LIBERAL – Liberal used a four-run third inning to build an early lead and then held off a late Hays Larks rally for a 6-3 win Thursday.
The Bee Jays sent nine to the plate in the third and got a pair of RBI singles and scored two on an error as they built a 4-0 lead.
Hays got a run back in the fourth on a George Southerland RBI single and then added two more in the top of the sixth inning. Herman Yanez drove in the first run of the inning on a fielder’s choice and Max McGuire followed that with an RBI single to cut the Bee Jays lead to 4-3.
In the bottom of the inning the Bee Jays got those two runs back to take a 6-3 lead.
Down three runs the Larks threatened in the seventh and again in the ninth but left the bases loaded as they drop their third game in four tries in Liberal.
Hays starter Michael Gilliland gave up six runs, three earned over five innings and suffered the loss.
Southerland finished two-for-four with an RBI and a run scored.
The loss drops the Larks to 14-4 and 5-3 Kansas Collegiate League Baseball.
They have Friday off ahead of a four-game series with Valley Center.
Saturday is Larkstoberfest and Old Timers night.
You can hear both Saturday and Sundays games on KAYS beginning at 6:45 p.m. each night.
Location of Friday’s Rooks County quake -image Kansas Geological Survey
ROOKS COUNTY — A small earthquake shook portions of northwest Kansas just before 6a.m. Friday. The quake measured a magnitude 3.3 and was centered northwest of Plainville, according to the Kansas Geological Survey.
These are the first quakes in the region since a pair of quakes rattled Ellis and Russell County on June 13 and 14.
There are no reports of damage or injury from Friday’s quake, according to the Rooks County Sheriff’s office.
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HARPER COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 12:30a.m. Thursday in Harper County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported Dale Stewart Sharp, 36, Tugun, Australia, was standing outside a Nissan Rogue when it became disabled after striking a deer on Kansas 42 Highway just south of 130 Road.
A southbound 2015 Ford Fiesta driven by Ronald D. Pinkston, 45, Attica, swerved into the west ditch to avoid hitting the Nissan and struck Sharp.
EMS transported Sharp to the hospital in Harper where he died. Authorities say he was a photographer from Australia
Pinkston was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
One of the most commonly reported frustrations expressed by physicians today is dealing with prior authorization. Recent national research suggests that prior authorization requirements frequently lead to delayed patient care and can have a negative impact on the clinical outcomes for patients. Now, we also know that physicians in our state share those sentiments.
The Kansas Medical Society (KMS) conducted a survey of its members seeking to identify the impact prior authorization has on physicians and patient care. The results were clear:
97 percent of respondents reported that prior authorization delays access to necessary care
91 percent of respondents indicate prior authorization can have a negative impact on patient clinical outcomes
95 percent describe the burden associated with prior authorization as high or extremely high
96 percent of respondents indicated that the prior authorization has increased over the last five years
The survey results mirror those of a national survey which was conducted by the American Medical Association. KMS replicated the AMA’s survey so we might have state-specific data to help inform our advocacy on behalf of Kansas physicians.
KMS has begun meeting with payers to help them understand the extent of this administrative burden. We will also be sharing with them a set of principles adopted by the KMS Board of Trustees which can help inform positive changes to the prior authorization system.
The Kansas Medical Society is a member-service organization dedicated to improving the environment in which Kansas physicians practice medicine, and to protecting the health of Kansas’ citizens.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), continues to issue public health warnings for five lakes due to blue-green algae. Four lakes are currently on watch status.
Current Warnings:
Big Eleven Lake, Wyandotte County (unchanged)
Jerry Ivey Pond, Saline County (unchanged)
Keith Sebelius Reservoir, Norton County (unchanged)
Marion Reservoir, Marion County (unchanged)
Overbrook City Lake, Osage County (unchanged)
When a warning is issued, KDHE recommends the following precautions be taken:
Lake water is not safe to drink for pets or livestock.
Lake water, regardless of blue-green algae status, should never be consumed by humans.
Water contact should be avoided.
Fish may be eaten if they are rinsed with clean water and only the fillet portion is consumed, while all other parts are discarded.
Do not allow pets to eat dried algae.
If lake water contacts skin, wash with clean water as soon as possible.
Avoid areas of visible algae accumulation.
Current Watches:
Lake Shawnee, Shawnee County (new 6/20)
Marion County Lake, Marion County (unchanged)
Strowbridge (Carbondale East), Osage County (new 6/20)
Webster Lake (Webster Reservoir), Rooks County (new 6/20)
A watch means that blue-green algae have been detected and a harmful algal bloom is present or likely to develop. People are encouraged to avoid areas of algae accumulation and keep pets and livestock away from the water.
During the watch status, KDHE recommends the following precautions be taken:
Signage will be posted at all public access locations
Water may be unsafe for humans/animals
Avoid areas of algae accumulation and do not let people/pets eat dried algae or drink contaminated water.
Swimming, wading, skiing, and jet skiing are discouraged near visible blooms
Boating and fishing are safe. However, inhalation of the spray may affect some individuals. Avoid direct contact with water, and wash with clean water after any contact.
Clean fish well with potable water and eat fillet portion only.
KDHE samples publicly-accessible bodies of water for blue-green algae when the agency receives reports of potential algae blooms in Kansas lakes. Based on sampling results, KDHE reports on potentially harmful conditions.
Kansans should be aware that blooms are unpredictable. They can develop rapidly and may float around the lake, requiring visitors to exercise their best judgment. If there is scum, a paint-like surface or the water is bright green, avoid contact and keep pets away. These are indications that a harmful bloom may be present. Pet owners should be aware that animals that swim in or drink water affected by a harmful algal bloom or eat dried algae along the shore may become seriously ill or die.
Just after 12:15 a.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 2200 Block of North Minnesota, according to officer Paul Cruz.
Officers at the scene located a 19-year-old with a gunshot wound to his face. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, according to Cruz.
During the investigation, police located numerous locations on various streets struck by gunfire. The suspects were using random weapons and shooting from vehicles.
Investigators are not getting much cooperation in attempting to solve the case, according to Cruz. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call police.
KANSAS CITY, (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted two more employees of a company that owns a duck boat that sank on a Missouri lake last summer, killing 17 people.
Duck boat involved in the fatal accident- Photo courtesy NTSB
Curtis Lanham, the general manager at Ride the Ducks Branson, and Charles Baltzell, the operations supervisor, were charged with misconduct and neglect in a 47-count indictment that was unsealed and made public Thursday following their initial court appearances, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
The boat’s captain, Kenneth Scott McKee, of Verona, was indicted previously on charges alleging that he failed to properly asses the weather and failed to tell passengers to don flotation devices as conditions worsened. The amphibious vehicle the 51-year-old was piloting sank July 19, 2018, at Table Rock Lake near Branson after it entered the lake despite severe weather warnings. Riders from Missouri, Indiana, Illinois and Arkansas were killed; 14 people survived the sinking.
According to the indictment, Baltzell, 76, of Kirbyville, got onto the duck boat before it departed and directed McKee to conduct the water portion of the excursion before the land tour because of the approaching storm. At no point after that did Baltzell or Lanham communicate with McKee about the growing intensity of the storm, including that wind gusts of 70 mph were predicted, the indictment said. Rules barred the boat from operating on the water when winds exceeded 35 mph.
Baltzell, who was responsible for dispatching to the boat while tours were underway, wasn’t even on the same floor as the weather radar viewing screens are located because he was conducting closing duties, the indictment said. At one point Baltzell communicated with Lanham, who was himself on a tour, about the fact that McKee’s Stretch Duck 7 tour was conducting the water portion of the tour first. Lanham, 36, of Galena, replied, “Good it’s dark right now,” the indictment said.
Lanham also is accused in the indictment of failing to establish training and policies for monitoring for severe weather and allowed others responsible for monitoring weather to be distracted by other duties. The indictment said Lanham helped create “a work atmosphere on Stretch Duck 7 and other duck boats where the concern for profit overshadowed the concern for safety.”
Phone and email messages seeking comment from attorneys for Lanham and Baltzell were not immediately returned.
Ripley Entertainment spokeswoman Suzanne Smagala-Potts said the Orlando, Florida-based company is cooperating with the U.S. Attorney’s office and other agencies investigating the incident. The company suspended operation of the boats after the sinking and opened a replacement entertainment attraction this year.
“We are committed to doing everything we can to help and support the community of Branson and those impacted by this accident,” Smagala-Potts said in a statement. “While the United States Attorney has decided to bring criminal charges as a result of the accident, all persons charged are entitled to a strong presumption of innocence until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. We have and will continue to offer support for all of our employees as this process moves forward.”
Smagala-Potts said Ripley continues to work with the surviving victims and relatives of those killed “and have reached settlement agreements with many individuals and families, and we continue to work with others.”
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A man has pleaded no contest to charges related to exchanging gunfire with Topeka police officers.
Trevon Brown photo Shawnee Co.
Trevon Lorenzo Brown entered the plea Wednesday to two counts of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, unlawful discharge of a firearm and criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay said in a news release that Brown fired at police while fleeing from officers patrolling an area with an increase in vehicle burglaries in October 2018 . Several hours later, officers encountered Brown again while conducting a search and they exchanged another round of gunfire. He shot at five officers in the two incidents.
Brown was shot twice and then arrested. No officers were injured.
Kagay determined the officers’ use of force was justified as self-defense.
WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced in Sedgwick County District Court for stealing more than $21,000 from his mother in a nursing home.
Queen photo Sedgwick Co.
On Tuesday, John M. Queen, 53, Wichita, was placed on probation for five years and ordered to pay back the money in monthly payments, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.
Judge Kevin O’Connor told Queen he could serve five months in a Kansas prison if he violates his probation. Queen pleaded no contest to felony theft in April. As part of the plea negotiations, prosecutors dismissed related charges. According to information released at the sentencing hearing,
Queen was the durable power of attorney for his mother in 2015 and 2016. He was responsible for paying her bill at a Wichita nursing home. The Kansas Department of Children and Families (DCF) launched an investigation after the nursing home reported the victim’s bill was not being paid, putting her at risk of being evicted. DCF then referred the case to the District Attorney’s office for criminal charges. Investigator Andrea Riedel of the District Attorney’s office testified that bank records showed Queen withdrew thousands in cash from his mother’s account and made dozens of charges at restaurants and stores.
