Hays Post – Page 313 – Hays Post Archive

Driver hospitalized after he falls asleep on I-70

Posted on July 17, 2019July 17, 2019

RUSSELL COUNTY — One person was injured in an accident just after 6:30a.m. Wednesday in Russell County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 GMC truck driven by Dennis Michael Butcher, 46, Pahrump, Nev., was eastbound on Interstate 70 just east of Dorrance.

The driver fell asleep and struck a guardrail. The truck then traveled back across eastbound lanes of I-70 and rolled.

Butcher was transported to the hospital in Russell. He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

Betty L. Froelich

Posted on July 17, 2019

Betty L. Froelich, age 84, died Sunday, July 14, 2019, at The Shepherd’s Center in Cimarron, Kansas. She was born July 26, 1934, in Gorham, Kansas to Celestine and Clara (Bieker) Hammersmith.

Betty was a cook for over 60 years, starting at the age of 14 at the Coffee Shop in the Gorham Motel, and then cooked with her father at the C & D Café in Gorham. She retired at the age of 75 in 2009, and moved to Cimarron, Kansas. She owned and operated the TEE BOX in Hays, and cooked at the Hungry Farmer in Hanston, Hays American Legion, Hays V.F.W. and the Gorham Café.

She grew up in Gorham, and was a 1952 graduate of Gorham High School. She was a member of the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Gorham, and lived in Gorham and the Ellis county area. She enjoyed her cooking and her cooking lessons over the years, and making others happy with a full meal. Betty enjoyed playing bingo, trips to the casino, her family, and all the activities of her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Survivors include three sons, Howard Froelich, Wichita, KS; Stewart Froelich, North Carolina; Steve Froelich, Hays, KS; three daughters, Deb Lewis, and Denise “Dee Dee” Rupp and her husband, Dave, both of Hays, KS; Audrey Campbell and husband, Curt, Cimarron, KS; one brother, Joe Hammersmith, Hays, KS; two sisters, Doreen Smith and husband, Mike, Centennial, CO; Barbara Haggerty, Lawrence, KS; 20 grandchildren, 43 great grandchildren, and 2 great great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; one son Richard Froelich and his wife, Barbara Jean Froelich; one brother, Robert Hammersmith; and one sister-in-law, Firma Hammersmith.

A Celebration of Her Life Service is at 2:00 P.M. Saturday, July 20, 2019, at the Gorham Senior Center, Gorham, Kansas. A private family Inurnment will be at Winterset Cemetery South of Gorham.

The family will receive friends from 1:00 to 2:00 P.M. Saturday, at the Gorham Senior Center. The family suggests memorial to the Shepherd’s Center of Cimarron, Kansas.

Services are entrusted to Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kansas 67601.

Condolences can be sent via e-mail to [email protected] or left at guestbook at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com

Linus I. Berens

Posted on July 17, 2019

Linus I. Berens, age 84, of Victoria, Kansas died Monday, July 15, 2019, at Hays Medical Center, Hays, Kansas. He was born September 9, 1934, in Oakley, Kansas to Ignatius H. and Sophia (Kuhn) Berens.

He was a District Food Supervisor for Path-Mark Supermarkets for 28 years. He started out as a baker, and worked his way up as a District Supervisor overseeing a number of stores in New Jersey and the East coast when he retired. He was a cattle breeder for John Metlar of New Jersey for ten years. Linus grew up in Monument, Kansas, and was a 1952 graduate of Monument High School. He attended Kansas State University, and was a US Army veteran serving during the Korean Conflict. He was a member of The Basilica of St. Fidelis, V.F.W. Post No. 1751, and moved to Victoria in 2000.

Survivors include two son, Linus J. Berens and wife, Lucille, Ocean, NJ; Paul S. Berens and wife, Laura, Raleigh, NC; one daughter, Venera A. Berens, Asheboro, NC; four brothers, Manire Berens and wife, Laurine, Derby, KS; Denis Berens and wife, Gerry, Austin TX; Leroy Berens and wife, Berniece, Wichita, KS; James Berens and wife, Patty, Topeka, KS; two sisters, Jeanice Boody and husband, Gordon, Wichita, KS; Alvera Vail, Bethany, OK; five grandchildren, Elizabeth, Melissa, Elizabeth, Catherine, and Anna; and six great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and one infant brother, Gerald Berens.

Funeral services will be at 10:00 A.M. Friday, July 19, 2019, at The Basilica of St. Fidelis, Victoria, Kansas with military honors by the Victoria V.F.W. Post #1751. A private family inurnment will be held at St. Fidelis Cemetery, Victoria, Kansas.

Visitation will be 6:00 to 9:00 P.M. Thursday, and from 8:30 to 9:45 A.M. Friday, at
Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary, 412 Main Street, Victoria, Kansas.

A vigil service with a V.F.W. rosary will be at 6:30 P.M. Thursday, at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary Victoria, Kansas. The family suggests memorial to The Basilica of St. Fidelis.

Services are entrusted to Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary, 412 Main Street, Victoria, Kansas 67671. Condolences can be sent via e-mail to [email protected] or can be left by guestbook at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com

Kan. felon accused in girlfriend’s murder; 4 children also in the home

Posted on July 17, 2019July 17, 2019

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating the murder of a Kansas woman in her home and have a suspect in custody.

Just after 8p.m. Tuesday, police responded to report of a shooting in the 3100 Block of South Elizabeth in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.

Police found a woman later identified as 25-year-old Elsey Puente inside the residence with a gunshot wound. EMS transported her to a local hospital where she died.

Investigators learned a domestic violence disturbance occurred in the residence between Puente and her boyfriend 29-year-old Victor Castro and she was shot once in the upper body, according to Davidson.

On Wednesday, police arrested Castro and booked him on requested charges of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a firearm, according to Sedgwick County online jail records.

Puente’s four children under the age of nine were also inside the residence at the time of the disturbance and were not injured, according to Davidson. They are currently with family.

Castro is not the children’s father, according to Davidson. He has prior convictions for aggravated assault and criminal threat, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Pigs fall from truck; Kan. officer thinks dispatch said kids

Posted on July 17, 2019July 17, 2019

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Confusion about whether pigs or kids had tumbled out of a vehicle in Kansas led to a humorous exchange between a dispatcher and an officer.

Police in Riley County posted audio of the exchange on Facebook under the hearing, “Just a typical day in Kansas.”

It starts with a dispatcher telling an officer, “We evidently have a truck that is losing pigs out the back. The officer then attempts to clarify, saying “Kids, as in children?” The dispatcher then clarified, “No, pigs. As in little pink animals with curly tails.”

Body-camera video shows the officer then arriving at the scene to find two people who had apparently captured the pigs holding them with leashes.

Nathalie Bean

Posted on July 17, 2019

Phillipsburg resident Nathalie Bean passed away Saturday, July 13, 2019 at the Phillips County Hospital in Phillipsburg at the age of 95.

She was born February 28, 1924 in Lucas, KS, the daughter of James Libal & Veda (Maupin) Libal. She married Olin Bean on June 25, 1944; he preceded her in death. Nathalie was the head cook at the high school in Phillipsburg for 35 years.

She is survived by her son, Dennis & wife, Sandy, of Overland Park, KS and a brother, Jerry Libal of Loveland, CO.

Cremation was chosen per her wishes and her family will have a graveside service 10:00 a.m. Monday, July 22, 2019 in the Lucas Cemetery, Lucas, KS, with Pastor Les Rye officiating.

Memorials in remembrance of Nathalie may be given to Lucas and Phillipsburg K-18 Baseball, and sent to Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, PO Box 563, Phillipsburg, KS 67661.

Indictment: Stolen guns, drugs were in Kansas man’s garage

Posted on July 17, 2019July 17, 2019

WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man was indicted Tuesday on a federal firearm charge, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Andrew Patrick Rizzo, 26, Wichita, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crime is alleged to have occurred July 11, 2019, in Wichita.

According to court records, investigators served a search warrant at Rizzo’s home in the 4800 block of east Gilbert. They found methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, a digital scale and pipes for smoking narcotics. They also found a 9 mm Smith & Wesson handgun that had been reported stolen and a bulletproof vest.

If convicted, Rizzo could face a penalty of not less than five years in federal prison. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Andrusak is prosecuting.

Hispanic heritage will be celebrated Saturday at Fort Larned

Posted on July 17, 2019

By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post

LARNED — The Fort Larned National Historical Site is celebrating Hispanic heritage with a special event Saturday, July 20. Sienna Cordoba is an intern this summer at Fort Larned and says the celebration is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include food, dance, nature activities, and living history demonstrations.

“We’ll have mariachi players, folklore dancers, a Zumba class, regular living history, and a migratory butterfly and bird component,” said Cordoba.

Cordoba has been teaching history for years, most recently in Baltimore, but wanted to get more involved with museums. She received an internship through the Latino Heritage Project and has been researching information on the Hispanic traders that frequented the Santa Fe Trail in the past.

“History is so cool and powerful, but teaching it in a classroom setting can be really isolating,” Cordoba said. “If you are at a museum, you can interact with so many different types of people.”

The event is for all ages and will especially engage children. Fort Larned is located on Highway 156, just west of Larned.

NWS issues heat advisory for Ellis County area

Posted on July 17, 2019July 17, 2019

The National Weather Service in Dodge City has issued a heat advisory from 1 to 7 p.m. Wednesday for a swath of northwest Kansas, including Ellis County.

“The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity will combine to create a situation in which heat illnesses are possible. Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors,” the NWS advisory said.

Temperatures are expected to reach 103 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday, with a high of 102 projected Friday. The temperature will be in triple digits again Saturday, before a slight cool down Sunday, when the mercury is only expected to reach the low 90s.

Suspect in Pawnee Co. child endangerment case returns to Arkansas

Posted on July 17, 2019July 17, 2019

PAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with alleged domestic violence in Pawnee County.

On July 8^th, deputies and the Kansas Highway Patrol Tactical Team responded to a domestic disturbance call with involved a small child and a firearm at a home near 130th Avenue and Q Road near Larned, according to the Pawnee County Attorney. A

The KHP team arrested Thomas Roscoe Roland, Jr., 55 of Parthenon, Arkansas.

On Monday, Roland appeared in the Pawnee County District Court in the custody of Pawnee County Sheriff on felony charges of Aggravated Endangering a Child and Criminal Threat. He was initially booked in on a charge of Kidnapping.

Magistrate Judge Julie Cowell released Roland on a supervised bond that included reporting requirements with Court Services and a no contact order with the victim. The court authorized that he could reside in Arkansas pending future hearings. Preliminary Hearings have been scheduled for July 24, according to the Pawnee County Attorney.

James I. Miller

Posted on July 17, 2019July 17, 2019

Phillipsburg resident James I. Miller passed away Sunday, July 14, 2019 at the Phillips County Retirement Center in Phillipsburg at the age of 83.

He was born October 12, 1935 in Phillips County, the son of Guy Miller & Sylvia (Wallace) Miller.

On November 27, 1992, he married Joanne (Strohmeier) Philbrick. Jim worked as a land surveyor for the Bureau of Reclamation for many years.

Survivors include his wife, Joanne, and his stepdaughter, Stacey Moon, both of Phillipsburg; and three stepsons: Michael Philbrick of Seneca, KS, Eugene Philbrick of Wichita, KS and Gregg Philbrick of Sugarland, TX.

Visitation will be Thursday from noon – 9 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, where the family will receive friends Friday evening from 7 – 8 p.m.

Funeral services will be Saturday, July 20, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. in the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, with Pastor Blake Stanwood officiating. Burial with military honors will follow in the Fairview Cemetery, Phillipsburg.

Memorials may be given to The Center in Phillipsburg or Hospice Services.

Charles ‘Chuck’ Arnold

Posted on July 17, 2019

November 1, 1933 – July 16, 2019

An obituary is pending with Plumer Overlease Funeral Homes.

Click HERE for service details.

Police: Don’t flush drugs; you might make a ‘meth-gator’

Posted on July 17, 2019

LORETTO, Tenn. (AP) — Police in Tennessee have asked residents not to toss drugs down the toilet, saying it could create “meth-gators” and stoned waterfowl.

Loretto Police Department issued the Facebook warning “on a more or less serious note” after arresting a man accused of trying to flush methamphetamine.

The statement says flushed items end up in retention ponds frequented by ducks and geese. It then warns that if the drugs made it far enough, “we could create meth-gators” in the Tennessee River.

In a follow-up post, the department noted that it was using humor to make its point.

Yale ecology professor David K. Skelly says rampaging meth-fueled alligators aren’t a real cause for concern but the department does have a point in recommending not to flush drugs. He says fish in rivers all over the U.S. have been affected by chemicals that leave our homes.