Three-day weather outlook
Author: Hays Post
Kan. school superintendent: Did not know nurse had been fired on sex allegations
DE SOTO, Kan. (AP) — The superintendent of a suburban Kansas City school district says he wasn’t aware that a school nurse who’s charged with two counts of unlawful sexual relations with a minor had faced similar accusations at a previous job.
De Soto, Kansas, Superintendent Frank Harwood said Tuesday that Richard Finazzo wouldn’t have been hired if the district “had any idea” of the suspicions. Charging documents say Finazzo resigned from De Soto High School in October while under suspicion for the same conduct that led to his firing two years ago from the nearby Gardner-Edgerton High School.
Prosecutors say Finazzo has claimed he was the victim of a “double standard” that wouldn’t apply to female nurses. The Gardner-Edgerton district didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment from The Star or The Associated Press.
Court upholds death sentence in case that prompted Kan. Amber Alert
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence for a man who kidnapped, raped and killed a 10-year-old girl in Springfield. The search for Hailey Owens prompted a state-wide Amber Alert in Kansas and Missouri.
The court ruled Tuesday that the decisions of the trial court judge in Craig Wood’s case were appropriate and that the death sentence wasn’t disproportionate.
At issue was that jurors who convicted Wood of first-degree murder in the 2014 death of Owens couldn’t decide whether to sentence him to death or life in prison without parole. That left the decision in the hands of the judge who oversaw Wood’s trial.
Missouri and Indiana are the only states where a judge can impose a death sentence. Other states follow the federal procedure that a defendant is sentenced to life imprisonment if jurors deadlock.
Lawrence will require bar managers get sex harassment training
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Lawrence city leaders have voted to require some bar and restaurant workers to get sexual violence intervention training.
The city commission adopted an ordinance Tuesday requiring the training as a requirement for the establishments to keep their local liquor licenses.
The ordinance requires training for on-site managers. Both the city-issued license and a state liquor license are required to serve alcoholic beverages.
Businesses where alcohol is not consumed, such as liquor and grocery stores, are exempt.
Several bar owners asked for the city to reconsider the ordinance, saying they were concerned that intervening in harassment situations could create liability for a bar owner and that it might hurt some bars financially.
Couple wins 1, loses 1 discrimination lawsuit against Emporia State
EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — A black couple who filed separate discrimination lawsuits against Emporia State University won one lawsuit while the other was dismissed.
A federal judge ruled Tuesday the university retaliated against Angelica Hale by not renewing her contract after she complained about racial discrimination during the 2014-2015 school year. A jury on Monday dismissed her husband Melvin’s $10 million lawsuit against five university administrators.
The couple worked at Emporia State’s School of Library and Information Management. They alleged their employment ended after they found a racial slur written in a notebook and pushed for an investigation.
U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree awarded Angelica Hale damages of $1 and said she may recover her costs. She also will be allowed to submit a brief concerning whether front pay, reinstatement and back pay are appropriate.
Goodland K-18 games will be live-streamed Saturday, Sunday
PHILLIPSBURG — Hays Post will stream Goodland K-18 regional games this weekend.
Goodland starts regional play against Colby on Saturday. If they advance, they will play the winner of Norton and Phillipsburg on Sunday.
Check Hays Post for the live game video.
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Repairs on heat-buckled street to begin Monday
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
High temperatures in Hays caused 22nd Street and the nearby sidewalk to buckle at the Canterbury Drive intersection late Tuesday afternoon, closing 22nd between Douglas and Canterbury Drive.
The official high in Hays yesterday was 97 degrees, according to the report from the K-State Agricultural Research Center.
City of Hays Public Works employees have done some temporary work on the road.
The city issued a notice Wednesday afternoon that pavement repairs will begin Monday, July 22 at 7 a.m., requiring East 22nd to be closed to through traffic at Canterbury Drive.
The work is expected to be completed by Friday, July 26 at the end of of the day.
A year after tragedy, Branson debates future of duck boats
BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — One year after 17 people died when a boat sank on a Missouri lake near the tourist town of Branson, the question of whether the boats should return to the lake remains a topic of debate.
Former Branson Mayor Karen Best had to inform the 17 victims’ families that they had died when the boat sank during a storm on July 19, 2018, on Table Rock Lake. She said she will never forget the cries and screaming of the families and survivors.
“I don’t know that they need to come back to this community,” Best said about the duck boats.
The amphibious vehicles, which operated on land and water, were a popular attraction in Branson for nearly 50 years. They are not operating this year, and Ripley Entertainment, which owns Branson Ride The Ducks, has not said whether they will return, The Kansas City Star reported .
The current mayor, Edd Akers, who was elected in April, said it’s possible the duck boats could return to Branson if they are altered and have improved safety features.
“They’re still operating in other parts of the country,” he said. “They are still successful in different areas. You know, if they are meant to come back and are supposed to come back, I think it could.”
Akers acknowledged that the boats are still a sensitive topic after the tragedy.
“I just want you to know that people are still hurting here,” he said.
Thirty-one people were aboard when the duck boat entered the lake. A storm came up suddenly and the waves swamped the boat before it could make it back to shore. Fourteen people survived.
Some witnesses aboard the Showboat Branson Belle and first responders who tried to save people have struggled with emotional and psychological scars left from the tragedy.
“I have good friends who were on the showboat, either working there or saw the tragedy take place,” Akers said. “Start talking to them and their eyes water because they saw things that they don’t like to remember.”
Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader recalled “utter chaos” at the scene and being told 31 people were aboard the boat but not being able to see many survivors.
“In almost 30 years of law enforcement, that was probably one of the most traumatic events I have been involved in,” He said. ” . I had a deputy on there (the Belle) who jumped in and helped save people and dragged the deceased out of the water. He’ll forever be affected by that. The emotional impact it made on everyone in this area, that tragedy will never be forgotten.”
Tia Coleman, of Indianapolis, lost her husband, three children and five other relatives in the sinking. She said in a statement Tuesday that she draws energy from the memory of her family as she continues her fight to ban “dangerous, death trap duck boats like the one that killed my family and the others.”
Interviews with tourists visiting Branson recently found they were also split on whether the boats should return. Some said the attraction should open again because the sinking was a freak accident caused by a storm that came up to quickly or bad judgment by the operators. Others said they would never consider riding the boats, even if they were altered or improved.
Court filings by Ripley Entertainment this month show that 19 of 33 others who have filed claims against the company have already settled. Three duck boat employees, including the captain, Kenneth Scott McKee, 52, face criminal prosecution.
Akers said that once all the lawsuits are settled, he will propose that the city create a memorial to the duck boat victims.
“I want a peaceful, reverent place,” the mayor said, “close to the lake where families of those lost family members, or those who were affected by the tragedy, could come and pay their respects. That would, to me, be the ideal way to honor those folks.”
Nancy Ann Stewart
Nancy Ann Stewart, born Nancy Ann Scheimo on October 20, 1955, went home to be with the Lord on July 9, 2019 following a long battle with lung cancer and neuropathy. She passed away peacefully at home in the presence of family.
Nancy confessed Jesus Christ as her savior and was baptized in 1965. As an adult later in life, she renewed this affirmation of Christ.
While she was born in Princeton, Minnesota, her family moved several times during her childhood, as her father was a pastor. In Minnesota she lived in Minneapolis, Spring Lake Park, and Ridgefield. In 1959, her family moved to Norton, Kansas, for the first time. They then moved to Goodland and Hays, also in Kansas, and then to Denver, Colorado, where Nancy graduated from Lakewood High School in 1973.
After graduation and while still in Denver, she worked at Parker Drilling Company and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department. While Nancy enjoyed both jobs and gained valuable knowledge and experience, she needed a change and decided to try her luck in California. By the time she decided to leave, her parents had moved back to Norton and in 1983, she moved back in with them. She also joined the church her parents had helped create and build, the Full Gospel Church (now Cornerstone Church), which she considered “her church” thereafter. In 1984 she gave birth to her son, Justin. In the years following she worked as a bookkeeper at Norton Sheet Metal and the Andbe Home and was able to purchase and make a lovely home for her and her son.
In March of 1997 she married Delmer Stewart and later that year, gave birth to her daughter, Kristin. She continued work as a bookkeeper for C&R Western Construction and then Western Pest Control, but her time after was mostly spent as a mother and homemaker.
Nancy loved her family more than anything in this world. Anyone who knew her well realized that she’d sacrifice anything for her kids and loved nothing more than devoting her time to family. She was raised in the teachings of the Bible, which helped her in the journey of life to find her own walk with Jesus. Her kids benefited from this as she always did her best to instill in them those same teachings.
While she may not have thought so herself, everyone knew how personable Nancy was, making friends with just about anyone. She loved visiting and chatting with people from all walks of life, no matter how well she knew them. Music was usually flowing through her head; she could often be found humming or “jamming out” to rock and hair band music or praising Jesus with modern/contemporary worship music . . . anything from Beach Boys to Led Zeppelin to Aerosmith to Fleetwood Mac to Newsboys to Casting Crowns and everything in between.
Nancy is preceded in death by several aunts and uncles.
Survivors include her husband, Delmer Stewart; son, Justin Scheimo and daughter, Kristin Stewart; parents, Ron & Sylvia Scheimo; brother, Tom (and Hope) Scheimo; sister, Debbie (and Samuel) Pessoa; nephews, Eric (and Eun Hee) Scheimo and Daniel Pessoa; nieces, Sarah Scheimo and Elizabeth Pessoa; as well as one grandniece, Julia.
The family will conduct a memorial service on Thursday, July 18th, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. in the Cornerstone Church, Norton, KS, with Pastor Rob Mohr officiating.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Dreiling/Schmidt Cancer Institution of Hays c/o Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, P. O. Box 563, Phillipsburg, KS 67661.
Constance R. Malcom
April 4th, 1941 – July 13th, 2019
An obituary is pending with Janousek Funeral Home, La Crosse.
Click HERE for service details.
Merle Dean Ellner
Merle Dean Ellner (better known as Dean), age 89, of Hays, Kansas, died Sunday, July 14, 2019, at Hays Medical Center, Hays, Kansas. He was born November 7, 1929, on a farm near Lebanon, Kansas, to Lewis Merle Ellner and Frances Mable(Finch) Ellner.
On December 18, 1955, Dean and Jennie Lee (Klingenberger) were married at the First Baptist Church, Superior, Nebraska. They moved to Smith Center, Kansas.
Dean graduated from Lebanon High School in 1947. He served in the U. S. Army during the Korean Conflict. Upon his discharge he was employed as a crane operator for the Smith County Road Department. In 1959 they moved to Hays where Dean joined Bob Finch Construction. In 1960, he received his real estate license with Bob Finch Real Estate. He was also licensed with Equitable Life Insurance Company. He and his uncle, Bob Finch formed Ellner-Finch Insurance in 1960. In 1965, he graduated from the Missouri Auction School, also graduate from Realtor® Institute, and Certified Residential Specialist.
Dean was a charter member of the Hays Board of Realtors®. He was President in 1972 and 1990. In 1981 and 1991, he was honored as Realtor® of the year. He served as Zone VII Vice President of the Kansas Association
of Realtors® from 1989 to 1992. Dean received his Broker license January 1, 1974 and on May 1, 1974, Dean founded Dean Ellner Realtors®. The firm became Ellner-Bickle, Inc., Realtors® when he was joined by partner Donald G. Bickle in 1978. The firm also joined Electronic Realty Associates (ERA), a national franchise. In May, 1989, the corporate stock was purchased, and the firm again became Dean Ellner Realtors®.
Dean is a member of the First Presbyterian Church, a Deacon, and an Elder, a life member of the Hays V.F.W. Post No. 9076, a life member of RPAC, Hays American Legion, and Past member of Rotary and Jaycees, Hays Chamber of Commerce, past member of Junior Chamber of Commerce, he served as a fund raiser for Fort Hays State University, Benefactor of Thomas More-Marian High School, Past Board of Directors St. Johns, past member of Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development, charter member of Hays Board of REALTORS®, President, Hays Board of REALTORS® in1972, and 1990, President Elect, Hays Board of REALTORS® in 1989, Vice President, Hays Board of REALTORS® in 1988, Treasurer, Hays Board of REALTORS® in1987, Secretary-Treasurer, Hays Board of REALTORS® in 1970, Secretary, Hays Board of REALTORS® in 1988, Director, Hays Board of REALTORS® in 1974, REALTOR® of the Year, Hays Board of REALTORS® in 1980, and 1991, Chairman, Hays Multi-List in 1989, Zone VII Vice President – KAR from1989 to1992, Kansas Association of REALTORS®, National Association of REALTORS®, and retired in 2007. Dean has been a resident at the Good Samaritan Society of Hays since 2013.
Survivors include his wife, Jennie Ellner, of the home; three daughters, Kristi Jean Duncan, Hays, KS; Kelly Lee Leiker, Hays, KS; Robyn DeAnn Kisner, and husband, Craig, Hays, KS; one brother, Delbert Lee Ellner and wife, Marilyn, Holdrege, NE; one sister in law, Gladys Marie Dederman, Lincoln, NE; five grandchildren, Michael Dean Duncan, Melissa Dawn Oldfield, Hope Catherine Kisner, Cooper Dean Kisner, and Jenna Grace Kisner; two step grandchildren, Jeff Duncan and wife, Megan, Dianna Wright and husband Tom; four great grandchildren, Aireyana Skye Oldfield, Kamani Syncere Jones, Caliyah Unique Jones, and Lileigh Jean Duncan.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his in-laws, John and Elva Klingenberger; a son-in-law, Paul Duncan; a brother -in-law, Arthur Dederman; and a nephew, Patrick Ellner.
Services are 11:00 A.M. Saturday, at The First Presbyterian Church, 2900 Hall Street, Hays, Kansas. A private family inurnment will be at Mount Allen Cemetery, Hays, Kansas.
The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. Friday, at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kansas 67601, and from 10:00 to 11:00 A.M. Saturday, at The First Presbyterian Church. The family suggests memorial to the Good Samaritan Society of Hays.
Services are entrusted to Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kansas. Condolences can be sent via e-mail to [email protected] or left at guestbook at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com
Randy Lee Kitzman
Randy Lee Kitzman, age 58, of Ellis, Kansas passed away July 16, 2019, at the KU Medical Center in Kansas City.
Celebration of life services will be 11 AM on Saturday, July 20, 2019, at Celebration Community Church in Hays.
A complete obituary is pending with Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory, 2509 Vine Hays, KS 67601.
Police: FBI assisting with Kansas financial crime investigation
POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are conducting a felony criminal investigation of multiple incidents of financial crimes involving credit and debit cards in Pottawatomie County.
The FBI, Kansas Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Secret Service are assisting with the investigation, according to Wamego Police Chief Michael Baker, Sr.
He urged victim of the identity theft and or credit card fraud to file a police report with his department or another local agency.