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OFFICE OF SEN. MORAN
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) – both members of Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee – introduced the Paul Benne Specially Adaptive Housing Improvement Act of 2019 to expand Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) eligibility for seriously injured or ill veterans. This legislation is named after Spring Hill, Kan. native, Army Colonel (Ret.) Paul Benne, MD, MPH.
U.S. Representatives Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), David Roe (TN-01) and Mike Levin (CA-49) introduced companion legislation, the Ryan Kules Specially Adaptive Housing Improvement Act of 2019, in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In 2013, Col. Benne developed a medical condition that led to his retirement from the U.S. Army after 23 years of service. Col. Benne was rated 100 percent disabled at the time of his retirement. In 2016, Col. Benne was fitted by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for a wheelchair and applied for an SAH grant, as neither the Benne’s home nor vehicle could accommodate his new wheelchair. After more than a year of navigating the VA, Col. Benne and his wife, Christine, contacted Sen. Moran’s office for assistance. Within three months of Sen. Moran’s office working with Col. Benne to engage the VA, Col. Benne was given a favorable decision on his adaptive housing claim and provided SAH grants.
This legislation – developed to prevent future difficulties similar to those Col. Benne faced while trying to access an SAH grant – would give seriously ill veterans priority consideration for SAH grants, with the definition of “seriously ill” to be determined by the secretary of the VA; would double the maximum number of awarded grants from 3 to 6 per veteran; and would increase the number of authorized applications per Fiscal Year from 30 to 120.
“This legislation will serve veterans who may need similar assistance to that received by Colonel Benne by expanding SAH eligibility qualifications for seriously ill or injured veterans,” said Sen. Moran. “This modernized and expanded grant program will allow veterans to utilize vital SAH grants in a way that best fit their needs – providing greater support and improving the quality of life for many of our nation’s veterans. Thank you to Colonel Benne and his wife, Christine, for their decades of selfless service to our nation and for their advocacy, resiliency and willingness to share their story, which will undoubtedly help many veterans in the future.”
“Many veterans carry wounds from their service that make everyday life more challenging,” said Sen. Sinema. “That is why our bill is so important; it breaks down barriers and helps veterans access the specially adaptive housing benefits they’ve earned.”
“Sen. Moran is good about putting veterans first,” said Army Colonel (Ret.) Benne, MD, MPH. “This SAH grant has given me the ability to stay at home and my family the ability to better care for me. As my disease continues to change, the ability to change my surroundings will be met with this legislation.”
“We are pleased with the introduction of S. 2022,” said Paralyzed Veterans of America Executive Director Carl Blake. “This legislation is very important to PVA members because it will provide critical improvements to the Specially Adaptive Housing benefits that help them live healthy, productive lives in homes that meet there needs in their communities. We look forward to its swift passage.”
“S. 2022 will improve the quality of life for many wounded warriors and their families by helping ensure their homes fit their abilities,” said Wounded Warrior Project CEO Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Linnington. “We are grateful to Sen. Jerry Moran for sponsoring this bill and to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema for co-sponsoring, and we thank them both for their leadership and great fidelity to our nation’s wounded warriors.”
“Wounded warriors face unique challenges in recovering from their injuries,” said Wounded Warrior Project Combat Stress Recovery Program Director Former U.S. Army Capt. Ryan Kules. “The Specially Adapted Housing benefit has helped me tremendously, and renewing this benefit every 10 years will help ensure wounded veterans’ homes can be adapted as our needs change throughout our lives.”
Col. Benne, a Spring Hill, Kan. native and University of Kansas School of Pharmacy graduate, served on both Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth during his 23 years of service in the United States Army, most recently as chief of the Department of Public Health at Irwin Army Medical Hospital on Fort Riley. He and his wife, Christine, reside in Manhattan, Kan.
KHP
TOPEKA – The Kansas Highway Patrol is releasing its Independence Day Holiday Activity Report.
The reporting period for the holiday ran from 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3, 2019 through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, July 7, 2019.
KHP personnel assisted 1,151 motorists over the holiday reporting period and worked one fatal crash.
Information in the table is compared to data from both 2017 and 2018. The reporting period for 2018 was shorter than that of 2017 and 2019.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Ford County Sheriff’s Office, the Hays Police Department and the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office coordinated efforts to arrest a Hays man for suspected distribution of methamphetamine.
On Sunday, July 7, at approximately 1 a.m., Fernando Amezquita, 43, Hays, was arrested along U.S. Highway 56, west of Dodge City, after authorities reported finding approximately 6 pounds of methamphetamine in his vehicle.
Amezquita was arrested for distribution of methamphetamine, and three counts of child endangerment, since his three young children were passengers in the vehicle at the time of his arrest. He was then booked into the Ford County Jail. Bond was set at $150,000.
This operation represented a coordinated law enforcement effort to combat drug violence and reduce the accessibility of illegal drugs impacting western Kansas.
— HPD
HUTCHINSON — The main suspect involved in the June 20 shooting that led to a six-hour standoff is out of the hospital and has been formally charged by the state.
Brendan Jones is charged with aggravated battery, criminal possession of a firearm and felony interference with law enforcement.
Also charged in the case is 18-year-old Tyson Samuels. He is also charged with aggravated battery for the wounding of Jacob Foley.
Samuels and Jones are accused of being at a home in the 300 block of West Eighth and planning to fight with the victim. During the course of that fight, a handgun was pulled from a fanny pack, and Jones allegedly fired several shots. Foley was struck by a bullet in his left thigh.
Later in the morning, police got word that Jones was at a home in the 300 block of West 16th, where the standoff occurred. Samuels eventually surrendered, but Jones got to the door and allegedly began shooting at officers. Ten officers returned fire, striking Jones.
Jones was taken to a Wichita hospital for treatment of his wounds. He is now back in Reno County on a bond of $750,000. More charges could be coming after the KBI completes its review of the shooting.
DENVER (AP) — Wildlife officials have confirmed at least one gray wolf from Wyoming was spotted in northern Colorado.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife said Wednesday the animal reported near Walden in Jackson County was a male from the Snake River wolf pack.
It was wearing a radio collar and was last recorded Feb. 12 around South Pass in west-central Wyoming.
Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Rebecca Ferrell says biologists were unable to confirm whether a second animal reported in Grand County was also a gray wolf.
Gray wolves were native to Colorado but were hunted to near extinction by the 1940s. The most recent previous confirmed wolf sightings in the state were also near Walden, in 2015.
About 6,000 of the animals live in the Northern Rockies, Pacific Northwest and Western Great Lakes.
DALLAS — Dancers from Jackie Creamer’s The Dance Studio won numerous awards at the Legacy Dance Championships this week in Dallas.
Earning awards for their performances were:
First Overall Mini Duo, Hit The Road Jack: Anaya Creamer, Kenley Callahan
First Overall Junior Duo, Fabulous: Ruby Fields, Izabel Schmidt
First Overall Teen Duo, Two: Lauren Wagner, Adelyn Wagner
First Overall Senior Duo, Lay Me Down: Jenna Romme, Jillian Lowe
First Overall Mini Small Group, Expensive: Anaya Creamer, Kenley Callahan, Alexa Seib, Allie Gier, Jenny Molstad, Addison Karlin
First Overall Petite Small Group, Girls Will Be Girls: Anaya Creamer, Kenley Callahan, Delia Dixon, Alexa Seib, Arianna Ayarza
First Overall Junior Small Group, Awoo: Molly Buckles, Elizabeth Cunningham, Ruby Fields, Sienna Lummus, Lillian McGaughey, Annika Nichols, Leah Reed, Izabel Schmidt, Jaci Schmidt
First Overall Senior Small Group, Byegone: Avery Jones, Jillian Lowe, Jenna Romme, Ella Voth, Lauren Wagner, Kassidi Yost, Samantha Zimmerman
First Overall Junior Large Group, Heavy In My Arms: Jenna Brull, Molly Buckles, Elizabeth Cunningham, Ruby Fields, Briley Haynes, Makayla Koerner, Katie Linenberger, Sienna Lummus, Lillian McGaughey, Mykayla Romme, Izabel Schmidt, Jaci Schmidt, Kyla Schmidt, Aliya Seib, Adelyn Wagner, Nevaeh Weigel
First Overall Teen Line, Game Of Survival: Hannah Durham, Ruby Fields, Avery Jones, Makayla Koerner, Katie Linenberger, Jillian Lowe, Sienna Lummus, Lillian McGaughey, Jenna Romme, Mykayla Romme, Izabel Schmidt, Jaci Schmidt, Kyla Schmidt, Adelyn Wagner, Lauren Wagner, Nevaeh Weigel, Kassidi Yost, Shyanne Yost
First Overall Teen Production, What Are You Looking At: All Company Members
These dances received the National Championship in the Showdown of the Legends.
• Mini Small Group, Expensive, National Champions
• Petite Small Group, Girls Will Be Girls, National Champions
• Junior Small Group, Awoo, National Champions
• Teen-Senior Line, Game of Survival, 1st Runner-Up
Jillian Lowe was named Miss Senior Legacy, and Adelyn Wagner was named Miss Junior Legacy.
The studio also was the Legacy Award for highest-scoring studio in both the 12 & younger and 13 & older categories.
In the Top Ten, The Dance Studio received 11 first overall, 10 second overall, four third overall, four fourth overall, two fifth overall, one sixth overall, two seventh overall, one eighth overall, one ninth overall, and one tenth overall, totaling 37 dances placing in the Top Ten in their category.
— Submitted / photos courtesy Jackie Creamer’s Dance Studio except where noted
Wednesday, August 27th, 1941 – Saturday, July 6th, 2019
An obituary is pending with Baalmann Mortuary.
Cremation was chosen. No services are scheduled at this time.
By DÁNICA COTO
Associated Press
CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands — Ask about Jeffrey Epstein on St. Thomas and rooms go quiet. Some people leave. Those who share stories speak in barely audible tones.
The 66-year-old billionaire bought Little St. James Island off this U.S. Caribbean territory more than two decades ago and began to transform it — clearing the native vegetation, ringing the property with towering palm trees and planting two massive U.S. flags on either end. When guides took scuba divers to spots near the island, security guards would walk to the water’s edge.
It was off-putting to residents of St. Thomas — a lush tropical island east of Puerto Rico with winding roads through mountains dotted with dainty Danish colonial-era homes. Then, when Epstein pleaded guilty in a 2008 to soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution, his need for privacy began to appear more sinister.
“Everybody called it ‘Pedophile Island,’ ” said Kevin Goodrich, who is from St. Thomas and operates boat charters. “It’s our dark corner.”
Many people who worked for Epstein told The Associated Press this week that they had signed long non-disclosure agreements, and refused to talk. One former employee who declined to be identified said Epstein once had five boats, including a large ferry in which he transported up to 200 workers from St. Thomas to his island every day for construction work.
The man said he saw a handful of young women when he was on Epstein’s property but he believed they were older than 18.
“When he was there, it was keep to yourself and do your thing,” the man recalled, adding that Epstein paid well and would give away older machinery and surplus including lumber to his employees.
Epstein built a stone mansion with cream-colored walls and a bright turquoise roof surrounded by several other structures including the maids’ quarters and a massive, square-shaped white building on one end of the island. Workers told each other it was a music room fitted with a grand piano and acoustic walls. Its gold dome flew off during the deadly 2017 hurricane season. Locals recalled seeing Epstein’s black helicopter flying back and forth from the tiny international airport in St. Thomas to his helipad on Little St. James Island, a roughly 75-acre retreat a little over a mile southeast of St. Thomas.
Government documents and ledgers show that Little St. James Island was once known as Mingo Cay. In April 1998, a company called L.S.J. LLC bought it for $7.95 million. Additional documents showed that Epstein is the sole member of L.S.J., with his signature reminiscent of an infinity loop.
Epstein later bought neighboring Great St. James Island, which once was popular with locals and tourists for its main attraction, Christmas Cove, a place where you could hang out and order pizza and have it delivered via boat.
“He wasn’t well received,” recalled Spencer Consolvo, a St. Thomas native who runs a tourist shop near a large marina. “People think he’s too rich to be policed properly.”
According to public records obtained by the AP, the island was once worth $3 million and owned by a woman who died in a chalet in Switzerland. The island had been divided into parcels and given to three people and was later sold to Epstein.
Federal authorities consider the smaller of the two islands to be Epstein’s primary residence in the United States, a place where at least one alleged victim said in a court affidavit that she participated in an orgy, as well as had sex with Epstein and other people. She said she saw former U.S. President Bill Clinton on the island, but that she never saw him having sex with anyone. A Clinton spokesman issued a statement saying he never visited there.
A day after he pleaded not guilty in a New York courtroom to charges of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, there was scant movement on the Caribbean island. Hurricane shutters covered the windows, locals hadn’t seen any lights at night and a lone worker drove a bright blue golf cart around the property.
At a nearby office that locals say Epstein owns in a seaside strip mall, a man in a T-shirt and sunglasses on his head opened the door a crack, shook his head vehemently when asked about Epstein and locked the door. The firm, Southern Trust Company Inc., hired Cecile de Jongh, wife of former Gov. John de Jongh, as its office manager, according to records with the U.S. Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority.
Meanwhile, Epstein’s arrest also prompted the U.S. Virgin Islands representative in Congress, Stacey Plaskett, to announce she would give the money Epstein had donated to her campaigns to charitable groups.
Now that Epstein has been arrested a second time, locals say tourists are increasingly asking about his islands when they visit St. Thomas. A woman who did not want to be identified for fear of losing her job running a charter company said she was elated when Epstein got arrested but is now vexed at tourists’ curiosity, saying she reluctantly shares whispered details of his case to prying adults if children are around.
Some of that fascination aggravates Vernon Morgan, a taxi driver and St. Thomas native.
“It brought some kind of notoriety to the Virgin Islands,” he said. “We would much rather that the Virgin Islands be seen in a different light.”
The Wichita Eagle reports that Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt has given Kelly a deadline of Friday to act.
Kelly has stood by the policy and her office plans a news conference Thursday to address the issue. She has long been critical of the state’s restrictions on welfare, which lawmakers placed into law under former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.
The policy at issue represents an attempt to minimize welfare restrictions through agency action after unsuccessful attempts by Democrats to make changes through the legislative process.
CLAY COUNTY — What a way to start the morning! From the Clay County Kansas Emergency Management Facebook page:
Delivered to your virtual porch every morning — on time and free 🙂
By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
GREAT BEND — It comes down to two simple “yes” or “no” questions for the Great Bend school district. The outcome from a mail-in ballot will determine if USD 428 is able to move forward with renovations, enhancements, and additions to their facilities.
The first bond question worth $41,750,000 plans to make renovations to all seven of the school buildings, including a new sixth-grade classroom wing at Great Bend Middle School to make the shift of sixth graders to the middle school.
USD 428 Superintendent Khris Thexton says the district will be providing tours to anyone that wants to view the existing buildings and hear about the plans.
“We’re talking about virtual tours as well,” Thexton said. “If you want to see it in person or virtually, you have that option.”
The first bond would also demolish the 100-year-old portion of Washington and build new in its place. Plans are to build a new transportation, maintenance, and grounds building at the District Education Center site.
The second bond question of $3,120,000 wants to build a new gymnasium and locker rooms at the middle school to accommodate the addition of sixth grade.
“We want to get out the information as much as possible,” said Thexton. “We want to eliminate some of the misinformation that might be out there.”
All registered voters in the school boundary will be mailed a ballot on August 20 with September 5 as the deadline to return the ballot. The voter registration deadline is August 6.
Detailed information on the bond issue can be found at www.greatbendschools.net/bond.
