroom State. No, wheat or sunflowers are unlikely to be displaced by mushrooms in the state motto, but the Jensens are using mushrooms and honey to promote healthy eating. We commend Mike and Amy Jensen of Jensen Farms for making a difference with innovation in their products. I hope the positive results will mushroom.
SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities continue the investigation of Tuesday’s office involved shooting and have another suspect in jail.
After his release from the hospital Wednesday afternoon, police booked 30-year-old Zachary Ausdemore for aggravated robbery and an outstanding warrant out of Nebraska, according to officer Kevin Wheeler.
He was identified as the passenger in a stolen white Jeep Wrangler where the driver attempted to run over a WPD officer at the McDonald’s located in the 2200 block of N. Amidon.
Hand at the lower left of the image is the officer avoiding an attempt by the driver to run over him during Tuesday’s incident-photo courtesy Wichita Police
After the vehicle wrecked, Ausdemore then fled on foot and robbed an elderly couple of their Honda CR-V in the 2400 block of W. Stauffer.
He led officers on a lengthy vehicle pursuit, which ended in the area of 167th Street West and K-42.
Ausdemore was taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit.
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SEDGWICK COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating an officer-involved shooting.
Just before 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, police responded to the area of W. 21st Street North and N. Amidon to check for a stolen vehicle, according to officer Paul Cruz.
The owner of a 1999 white Jeep SAW called 911 to report the location of the vehicle. The owner, along with a family member, followed the vehicle to the McDonald’s located in the 2200 block of North Amidon.
Officers arrived while the vehicle was at the drive-thru window and attempted to take the three occupants into custody.
The driver then accelerated and attempted to run over an officer. The officer fired his handgun multiple times at the vehicle. The suspect vehicle drove around the building and rear-ended a white Buick Century that was occupied by a 72-year-old woman driver. She was transported to a local hospital where she was treated for minor injuries, according to Cruz.
The suspect vehicle continued north on Amidon and into a residential area where it crashed into a tree in the 3000 block of N. Halstead. At that location, police took a 30-year-old woman passenger later identified as Daphne Hays into custody while the other suspects ran.
One of the man, a 30-year-old, ran to the 2400 block of W. Stauffer where he threatened an elderly couple and demanded the keys to their green Honda CR-V. The suspect left in their vehicle. The vehicle was located by Sheriff’s Deputies at I-235 and 25th, according to Cruz.
Daphne Dawn Hays photo Sedgwick Co.
Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused to stop, and a vehicle pursuit ensued. The pursuit ended at 167th and K-42. The suspect was taken into custody without incident and was found to have an injury to his arm.
A 27-year-old suspect, who fled on foot at the initial crash scene on N. Halstead, was later located by officers near 29th and Meridian. The suspect was found to have a gunshot wound to his leg and was hospitalized for observation.
The two male suspects remained hospitalized Wednesday afternoon. Hays is in custody on requested charges of interference with law enforcement and a fugitive from justice, according to the Sedgwick County booking report.
The officer involved in the shooting has been with the department for almost 2-years, according to Cruz. He has been placed administrative leave per protocol.
Authorities have not released names of the two other suspects.
Rep. Adam Smith, R-WeskanCOLBY — Colby Community College will host a Constitution Day presentation by Kansas Rep. Adam Smith at 11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 16, in the H.F. Davis Memorial Library on campus. The event is open to the public.
Smith, R-Weskan, is a member of the Kansas House of Representatives and serves District 120. He was elected to office on Nov. 8, 2016.
“We’re honored to have Rep. Smith on campus,” said Library Director Tara Schroer. “It gives students a chance to visit with a legislator in a small setting, which is rare in this part of the state.”
Constitution Day is recognized each year on or about Sept. 17, the day in 1787 that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document in Philadelphia. Federal depository libraries across the nation celebrate the day with special events.
Refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Schroer at (785) 460-5487.
