SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects after a man ran from deputies at the Sedgwick County Jail.
Just before 4p.m. Friday, 28-year-old Victor Walker was in the Sedgwick County Jail lobby when deputies discovered he had an active felony warrant for his arrest, according to Lt. Tim Myers.
Walker was handcuffed and placed under arrest for the felony warrant. As the deputy was collecting Walker’s property from him he fled the lobby. As he ran out the door, he struck two citizens with the door. The citizens sustained minor injuries.
Walker ran to a Black Chevy Camaro parked on Water Street. Walker got into the drivers’ seat and drove away from the jail. As he drove away, the Camaro struck three parked vehicles and drove over the foot of a 41-year-old Sheriff’s Office Sergeant. Walker drove north on Water Street, went east on Pine, and then turned south on Topeka Street. Walker drove south on Topeka to Kellogg, and then drove east on Kellogg to Oliver. As Walker was driving on the off ramp for Oliver, he struck two additional vehicles at the intersection before the Camaro crashed into the northeast traffic signal.
Police arrested Walker and booked him in the Sedgwick County Detention Facility on requested charges of Aggravated Battery LEO, 2 counts of Aggravated Assault, Felony Obstruct, Aggravated Escape Custody, Felony Evade and Elude, Possession of Marijuana and the Felony Warrant.
Charles L. Patton II, a 37, was the front seat passenger in the Camaro. Patton was booked for Aggravated Battery LEO, 2 counts of Aggravated Assault, Felony Obstruct, Aiding Escape, and Felony Evade and Elude.
Camille L. Hollands, a 38 year old black female, was a rear seat passenger in the Camaro. Hollands was booked for Possession of Marijuana.
BUNKER HILL – Smoky Hills Public Television’s summer reading program, Share a Story, visited 71 communities across central and western Kansas this past June and July. There were 1,650 children and 625 adults who attended the 71 presentations held in partnership with the local libraries.
During the Share a Story presentation, children watched a clip from a PBS Kids Program, listened as the presenter read a story and participated in an activity. The Smoky Hills Public Television presenters Carrie Weese, Jennifer Hanson, Jessica Bowman, and Danica Uhl used the Cat in The Hat show and books to tie into this year’s theme of “Space”.
“We love the Share a Story summer program,” said Kelli King, Smoky Hills Public Television’s director of finance and administration. “To be able to put 1,551 books in children’s hands throughout the summer months is something we are very proud of. We at Smoky Hills Public Television take pride in the educational tools we bring to the communities of central and western Kansas.”
Share a Story is part of Smoky Hills’ education initiative. The Share a Story program is based on the PBS learning triangle of TV that teaches (watch it) + story books (read it) + activities (do it). At the end of the presentation, each child attending received a book to take home.
Simple, fun daily activities like reading aloud, story telling, rhyming, singing, exercise, drawing and acting, teach young children language and literacy skills – and that’s what Smoky Hills Public Television’s Share A Story is all about.
MANHATTAN — The Kansas Department of Agriculture has announced the members of the State Noxious Weed Advisory Committee. The committee was established this summer following the passage of HB 2583 which made revising the noxious weed list a regulatory instead of legislative process and established the advisory committee to assist the Kansas Secretary of Agriculture in, among other duties, determining which plant species will be on the list. The first meeting was held in July, and the committee will meet at least once but no more than four times per year. The next meeting will be held in August.
The committee members are: Mike Collinge, livestock producer, Greenwood County; Anita Dille, weed specialist, Kansas State University; Sean Fetty, organic agricultural producer, Wichita County; Walt Fick, weed specialist, Kansas State University; Craig Freeman, Kansas Biological Survey; Mike Friesen, weed supervisor, Meade County; John Lee, weed supervisor, Morris County; Bob Nutt, Kansas Cooperative Council; Ron Ohlde, traditional agricultural producer, Washington County; Carla Pence, county commissioner, Harper County; Johnny Schaben, representing the agricultural industry, Barton County; Stuart Schrag, natural resource professional, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism; and Jacob Thomas, non-traditional agricultural producer, Leavenworth County. Scott Marsh, the state weeds specialist at KDA, will serve as an ex-officio member of the committee.
The committee will serve the state by providing advice and oversight for the KDA noxious and invasive weed program. Read more about noxious weed control in Kansas at: agriculture.ks.gov/NoxiousWeeds.
Critics of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to move two of its research agencies from Washington, D.C., to the Kansas City area got more ammunition this week.
The most recent development: A report from the USDA’s inspector general that finds some flaws with how the department has executed its plan.
The USDA wants to move two of its agencies from Washington, D.C. to Kansas City. AMY MAYER / HARVEST PUBLIC MEDIA FILE PHOTO
Last September, U.S. Reps. Eleanor Holmes Norton of Washington, D.C. and Steny Hoyer, both Democrats, sent a letter asking the inspector general to determine whether the move was legal.
The report found that moving the agencies is within the USDA’s authority, but it failed to meet certain criteria for spending the needed money. The inspector general asked USDA to get an opinion from the legal office, which determined the rules referenced are unconstitutional.
But the inspector general’s report notes that in the past, USDA determined the same rules “are binding upon the Department.”
In response to the report, Norton and Hoyer want USDA to put the brakes on its planned moves.
“We continue to urge Secretary Perdue to halt this misguided relocation process,” the two wrote in a statement.
The offices of Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids, who represents the Kansas side of the Kansas City area, and Missouri Republican Sen. Roy Blunt declined comment on Tuesday after the inspector general’s report became public.
In a guest commentary in The Kansas City Star on Sunday, Blunt wrote that the area makes sense for the agencies for a variety of reasons. Among them: it’s in the animal health research corridor, is close to many land-grant universities in the region that conduct agricultural research and is already home to the USDA’s Farm Service Agency and the Risk Management Agency.
Many groups have criticized the Trump administration and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for moving the agencies, branding the move as retaliation against ERS and NIFA research that clashes with the administration’s agenda. The left-leaning National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition issued a statement calling on the moves to be stopped.
“We urge Congress to take this information as an opportunity to end once and for all Secretary Perdue’s strong-arm tactics,” the group wrote, “and stop all action on the relocations until Congress has given its formal approval — or denial.”
LAWRENCE — Before starting his CBD company Quiet Trees, Chris Brunin, Lawrence, researched the competition, the labs they used, the products they sold.
He checked out ingredient suppliers and organic hemp farmers. He took everyone’s pitches with a heapful of salt.
“The hemp industry is like the Wild West and Wall Street had a baby,” said Brunin. “You have to vet everything and everybody … to make sure you’re not getting messed with or lied to.”
Brunin advises consumers to do the same. Ask to see lab results. Ask how much actual CBD — not just, say, hemp seed oil — is in a bottle. Comparison shop. Is it overpriced? Often, he says, it is.
Kansas legalized CBD, the cannabis extract cannabidiol, last summer. Since then, the state that came late to this multi-billion dollar industry has seen the number of CBD vendors skyrocket.
But as Americans turn to CBD in search of help for everything from migraines to insomnia to cancer, scientists and regulators worry that some companies market unproven health claims, and that others sell products with inaccurate labels. What’s more, even though the products shouldn’t get you high, some might still make you flunk a drug test.
Meanwhile, people who see medical promise in CBD fret about incompetent or unscrupulous manufacturers tainting an industry that activists fought to legalize. Kansas is one of just four states with exceptionally tight laws on all things cannabis.
“Honestly, I’m scared for people,” said Lisa Sublett, of medical cannabis proponents Bleeding Kansas Advocates. “I don’t trust the stuff at your gas station, sorry. You really have no idea what’s in the bottle.”
She recommends consulting The Patient’s Guide to CBD, a 50-page primer from Americans For Safe Access that explains labels, lab analyses and more.
An ad in a Kansas City gym suggest using CBD for Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, psoriasis, Alzheimer’s and more. The FDA has cracked down on companies for similar ads. (Credit Scott Cannon/Kansas News Service)
Done right, advocates say CBD products can change an ailing person’s life.
Scientific studies suggest they’re right — at least for people with certain rare epilepsies, and maybe for others. But the vast majority of anecdotal claims piling up about CBD’s medicinal qualities don’t have backing from clinical trials to prove they’re more than sales pitches and the power of placebo.
“There’s some real value here,” Mayo Clinic physician Brent Bauer said. “But we have to do a lot of work to kind of chip away at the rough edges and find out: How big is the diamond? Is it one carat or is it 40 carats?”Definitive scientific studies will take time. A few intriguing leads include possible benefits for treating anxiety and pain.
Ask for lab results … but know they can be wrong
Quiet Trees, Brunin’s small-batch company, lives in an unassuming 1,500-square-foot lab-and-packing facility in southwest Lawrence.
Shelves line the walls with clear plastic boxes full of bath bombs, vaping mixes and gummy bears. A big blue barrel holds 55 gallons of organic hemp seed oil from Kentucky. A small crew in white lab coats produces, packages and ships products daily to customers — mostly retail shops — in a half dozen states.
One of the shortest routes the products take lands them at CBD of Lawrence. It sits on Massachusetts Street, the heart of the college town’s boutique and local shopping.
There, customers eyeing a bottle of tincture or packet of vape cartridges can whip out a smartphone and scan QR codes on the packaging. That takes them to a Google Drive copy of third-party chemical analyses by a lab in Massachusetts that tests the materials Quiet Trees uses.
Lawrence pharmacist Dustin Hothan says he only stocks CBD brands willing to disclose third-party lab results. (Photo by Nomin Ujiyediin/Kansas News Service)
Pharmacist Dustin Hothan wants that transparency. The co-owner of CBD of Lawrence says he won’t stock anything without independent lab results.
He pores over product reviews online, looking for any quality complaints about the CBD capsules, beverages and more on the shelves of his store.
Still, Hothan once got a tip that a product he stocked contained detectable amounts of THC, the compound in cannabis that can get you high, or, in smaller, non-intoxicating doses, still make you fail a drug test even weeks after discontinuing use.
“So we sent it off for testing,” he said. “It turned out, it did contain THC.”
Consumers can ask to see lab results when buying CBD products. Quiet Trees uses QR codes to let customers view chemical information with smartphones. (Photo by Celia LLopis/Jepsen/Kansas News Service)
The label had promised otherwise. The original lab results, too. Hothan dropped the product.
How can mistakes like these happen? Lab quality varies. The quality of manufacturers in this rapidly ballooning industry does, too. Even the best-intentioned retailers must figure out which names to trust, homing in on labs and brands that prove themselves.
All retailers great and small
Nationally, market analyst Brightfield Group estimates the value of the U.S. CBD industry multiplied seven times over in 2018. In a new report this month, it pegs the market at nearly $24 billion by 2023.
After all, national retailers have joined the action. Customers not drawn to vapes and tinctures will find new takes on old products, Brightfield says. Anti-aging creams. Dog treats. Bottles of multi-vitamin.
The state of Kansas tracks neither the value of CBD sales in the state nor the number of vendors. One hemp advocate guesses the compound is now available at hundreds of locations statewide.
Kelly Rippel, co-founder of Kansans for Hemp, has mixed feelings about that.
“There’s got to be an understanding from all institutions that it can’t be stigmatized anymore,” he said. “But it has to be done in a way that is going to protect public health.”
In reality, neither the state nor federal government check the contents of the tinctures, vapes and more flooding Kansas stores.
The sole FDA-approved use is Epidiolex, a CBD drug that proved itself in clinical trials as a treatment for rare types of epilepsy.
As for the booming wellness market, the FDA wants answers to questions about the effects of taking CBD long-term, and about product safety and reports of contamination by pesticides or heavy metals.
It has tested a small number of the vast array of CBD products and found contents don’t always match labels. The agency issued warnings, too, to companies caught claiming their products can save people from cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and more.
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania and other institutions bought more than 80 CBD products online and found fewer than a third were accurately labeled.
CBD levels were off, and some products that claimed not to contain THC actually did.
Legal quandary and quagmire
Vince Sanders, CEO of national CBD retailer American Shaman, would love to talk about what his products do. But the risk for drawing ire from federal regulators held him back in a recent interview.
“Honestly, up until relatively recently, I said a lot of stuff I probably shouldn’t have in retrospect,” he said.
American Shaman recently pulled down thousands of testimonials from its website, Sanders said, to avoid any potential legal liability.
The Kansas City-based CBD heavyweight with franchises in about 25 states, and dozens of shops across Kansas, including Hays, kept only nebulous phrases on its home page.
“Positive effects.” “Pain management.” “Beneficial qualities.” CBD “helps in recovery from conditions,” the site says, but doesn’t specify any.
CBD lollipops for sale in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Nomin Ujiyediin/Kansas News Service)
Yet, Sanders said in the interview: “There’s overwhelming evidence of what CBD does. … I can’t say it. I wish I could.”
Instead, he suggests, go to PubMed.gov, type in your condition, the keyword CBD, and hit enter. Or just drop by an American Shaman store for a sample. “They work very quickly,” he said. “If you find some relief during the 15 minutes or so you’re there, then you have a good idea.”
Indeed, the National Library of Medicine’s online research database, PubMed, offers a dazzling array of CBD articles, but far too few clinical trials to back the wide-ranging claims about the substance’s abilities.
Much of the work involves animals and petri dishes, or small-scale trials. CBD shows some promise for helping with pain, anxiety, and even schizophrenia, says Bauer, of the Mayo Clinic. But benefits in studies often came only with exceptionally high doses of CBD — and sometimes side effects.
The fact that “natural” substances can cause problems gets lost at times amid excitement for herbal remedies. St. John’s Wort shrub can help some people with depression, for example, but also messes with birth control.
Bauer, who founded and directs research at Mayo’s program for integrating alternative medicines such as acupuncture into health care there, recommends against CBD for young children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and patients taking many medications. CBD can screw up dosage levels of certain prescriptions. Talk to your doctor if you plan to take it.
THC vs CBD
State laws bar Kansans from getting marijuana legally. So is CBD just a poor substitute?
Studies show CBD and THC work differently and have different potential medical benefits, says Mallory Loflin, a psychiatry professor at the University of California-San Diego who specializes in cannabis research. CBD also has a diffuse, lighter effect.
“You need a much bigger dose,” she said. “We don’t start seeing differentiation from placebo in clinical trials for things like anxiety until you get up in the 300- to 600-milligram range.”
That could mean an entire bottle of CBD oil a day, depending on the bottle, but studies with such high doses also give some patients diarrhea. Anecdotally, CBD vendors and consumers often say smaller doses work, but clinical data is lacking.
A vigorous placebo effect complicates research of both cannabis extracts. The risk? That trials can fail, even when the extracts work.
“You’re hearing that cannabinoids are so helpful for so many different conditions — people already believe they’re going to work,” Loflin said. “If everyone’s cured, I can’t compare groups because both groups were cured.”
CBD lotions marketed for pain relief. (Photo by Nomin Ujiyediin/Kansas News Service)
She worries that in today’s absence of settled science, patients don’t know what to get. Some studies point to taking low doses of THC for certain chronic pain, for example, while others suggest going the CBD route — possibly with a little THC, but not with higher doses — for anxiety and other mental health issues.
She studied veterans self-treating with cannabis products in California, where both THC and CBD are legal. Most picked what was likely the wrong treatment for their conditions. Some weren’t even sure what they used.
“Which frankly terrified me,” she said. “Because the effects of CBD vs THC are about as alike as chalk and cheese.”
Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health and education for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @Celia_LJ or email her at [email protected]. The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on the health and well-being of Kansans, their communities and civic life.
Fort Hays State University’s Dr. Emily Breit, associate professor of finance, was recently selected to receive the Van Hoisington Faculty of Distinction Award for the 2019-2020 academic year. Breit was recognized as an outstanding faculty member in FHSU’s W.R. and Yvonne Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship.
The award funds supplemental salary for research efforts and additional operating support for assistants, travel or equipment. Breit will conduct research and disseminate research findings and develop through incorporation into the classroom, peer presentations and publication, which will build on a demonstrated record of quality instructional, scholarly and service activity.
Breit earned a Ph.D. in finance from Oklahoma State University and her undergraduate and master’s degrees in business from FHSU. Her research focuses on commercial banking, small business and entrepreneurship lending, corporate governance and pedagogy. She has taught courses in commercial banking, finance, financial and quantitative methods, financial markets and institutions and economics.
Breit is also the recipient of the 2017-2018 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Robbins College, provides consulting as a Policy Fellow for the Docking Institute of Public Affairs and develops and facilitates public training workshops through FHSU’s Management Development Center.
A chance of showers mainly before 8am. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 94. South wind 7 to 9 mph.
Tonight
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 1am and 2am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Increasing clouds, with a low around 66. East wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
Sunday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. East southeast wind 6 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.
Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. West wind 5 to 7 mph becoming north in the afternoon.
Monday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 64.
Tuesday
Sunny, with a high near 87.
Tuesday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 63.
Robert E. and Patricia A. Schmidt Foundation recently donated $10,000 the FHSU Chapter of Disabled American Veterans to complete the purchase of a new transport van.
The van is used to transport veterans to medical appointments to Wichita and other areas. The current van has more than 160,000 miles.
PRATT – Hunters anticipating the arrival of Kansas’ newest hunting atlas won’t have to wait much longer.
Produced annually by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), the 2019-2020 Kansas Fall and Spring Hunting Atlas includes maps of Walk-in Hunting Access (WIHA) properties – private lands leased by KDWPT and opened to public hunting – and state and federal public wildlife areas.
While printed copies are slated to hit shelves prior to September 1, hunters can get their hands on an electronic copy now by visiting ksoutdoors.com and clicking “Hunting,” then “Where to Hunt.” Printed copies, once available, may be requested by calling KDWPT’s Pratt Operations Office at 620-672-5911.
Hunters are encouraged to retain their hunting atlas through the 2020 spring turkey seasons, as the 2019-2020 atlas includes both fall and spring Walk-in Hunting Access (WIHA) enrollments; a separate spring atlas will not be printed.
More than 1.1 million acres of land has been enrolled in the WIHA program for upcoming seasons, with more than 4,400 unique tracts mapped. And while the printed atlas will be up-to-date as of its print date, additional acreages may be added to the program post-printing, as landowners continue to sign up. Hunters are encouraged to view the online atlas throughout the season for the most current maps.
All WIHA properties are designated with signage displaying the lease dates, which can begin Sept. 1, Nov. 1, or April 1, and end Jan. 31, March 31, or May 31. All regulations for KDWPT public lands apply to WIHA properties, and accessing a WIHA property prior to or after the lease dates shown is prohibited.
To learn more about the WIHA program, or to download an electronic copy of the 2019-2020 Kansas Fall and Spring Hunting Atlas, visit www.ksoutdoors.com.
Scroll to the bottom for a map of garage sale locations. Hays Post offers FREE garage sale listings weekly. Having a garage sale next weekend? Click HERE to submit your information.
3704 Hillcrest Dr., Hays
August 9th 4pm to 8pm August 10th 9am to Noon
Holiday Decor, Hand Tools, Lawn & Garden. NO Clothing
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1601 Montgomery, Hays
Saturday August 10 only! 8am-2 pm
724 E 12th, Hays
Friday August 9th 1pm-7pm. Saturday August 10th 8am-2pm
Vintage items, collectibles, tools, glassware, toys, fishing items, furniture, video games, baby items and much more
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1804 S Sternberg Ct, Hays
Friday August 9th 2-7 Saturday 8-noon
Multi-family. Clothes (kids and women’s), bikes, toys, books, some furniture, antiques, home decor, household, holiday. Lots of stuff from my husband’s storage (motor/engines, water pumps, push mower, etc.).
ELLSWORTH COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 9p.m. Friday in Ellsworth County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Ford F 150 driven by Ethan T. Curnutt, 19, Kanopolis, was westbound on Kansas 156 at the K14 Junction.
The vehicle approached a red Chevy pickup stopped in the westbound lane to make a left turn.
Curnutt swerved to the left and hit an eastbound 2017 Ford 150 driven by Nelson, Justin M. Nelson, 41, Booker, TX., head-on.
Nelson was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Parson’s Funeral Home. One passenger in the 2017 Ford Chase Nelson, 12, Booker, TX., was transported to Wesley Medical Center.
The other passengers in the 2017 Ford Trisha R. Nelson, 40; Kyndall Nelson, 5;, Tristin Nelson, 12, Booker, TX., were transported to the hospital in Hoisington.
Curnutt was transported to the hospital in Ellsworth. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
TOPEKA – The application period for the FY2020 Kansas Firefighter Recruitment and Safety Grant (KFRSG) is now open until the grant deadline of Oct. 1, 2019. The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) makes this grant possible through its budget passed by the State Legislature and signed by Governor Laura Kelly. This year, $400,000 has been allotted to assist volunteer and part-time fire departments across the state with firefighter safety and recruitment.
“We are pleased that we were able to continue this important grant funding through our budget this year,” Doug Jorgensen, state fire marshal, said. “Some of these smaller departments are the sole providers of fire and rescue response for rural areas in our state. So, it is vital that they have the proper safety gear and recruitment tools to ensure their community’s safety.”
Grants issued through the KFRSG program will cover the costs of safety gear for firefighters and physical examinations for firefighters whose physicals are not covered by their departments. It will also provide funds for the purchase of new washer-extractor machines used to clean bunker gear following a fire, with further funds available for the creation of Explorer programs to attract youth volunteers into the fire service.
We know that volunteer and part-time fire departments face recruitment and retention challenges, because they do not have the funding to provide safety equipment. Without new equipment provided by the recruiting fire department, potential volunteers are faced with not only donating their time but also providing their own safety gear, sharing gear with others, or doing without.
Eligible applicants must be an established and recognized Kansas volunteer/part-time fire department in good standing with OSFM on the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) or a volunteer firefighter in good standing with their local fire department. Departments must also participate in the Comprehensive Resource Management & Credentialing System (CRMCS).
Submission requirements and applications are now available at www.firemarshal.ks.gov/KFRSG. The deadline for submission to receive funds through the KFRSG is Oct. 1, 2019.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The leader of the Kansas House is responding to a series of mass shootings by proposing more mental health personnel in rural areas and expansion of a mental health program in K-12 schools while the Democratic governor proposes looking at gun laws.
House Speaker Ron Ryckman CREDIT STEPHEN KORANDA/Kansas News Service
Olathe Republican Ron Ryckman said the 2020 Legislature should address the widespread deficit of behavioral health workers in Kansas. He said half of the state’s population lives in areas with shortages.
Ryckman addressed the issue in the wake of mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, without discussion of firearms.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly responded to the latest mass shootings by calling for “real, common sense gun-safety laws” and described the shootings as part of a public health crisis.
Today
Hays-area garage sales
