Hays Post – Page 218 – Hays Post Archive

JAG-K students say the program changes their lives

Posted on August 25, 2019August 24, 2019

JAG-K students listen to a speaker in class at Hays High School

TOPEKA – A student who has been in the Kansas foster care system for years praised Jobs for America’s Graduates – Kansas (JAG-K) as the one consistent element in her life. The student said JAG-K Career Specialists have cared about her and taught her skills that will help her in life after high school. Although she has been placed in multiple homes and facilities, each school district had a JAG-K program.

“Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas has continuously provided opportunities to ensure that students successfully graduate from high school in spite of numerous barriers,” wrote Dr. Charles Foust, Superintendent of Schools for Kansas City, Kansas Public School District (KCKPS), in testimony provided for a public meeting hosted Monday by the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF). “The JAG National Network’s partnership with KCKPS is imperative in order to help increase positive student outcomes and prevent student drop-outs.”

Foust and the student were just two examples of other superintendents and students from across the state supporting continued funding for the evidence-based program that has 79 in-school programs in 41 Kansas school districts including Hays USD 489, serving approximately 4,000 students. DCF Secretary Laura Howard scheduled the stakeholder meeting to discuss budget priorities. DCF has provided most of the funding for JAG-K since it was introduced in Kansas in 2013.

“DCF has been a great partner over the years, and Governor Kelly is helping to help identify additional funding sources to continue to build on our successes in Kansas,” said JAG-K President and CEO Chuck Knapp. “We look forward to working with the Governor and Secretary Howard in looking for new ways to help students in foster care and other youth. The foundation for both of those efforts is a strong network of traditional JAG-K programming throughout the state.”

JAG-K is a multi-year, in-school program for students in grades seven through 12 that offers tools to successfully transition students into post-secondary school, the military, or directly into the workforce with marketable skills. Participants in the program face multiple barriers to success that their JAG-K Career Specialist helps them overcome through a nationally accredited evidence-based model. In 2018, JAG-K students had a 98 percent graduation rate.

The 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization is one of 35 state affiliate organizations of Jobs for America’s Graduates and is primarily funded through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant to the State of Kansas administered by DCF. In addition to school districts and DCF, JAG-K partners with the Kansas Department of Education. Other JAG-K funding sources include AT&T, John Deere, and Taco Bell.

To learn more about JAG-K, visit www.jagkansas.org, ‘Jobs for America’s Graduates- Kansas’ on Facebook, and on Twitter at @JAG_Kansas.

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Kansas HPV vaccine rates improve significantly

Posted on August 25, 2019August 24, 2019

KDHE

TOPEKA – Today, the National Immunization Survey regarding Teens released its annual report for 2018 which shows Kansas is improving in vaccine rates for HPV and MenACWY and remaining consistent with Tdap. This report is available in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The survey, which is conducted among teens ages 13 to 17, monitors the vaccines received by adolescents, specifically HPV, MenACWY and Tdap.*

“In 2014, Kansas had the lowest coverage in the nation for the HPV vaccine with only 34.4 percent of respondents reporting one or more doses received,” said KDHE Secretary Lee Norman, MD. “I’m very pleased to report that Kansas is now at 62.3 percent coverage in 2018, up significantly from 52.4 percent in 2017.”

Activities that have contributed to the increase in HPV Vaccination coverage, include:

Education for vaccine providers throughout the state during Vaccines For Children program site visits
Education provided at Kansas Immunization Conferences
Development of HPV Toolkit by the Immunize Kansas Coalition funded by the KDHE
Multiple partner organizations conducting efforts to increase awareness and importance of the HPV vaccine
Focus on the importance of provider recommendation to patients to receive the vaccine

Kansas has seen an average increase in HPV coverage of 6.3 percentage points annually since 2014 while the national average increase has been 4.4.

“One of the most significant factors to successful vaccination against HPV cancer appears to be a recommendation from a medical provider,” Secretary Norman said.

The survey demonstrates that, in Kansas for 2018, of those who received the recommendation from a medical provider, 69.5 percent received the vaccination while only 35.8 percent received the vaccination without a provider recommendation.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) routinely recommends HPV vaccination at age 11 or 12. In addition, ACIP has recently updated their recommendation to include some adults up to age 45 based on the safety and effectiveness of this vaccine against some HPV cancers.[1]

The MenACWY vaccine coverage increased from 72.1 percent in 2017 to 75.3 percent in 2018. This school year, MenACWY has just become a required vaccination for school entry.

*Vaccine Description:

Tdap – protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. Recommended for ages 11-13. Healthy People 2020 target is 80 percent coverage. Kansas 2018 rate is 89.4 percent.
MenACWY – protects against certain strains of meningococcal disease. Recommended for ages 11-13 with a booster dose at age 16. Healthy People 2020 target is 80 percent. Kansas 2018 rate is 75.3 percent.
HPV – protects against HPV related cancers. Two dose series recommended for ages 11-13. Doses administered six months apart. If first dose is not given before 15^th birthday, a three-dose series is needed. Healthy People 2020 target is 80 percent. The Kansas 2018 rate is 62.3 for one or more doses, 40.7 percent.

Fatal house fire in Ellis under investigation Saturday

Posted on August 24, 2019

Hays Post

A fatal house fire in the 300 block of Monroe in Ellis Saturday afternoon was under investigation as multiple agencies were on the scene early Saturday evening.

One person was confirmed to have died in the fire.

“That’s all the information we have right now,” said Ellis police chief Taft Yates.

The Ellis fire department, Ellis County fire department, Ellis police, Ellis county sheriff and Hays police assisted at the scene.

The State Fire Marshall’s office was investigating around 7:30 p.m.

Remarks of Kan. man accused of shooting at police not admissible

Posted on August 24, 2019August 24, 2019

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A judge won’t allow prosecutors to use statements that a Lawrence man made to police after he was accused of shooting at officers because he had asked for an attorney before he made them.

Abdul Jalil Hussein-photo Douglas County

Douglas County Judge James McCabria ruled in favor of 35-year-old Abdul Jalil Hussein on Wednesday. Hussein is charged with multiple felonies, including attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer.

The charges stem from a June 2018 incident in which Hussein allegedly used an ax to chop through his mother’s front door while armed with a pistol. He then drove back to his own home a few blocks away, where he is accused of exchanging gunfire with a Lawrence police officer.

The detectives who questioned him were from Johnson County.

Police will start voluntary swatter alert system in Wichita

Posted on August 24, 2019August 24, 2019

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police will begin using a system that places alerts on addresses where potential swatting targets could be living.

Police body camera images of The December 2018 fatal response to a swatting call -courtesy Wichita Police

Swatting involves someone making a hoax emergency call to send law enforcement officers, particularly SWAT teams, to a particular address.

The program announced Friday is voluntary and open to people who think they might be a victims of swatting.

The alerts would be available to first responders. Wichita officer Paul Cruz said in a news release the alerts wouldn’t slow emergency responders, but would make them aware they might be responding to a hoax call.

In 2017, Wichita police fatally shot Andrew Finch after a caller falsely claimed a murder and hostage situation was occurring at his home. The call was aimed at someone who lived at the home before Finch.

Kansas man dies while rock climbing in Colorado canyon

Posted on August 24, 2019August 24, 2019

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Authorities say a 50-year-old man from Kansas has died after he fell while rock climbing in Colorado.

The Boulder County Sheriff’s Department says the man fell about 60 feet Saturday in an area called the Bell Buttress in Boulder Canyon about 9 miles west of downtown Boulder.

His name hasn’t been released.

The sheriff’s department says the man and a companion had just completed a climbing route and were searching for a way to descend. When the victim walked to the edge of a cliff to look over, a rock gave way and he fell.

MADD teams up with Kansas Highway Patrol for ‘Saturation Saturday’

Posted on August 24, 2019August 24, 2019

Massive DUI Enforcement Campaign Set for August 24

MADD Kansas

Volunteers and staff from Mothers Against Drunk Driving will team up with Kansas Highway Patrol and local law enforcement agencies in Kansas as part of a nationwide impaired-driving crackdown this weekend for “Saturation Saturday.”

MADD will join law enforcement as they step up patrols, conduct sobriety checkpoints and increase public service messaging to remind everyone that if you drive drunk or impaired by other drugs, you will get caught. Approximately 250 law enforcement agencies are participating in Saturation Saturday nationwide.

“Saturation Saturday is intended to overwhelm the nation with the message to never drive impaired, and to show our appreciation for the tough work law enforcement officers do every day to stop the violent, preventable crime of drunk and drug-impaired driving,” said MADD National President Helen Witty. “We know that the days before Labor Day weekend are among the most heavily traveled and can be the most dangerous on our roads for the general public and for law enforcement. We want to stand with them to remind everyone that these waning days of summer are a time for fun, not tragedy.”

MADD’s Saturation Saturday is scheduled to fall right in the middle of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. NHTSA’s $13 million Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, long supported by MADD, helps fund increased drunk driving enforcement and advertising from August 16 through Labor Day.

“We are proud to support our law enforcement heroes on Saturation Saturday and every day. They are our first line of defense against drunk driving, the Number One killer on our roads,” said Lori Marshall, MADD Kansas.

The following law enforcement agencies in Kansas will be participating in Saturation Saturday:

Kansas Highway Patrol
Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office
Reno County Sheriff’s Office Hutchinson Police Department
Garden City Police Department Wichita Police Department
Dodge City Police Department Overland Park Police Department
Olathe Police Department Gardner Police Department
Shawnee Police Department Lawrence Police Department

High-visibility law enforcement, such as sobriety checkpoints, is one of the key elements of MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, launched in 2006. MADD advocates for funding for NHTSA’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over events, which occur every year in August and December, and Click It or Ticket in May. The other elements of MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving include passing laws to require ignition interlocks for all drunk driving offenders, support for advanced vehicle technology and taking personal responsibility by using Uber, public transportation, taxi or designating a non-drinking friend or family member if plans include alcohol.

To follow events throughout the day, follow MADD on Twitter at @maddonline or on Facebook at @MADD.Official. Look for the hashtag #SaturationSaturday.

About Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Founded in 1980 by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) is the nation’s largest nonprofit working to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes and prevent underage drinking. MADD has helped to save nearly 380,000 lives, reduce drunk driving deaths by more than 50 percent and promote designating a non-drinking driver. MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving® calls for law enforcement support, ignition interlocks for all offenders and advanced vehicle technology. MADD has provided supportive services to nearly one million drunk and drugged driving victims and survivors at no charge through local victim advocates and the 24-Hour Victim Help Line 1-877-MADD-HELP. Visit www.madd.org or call 1-877-ASK-MADD.

KBI warns fingerprint database in danger of failing

Posted on August 24, 2019August 24, 2019

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A database of finger and palm prints used by law enforcement and child welfare workers is in danger of failing and needs to be replaced, a Kansas Bureau of Investigation official told lawmakers.

The system contains more than 2 million finger and palm prints and if it stops working police wouldn’t be able to check prints of criminal suspects and child welfare workers couldn’t do background checks on potential foster parents.

“If the system is not replaced, there is a significant risk that it will fail,” KBI spokesman Joe Mandala told a legislative committee this past week. “A failure of this system would cripple criminal justice and public safety operations across the state, most directly at local law enforcement agencies.”

The database is also used for people applying for visas, employees in adult care homes, individuals involved in child placement and to identify people who have died. The Kansas system handles about 120,000 criminal requests and 60,000 non-criminal requests a year, Mandala said.

Kansas is the last state in the country using the database, called the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, or AFIS. It has been in place since 2007 and the company that made it, MorphoTrack, will stop providing maintenance by 2025, the KBI said.

Lawmakers on the committee complained that they had not been sufficiently warned about the urgency of replacing the system, which would cost about $8 million.

Mandala responded that the KBI submitted a replacement plan in 2017 to state information technology officials and included information about the need to replace the system for the past three years in a briefing book for lawmakers. He said the agency also sought a budget increase to pay for the project, but the governor’s office didn’t include the money in its spending recommendations.

“You guys didn’t think to raise the flag any higher when you weren’t getting any results since this is 2019?” Sen. Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican, asked Mandala.

The KBI is conducting a feasibility study that is required before a replacement project can proceed.

The study was ongoing when the budget was being developed last year, said Lauren Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman for Gov. Laura Kelly.

“Governor Kelly is committed to keeping our communities safe and ensuring that law enforcement has the tools necessary to do their jobs. We look forward to working with the KBI and the legislature to determine the next steps for replacing the aging AFIS system,” Fitzgerald said in a statement.

The KBI hopes to request proposals to replace the system this year. Replacement will take two years, Mandala said.

UPDATE: Tornado Watch until midnight; Flash Flood Watch until 7 a.m.

Posted on August 24, 2019August 24, 2019

TORNADO WATCH 616 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1200 AM CDT FOR THE
 FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

 KANSAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

BARBER               BARTON              CHEYENNE
CLARK                COMANCHE            DECATUR
EDWARDS              ELLIS               ELLSWORTH
FINNEY               FORD                GOVE
GRAHAM               GRANT               GRAY
GREELEY              HAMILTON            HASKELL
HODGEMAN             KEARNY              KIOWA
LANE                 LINCOLN             LOGAN
MEADE                MITCHELL            MORTON
NESS                 NORTON              OSBORNE
PAWNEE               PHILLIPS            PRATT
RAWLINS              RICE                ROOKS
RUSH                 RUSSELL             SCOTT
SEWARD               SHERIDAN            SHERMAN
SMITH                STAFFORD            STANTON
STEVENS              THOMAS              TREGO
WALLACE              WICHITA

The National Weather Service is predicting the possibility of strong thunderstorms Saturday evening.

The NWS is reporting that there is a possibility of supercells forming over northwest Kansas, bring large hail, high winds up to 60 mph and the possibility of tornadoes.

Ellis, Trego, Scott, Ness and Rush counties could be impacted.

Flash flooding also will be possible, as the ground is saturated from previous heavy rainfall. And additional 1 to 2 inches of precipitation could be possible.

Skies are expected to clear Sunday.

Tune into your Eagle Radio of Hays stations for the latest live updates on severe weather.

Aetna changes Kansas leaders with $1B Medicaid contract at risk

Posted on August 24, 2019August 24, 2019

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Insurance company Aetna is bringing in new leaders to run its Medicaid operations in Kansas after complaints from hospitals and others put it at risk of losing its state contract.

CHRIS NEAL / FOR THE KANSAS NEWS SERVICE

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment confirmed Friday that Keith Wisdom is no longer the CEO of Aetna Better Health of Kansas.

The company declined to answer questions about whether it had replaced Wisdom but said in an emailed statement that it is “bringing in additional leaders with extensive experience in Medicaid” to help “effectively support the needs of this population.” The company would not identify the new hires.

Aetna provides Medicaid health coverage to about 100,000 Kansas residents under a state contract worth about $1 billion a year. The program serves mostly low-income children but also parents, pregnant women, people with disabilities and seniors in long-term care.

The state turned the day-to-day operations of its Medicaid program over to private health insurance companies in 2013, during Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration. One of the three original companies, Amerigroup, lost its contract last year to Aetna in a bidding process, before Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly took office in January.

Kelly’s administration put Aetna on notice last month that it was failing to comply with the terms of its contract. Aetna submitted a plan earlier this month to come into compliance, but health department officials have said the plan failed to address their concerns.

Complaints have included a lack of transparency about which health providers Aetna covers and delays and mistakes in payments to doctors and hospitals. The original three companies faced complaints similar to those that Aetna now faces.

A legislative oversight committee is scheduled to convene a two-day meeting starting Monday, with testimony both days from state officials and the companies managing the Medicaid program.

KBI: 2 suspects in custody after stabbing in Goodland

Posted on August 24, 2019August 24, 2019

SHERMAN COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Goodland Police Department are investigating a stabbing incident in Goodland.

According to a media release from the KBI, just after 1:30a.m. Saturday, the Goodland Police were notified of a stabbing incident at 1502 Caldwell Avenue in Goodland.

Upon arrival, they discovered Joseph Bradley, age 26, had received multiple stab wounds. His injuries are serious and he remains in critical condition.

Two individuals associated with this incident were arrested. David Jones, age 37, was arrested and booked into the Sherman County Jail on aggravated battery charges. Joseph Killips, age 37, was arrested and booked into the Sherman County Jail on battery charges.

Farm Bill regional meeting offered in Goodland

Posted on August 24, 2019August 20, 2019

GOODLAND – K-State Research & Extension and K-State’s Department of Agricultural Economics are hosting the 2018 Farm Bill Regional Meeting at Goodland’s Elks Lodge at 1523 Arcade Avenue on August 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon Mountain Daylight Time.

The 2018 Farm Bill was passed in December of 2018. Though it has much in common with the previous Farm Bill, there are some significant differences.

To hear exactly what you need to know about the new Farm Bill, come learn in-depth information about the new provisions of the programs, discuss economic considerations when making the ARC/PLC decision, demonstrate some tools to help you make that decision, and hear about changes to crop insurance.

Speakers will include K-State Research and Extension Agricultural Economics specialists Dr. Mykel Taylor, Dr. Monte Vandeveer, Robin Reid, M.S., and Dr. Dan O’Brien.

This meeting is open to the public and there is no cost for admission. Online registration is required by going to northwest.ksu.edu or https://bit.ly/2MTDsTi.

For more information about the school, please call Jeanne Falk Jones at 785-890-488.

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Kansas chiropractor acquitted of 2 sex-crimes against patients

Posted on August 24, 2019August 24, 2019

EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — A jury has acquitted a former Emporia chiropractor on two of three charges alleging sex crimes against patients.

Eric Hawkins was found not guilty Friday of aggravated sexual battery and rape charges stemming from separate incidents.

Hawkins was accused of rape against a then-16-year-old girl in 2015 and aggravated sexual battery against a then-22-year-old woman last year.

Defense attorney Christopher Joseph said Hawkins was sloppy and should have better explained his procedures to the women but he didn’t molest them. He said no one doubts that the patients believed their versions of what happened but the jury found there was reasonable doubt.

Jury selection for another sexual battery charge is scheduled for next week. Hawkins is accused of inappropriately touching a 32-year-old female in March 2015.