ELLIS — The Ellis Police Department is seeking information about a vehicle stolen from a residence late Monday or early Tuesday.
The white 2001 Buick LeSabre with KS tag 476KWG was taken from a home at 19th and Walnut between 11:30 p.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday, according to Ellis Police Chief Taft Yates.
Anyone with information is asked to call (785) 726-4141.
September 13, 1952 ~ July 1, 2019
An obituary is pending with Bateman Funeral Home, Goodland.
Click HERE for service details.
WICHITA (AP) — Authorities say one person has died after coming into contact with a power line in north Wichita.
KAKE-TV reports emergency crews responded at around 11 a.m. Tuesday to an electrocution. A dispatch supervisor says the person was pronounced dead at the scene about 50 minutes later.
Power was disconnected in the area while crews extricated the person from the bucket of a vehicle.
Circumstances surrounding the death were not immediately released.
WICHITA (AP) — Kansas drivers can no longer be charged with a crime for refusing a field sobriety test under a new state law.
The Wichita Eagle reported that a change in state law that took effect Monday means police can’t ticket suspected drivers for not taking the test, but refusal to comply comes with a yearlong license suspension — the same as the longest suspension for failing a breathalyzer or blood test.
Field sobriety tests are usually administered before a driver submits to a breath test to determine intoxication. They can include things like standing on one leg or walking in a straight line. Drivers who refuse to be tested can still be prosecuted for a DUI based on other evidence.
The decision to strike the law designating a separate violation comes as state appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court have reversed course on whether motorists give implied consent to sobriety tests.
“The court interpretations have continued to change, so sometimes the Legislature feels like it has been chasing a moving target,” said John Carmichael, D-Wichita, ranking minority member on the Kansas House Judiciary Committee.
The Kansas DUI Judicial Council, which is made up of lawyers and other experts, is still working on a new overall scheme for DUI laws.
“In the meantime, they felt like there were some immediate changes that needed to be made,” Carmichael said.
Ed Klumpp, a Judicial Council member and a lobbyist for law enforcement groups, acknowledged that there may be some DUI cases that police officers won’t be able to make now.
“There was a benefit to having that for the test refusals simply because it encouraged more people to take the test,” he said of the compulsory testing. “Let’s face it — that’s what it was designed to do.”
Suspensions for drivers who refuse to be tested will likely be more severe than for those who take the test and fail, he said.
“In the long run, I think maybe this makes it a little more difficult for our law enforcement officers, but the job they do out there — I’m not concerned that our highways or streets are going to be any less safe based on the officers’ ability to get drunk drivers off the road,” said Bradley Ralph, the Republican vice chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
TOPEKA (AP) — Kansas is reporting that it collected nearly $33 million more in taxes than anticipated in June and ended its 2019 budget year with solid revenue growth.
The state Department of Revenue said Tuesday that Kansas collected nearly $782 million in taxes last month. The state’s fiscal forecast had predicted a little more than $749 million in taxes, making the surplus about 4.4%.
Tax collections exceed expectations 24 of the past 25 months.
The state collected nearly $7.5 billion in taxes during its 2019 budget year, or $191 million more than expected. That was a surplus of 2.6%.
The budget year’s tax collections grew nearly 6.3% from the 2018 budget year, or by $440 million.
It’s likely that Kansas ended its 2019 budget year with $1 billion in cash reserves.
Nancy S. Bryant, age 67, of Silver Lake, KS, left this earthly life on Sat., June 29, 2019 surrounded by her family at her home in Silver Lake, KS. She was born on Dec. 31, 1951 in Concordia, KS to Ross W. and Maxine R. (Lewis) Kelly.Nancy graduated from Glasco High School in 1970. She graduated from Fort Hays State University with her Bachelor’s degree in education and later earned her Master’s degree. She taught high school for eight years until she went to work for the Kansas Secretary of State’s office. She served on the leadership team, retiring as Chief of Staff in October 2014. She was a 1992 YWCA Leadership Nominee recognizing women in the professional workforce.
Nancy was a member of the Silver Lake United Methodist Church and a councilwoman for the City of Silver Lake, also serving on the Housing Authority.
Nancy married John Butler in 1971, and to this union, two children were born, Jason and Nikki. She later married Brad Bryant in 1984, and to this union, two children were born, Matthew and Stephanie.
She is survived by her husband, Brad, Silver Lake; daughters, Nikki (Butler) Foley (Jeff), North Oaks, MN and Stephanie Bryant, Topeka; sons, Jason Butler, Perry and Matthew Bryant (Amanda), Forest Lake, MN; 3 grandchildren, Parker, Jaxton and Lexington; her parents, Ross and Maxine Kelly, Topeka and her brothers, Norman Kelly (Sherrie), Salina and Kyle Kelly (Vickie), Lansing.
It was Nancy’s wish to be cremated, and memorial services will be held at 11:00 am, Tuesday, July 9, 2019 at the Silver Lake United Methodist Church, Silver Lake with Pastor Alex Rossow officiating. Private family burial of the cremains will be at a later date in Cloud County, Kansas. The family will greet friends from 5-7 pm, Monday, July 8, 2019 at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the Silver Lake United Methodist Church, 204 Madore, Silver Lake, KS 66539 or MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030 or in care of the funeral home. For online condolences, please visit www.chaputbuoy.com.
By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
GREAT BEND — Anyone driving down 10th Street in Great Bend needs to pay heed of construction work being handled at the intersection with Grant Street, but this past Saturday an unexpected hazard surfaced. Motorists may have seen a large portion of the middle turning lane on 10th Street buckle.
Great Bend City Administrator Kendal Francis says crews had to cut the damaged portion of the road out and temporarily filled the damaged area with asphalt millings.
“Once the 10th & Grant project is complete, the buckled area will be repaired correctly,” Francis said.
City staff believe heat was the main cause for the road buckling.
Francis does urge motorists to use caution while driving through the 10th & Grant area with construction to widen the intersection expected to continue until September.
“The traffic signals have been removed so that adds another element to the whole project,” said Francis. “It is a significantly reduced speed so we just ask that motorists follow the speed limit and be aware of their surroundings.”
The third phase of construction is expected to begin July 9 to reconstruct the middle lanes. All left turns will be prohibited in the project area during the third phase.
Salina Post
SALINA — A Salina man is dealing with the loss of multiple farm implements and the building they were in after a fire Monday evening northeast of Salina.
Saline County Undersheriff Brent Melander said Tuesday that deputies were called to the 4300 block of East Campbell Road at 7:15 p.m. Monday for the report of a farm shed on fire. When deputies arrived, they found an approximate 40-foot Morton Building engulfed in flames, he said. The building and its contents are owned by Roger Mattison, 66, of Salina, Melander said.
Firefighters from Rural Fire District No. 5 were on scene but were unable to save the building and its contents. The building was valued at $48,000, Melander said. Equipment in the building included the following, he said.
According to Melander, the total loss, including the building, was estimated at $149,000.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, he said.
The Kansas Highway Patrol said 34-year old Donte Keeshan Newsome, Topeka, was taken to Stormont Vail Hospital for a suspected minor injury following a one-vehicle accident in Wabaunsee County four miles east of K-177 Highway.
Newsome was westbound on Interstate 70 when his Chevrolet Silverado 1500 blew a tire. The truck traveled through the center median with the vehicle landing in the south ditch. The accident was reported about 10:10 p.m. on Monday.
Newsome was wearing a seat belt, the KHP reported.
The Hays Area Chamber of Commerce has scheduled a meet-and-greet for incoming President/CEO Sarah Wasinger.
The come-and-go event will be from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Welcome Center, 2700 Vine. Light refreshments will be provided.
This census/congressional reapportionment issue breaks a lot of ways for Kansas, and the U.S. Supreme Court decision last week that tossed, at least for now, a question about legal residency in the U.S. splashes into Kansas in several ways.
The high court decision was basically that there is no persuasive constitutional reason for the upcoming 2020 U.S. Census to require folks in the U.S. to reveal whether they are lawfully in the United States. Practically, most are, but millions aren’t.
The likely result? If the decision holds, millions of immigrants who aren’t formally U.S. citizens will fill out the census form, and we’ll know how many people we have in the nation and in each state and where they are and just what federal and state government needs to do to keep them safe, healthy, educated…basically living a decent life in the United States. If residents who aren’t formally citizens don’t fill out the form, fearing deportation, well, that has other effects that might or might not favor Kansas.
The census total will determine just how the nation’s 435 seats in Congress are apportioned, which states gain seats, which states lose seats. It could mean, once the long division is completed, that Kansas could lose one of its four U.S. representatives. It could mean that some states (think California and probably Texas) will see more House seats, reducing Kansas’ bargaining position on issues in Congress that are important to Kansans. Like, agriculture funding, and probably even whether Amtrak riders in Kansas wind up on buses, not railroad cars.
Gov, Laura Kelly, like many Democrats, wants every person who is actually in the U.S. to be counted on that upcoming census, because the numbers will likely mean more federal assistance for the state. Who doesn’t want more of our federal income tax to be returned to Kansas under a wide range of programs? Some politicians believe Kansas could lose a House seat if not all residents are counted.
Republicans tend to lean toward making the census a count of legal citizens. That, they say, means that the federal government at least takes care of citizens, who are likely voters, and those non-citizens who don’t participate in the census don’t wind up with political power, and if they can register to vote under state laws, vote for candidates who will take care of them—like most of us do. Some politicians believe that Kansas could lose a House seat if non-citizens in California and certain other states are counted.
So, is it making sure that the federal government knows how to spread its (that’s our tax-dollar-funded) resources to states and their residents, or is it letting the federal government know where the citizens–not just residents–are, and using that information for assembling and funding federal programs?
Seeing the political problem here? Do you want something on the upcoming census that may hold down the participation of longtime residents who aren’t citizens, or do you want to scare some residents who aren’t citizens off participation, which may insulate conservative, likely Republican, members of Congress?
Of course, the issue probably comes down to just where that census information, and the names and addresses of residents who aren’t citizens, wind up. It’s not supposed to be widely dispersed within the federal government—say, to immigration law enforcers—but with the current president and his insistence on America for Americans, or whatever the current catchphrase is, who knows?
Would you risk filling out the form if it puts you and your family in jeopardy of deportation? Or would you trust the federal government to use the census information just for population-sensitive issues, like apportionment of Congress (and downstream, reapportionment of state legislatures)?
What’s the outcome? We can see Republicans wanting the citizenship issue, Democrats not wanting it. And both can make arguments. Probably depends on what arguments you care to hear…
Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report—to learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit the website at www.hawvernews.com
Submitted
Christopher Lyon, the Trego County Attorney and Hays municipal prosecutor, has announced his candidacy for the Ellis County Attorney’s Office.
Lyon served as Assistant Ellis County Attorney from 2014 to 2018 and Trego County Attorney from 2017 to present. He is also the WaKeeney municipal prosecutor.
Lyon has been the Hays municipal prosecutor since 2016, a position appointed by the Hays city attorney. He is the past president of the Ellis County Bar Association and currently also works as the staff attorney for the Kansas Sentencing Commission.
He served as an adviser to the Ellis County Drug Enforcement Unit from 2014 to 2018 and is certified by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance for Adult Drug Court Planning. He has been a special prosecutor in Rush, Sheridan and Ness counties.
Lyon received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Dallas. He then served in the U.S. Army, where he was stationed at Fort Riley, and served two tours of duty in Iraq, the first in Baghdad (2008-09) with the First Infantry Division, and the second in Mosul (2010-11), with the First Cavalry Division.
He received numerous medals and accolades, including two Army Commendation Medals and five Army Achievement Medals. Using the G.I. Bill, Lyon left the Army in 2011 to study law at Washburn University in Topeka.
Lyon and his wife, Emily, are members of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Hays, and have four children: Peter, Helen, Esther and Thomas. He is also a member of the Kiwanis Club, the VFW and the Knights of Columbus.
Current Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees, a Democrat, was first elected to the position in 1997.
