TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Commerce and the Kansas Small Business Development Center are hosting several upcoming info sessions on export opportunities to Mexico.
To help Kansas companies gain traction in the Mexican market, Kansas Department of Commerce Mexico Office representative Tom Johnston will give presentations on export opportunities to Mexico on June 4 in Manhattan, June 5 in Hays, and June 6 in Dodge City.
These free sessions will focus on market trends, economic landscapes, trade concerns and opportunities for Kansas products and services. One-on-one meetings are available on a first-come-first-served basis. Companies interested in exploring the Mexican market are highly encouraged to attend these events.
Mexico is an important export market for Kansas, traditionally ranking as one of the state’s top three trading partners. In 2018, Mexico exports to Mexico totaled $2.1 billion, accounting for more than 18 percent of that state’s total exports. Compared with the previous year, Kansas exports to Mexico increased by $237 million. Mexico represents abundant trade opportunities for Kansas companies.
LAWRENCE — When University of Kansas professor John James Kennedy began working in rural China, he would get introduced to villagers with multiple children – despite the country’s strict one-child policy.
“Some of these villagers would have three kids. They’d introduce eldest daughter and youngest son by their name, but the middle daughter was the nonexistent one,” said Kennedy, associate professor of political science.
“They’d call them that with a nod and a wink: ‘hei hu’ — ‘the black child.’ When saying that, they meant unregistered.”
While China’s controversial mandate has led to an estimated 20 million “missing girls,” Kennedy asserts at least half of them aren’t truly gone. Instead, they are more a product of policy noncompliance between families and local officials to keep the births covered up.
That’s the contention of Kennedy’s debut book, “Lost and Found: The ‘Missing’ Girls in Rural China” (Oxford, 2019). The paperback, co-written with Yaojiang Shi of Shaanxi Normal University in China, publishes June 3.
Kennedy and Shi started researching this topic in 1995 and continued into 2015, mostly in the Shaanxi province in northern China. They interviewed residents, hospital employees, family planning administrators, registration officials and those responsible for issuing birth certificates – from the national, county and village levels.
He said this one-child policy, instituted in 1979 to curb the country’s rapid population growth, was easier to implement in cities because urban employment was connected to housing and social welfare. However, the execution of this proved far trickier in agrarian areas.
“The assumption was rural farmers had a son preference,” said Kennedy, who is also the director of KU’s Center for East Asian Studies. “The reason was they didn’t have insurance or pensions like urban folks, so they relied on their sons in old age to take care of them. Daughters were married out so they don’t live with their natal family; they take care of their husband’s family.”
By the mid-1980s, the government realized it was too hard to enforce this singular policy in rural areas. So they decided if the firstborn was female, families could have a second child without a fine. Families would have a girl, then go for a second child. If that baby was a girl, they would not register the infant.
Whereas urban households attempting this tactic had a much greater chance of getting caught, those in rural communities proved more successful.
“It’s because the street-level bureaucrats are not just agents of the state, they’re also villagers. They have to live with these people,” he said. “But by mutual noncompliance, they’re turning a blind eye to the deeper issues.”
Although estimates have often been inflated by academics and the media, many demographers believe the number of missing girls is in the 20 million range.
“They are either nominally missing – in that they are hidden – or are truly missing, which is through sex-selective abortion or infanticide,” he said.
Despite researching this topic for decades, Kennedy said the subject was previously too sensitive for his Chinese colleagues to publish at the time. The one-child policy ended in 2015, prompting greater scrutiny of its consequences.
A Los Angeles native who has taught at KU since 2003, Kennedy actually lived with the Chinese family who is featured on the cover of “Lost and Found.” He said this quintet was a fitting example of his findings: The son was registered as a second child, the oldest daughter as a first child, and the middle daughter went unregistered.
Kennedy, who is fluent in Mandarin and an expert in Chinese local governance, said of his inaugural book, “I hope it opens a broader discussion about our assumptions of villagers and their behavior.”
Graduation weekends are upon us. This is a time of year to celebrate the hard work and dedication of students and teachers and congratulate those we know who have succeeded at earning a degree and advancing into their next phase of life. For some that can mean going on to college, technical school, or a higher degree. And while these are worthy pursuits, the reality is they usually come with a pretty big price tag attached.
Paying for college is a big endeavor for most, but with some planning and foresight, it doesn’t have to be impossible. The State of Kansas offers some very simple solutions for getting a jumpstart on college savings, and the sooner you get started the better. Here’s a brief summary of a couple of very easy options and how they work:
529 Accounts: These are investment savings accounts you as a parent or grandparent can contribute to, tax-deferred. Put a little bit in automatically from each paycheck or set aside something each month to contribute. Large or small, these investments earn dividends over time and you get to choose how and when to contribute. With regular contributions to this kind of investment, you can watch your money grow into an amount that could fund your child’s future educational goals, at accredited higher education institutions anywhere in the United States. These funds can be used for qualified expenses at 2- or 4-year college, vocational school, technical college, graduate school, and even K-12 education institutions. The state of Kansas also allows you to take an annual tax deduction of up to $3,000 in 529 contributions if you’re single or $6000 if you’re married.
K.I.D.S. matching grants: The State of Kansas wants college to be achievable for all students. For families that may struggle financially to come up with the money to fund a child’s higher education goals, K.I.D.S. matching grants are a wonderful option to grow your money faster than you could on your own. You must live in Kansas and earn an income less than 200% of the federal poverty level. With these qualifications you can open a 529 account with any amount you wish and the state will match whatever you contribute, up to $600/year.
Year after year there are success stories of students graduating whose parents and grandparents took the time to think ahead on their behalf, putting away a little at a time and watching that money grow into a debt-free college experience for their new graduate.
Elaina was one such student. Her grandmother, Guadalupe Martinez started an account for her when she was little, contributing $25 per paycheck whenever she could. Upon Elaina’s graduation from high school, her grandmother presented her with a check that brought Elaina to tears. It was enough to get her through college debt free, which she did.
This is not an uncommon tale.
Kids across Kansas have been blessed with the opportunity of education because of the wise planning of someone in their life who cared enough to think ahead and save. Whether it is one of the above options or another kind of savings vehicle, I challenge Kansans during this special time of year to think ahead for someone they love and find a way to save. Every little bit adds up, and investing in a child’s future education now is one of the best gifts you can give them.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas online gamer whose dispute over a $1.50 bet sparked a hoax call that resulted in police shooting a man who lived at his old address has struck a deal with prosecutors that could allow the charges against him to be dropped.
U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren approved on Friday the joint motion for deferred prosecution that had been filed earlier in the day by prosecutors and the attorney for 20-year-old Shane Gaskill of Wichita.
Such agreements typically result in charges being dropped if a defendant fulfills all its conditions.
The judge deferred court proceedings and discovery during a period ending on Dec. 31, 2020 and ordered Gaskill to pay $1,000 in restitution, costs and penalties as required under the agreement.
The death of Andrew Finch, 28, in Wichita drew national attention to the practice of “swatting,” a form of retaliation in which someone reports a false emergency to get authorities, particularly a SWAT team, to descend on an address.
“I think the diversion agreement recognizes in part that Gaskill’s involvement in swatting was less than the others,” said Jim Cross, spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office.
Gaskill is charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice, wire fraud, and making false statements.
The other online player, Casey Viner, 19, of North College Hill, Ohio, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice under a deal in which both sides recommend two years of probation. He will be sentenced on June 26.
Authorities said Viner recruited Tyler R. Barriss to “swat” Gaskill in Wichita stemming from a dispute on the game Call of Duty: WWII. Barriss, a 26-year-old Los Angeles man with an online reputation for “swatting,” called police from Los Angeles on Dec. 28, 2017, to falsely report a shooting and kidnapping at that Wichita address. Finch, who was not involved in the video game or dispute, was shot by police when he opened the door.
Barriss was sentenced in April to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to 51 counts for making fake emergency calls and threats around the country, including the deadly hoax call in Kansas.
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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The government has agreed to an alternative to prosecution of a Kansas online gamer whose dispute sparked a hoax call that resulted in police shooting a man who lived at his former Wichita home.
Police body camera images of The December 2018 fatal response to a hoax call -courtesy Wichita Police
A joint motion filed Friday by federal prosecutors and the attorney for 20-year-old Shane Gaskill of Wichita asks the court to approve the agreement.
Gaskill is charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice, wire fraud, and making false statement during an investigation.
Deferred prosecution agreements typically result in charges being dropped if a defendant fulfills all its conditions.
Under terms of Gaskill’s May 15 pretrial diversion agreement, the government agreed not to pursue prosecution for at least 18 months.
Gaskill agreed to waive any speedy trial defenses and pay $1,000 in restitution, costs and penalties.
Passenger trains will keep rolling through rural communities in Kansas, for now. But Amtrak still hasn’t committed to operating the long-distance routes that connect small towns to larger cities long-term.
Train station in Garden City -photo courtesy Kansas News Service
Earlier this year, Congress agreed to an additional $50 million to keep the Southwest Chief, which travels from Chicago to Los Angeles with stops in several small Kansas cities, running through September.
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran and a handful of his senate colleagues then pressed Amtrak for answers about future plans for long-distance routes. The rail service responded with a letter this week.
CEO Richard Anderson wrote that Amtrak will not alter or truncate any long-distance routes before the end of the 2019 fiscal year. But he didn’t make any promises beyond that.
Instead, the head of the federally funded rail service pushed questions back at Congress about whether to maintain current routes or make changes.
“While we strongly believe that there is a permanent place for high-quality long-distance trains in our network,” Anderson wrote, “the time to closely examine the size and nature of that role is upon us for numerous reasons.”
Amtrak is slated to submit its proposal for reauthorization later this year.
In his letter, Anderson highlighted the increased demand for services in metropolitan areas, where the majority of its ridership occurs on short-distance routes such as the Northeast Corridor.
The long-distance routes, he wrote, ate up nearly $922 million in the 2018 fiscal year — nearly half the $1.94 billion in federal support for Amtrak’s network, while accommodating a relatively small share of passenger trips, 4.5 million rides annually.
While ridership numbers have fluctuated from year to year, Anderson noted the number of long-distance passengers fell 4 % between fiscal years 2017 and 2018.
The rail service is eyeing the development of new routes to meet demand for shorter trips in areas of the country where the population is growing.
Anderson wrote that routes connecting cities and towns within 400 miles or less are the “sweet spot” for passenger rail. He identified a number of new potential corridors, including a route between Fort Worth, Texas — now a stop along the Heartland Flyer — and Newton, Kansas, which is currently a stop along the Southwest Chief.
Moran said he expects Congress to agree to continued funding for Amtrak to support current long distances routes, but that it would be a “battle.”
“I need to make sure that Amtrak, its board of directors, its management has a commitment to long-term passenger services in places in the country in which it’s not probably ever going to be profitable,” Moran said in an interview.
The senator got some of the assurances for the continued operation of the Southwest Chief he wanted from a meeting with Anderson Wednesday.
But Moran said through a spokesperson later that while the meeting was a, “step in the right direction,” it prompted further questions. The senator is keeping holds on nominees to Amtrak’s Board of Directors while he awaits more answers.
Corinne Boyer is a reporter for the Kansas News Service. Follow her @Corinne_Boyer or email [email protected]
NORTON COUNTY — Two people were injured in an accident just before 11p.m. Friday in Norton County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1980 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by Michael D. Gaschler, 55, Ellis, was eastbound on U.S. 283 seventeen miles south of Norton. The motorcycle struck a deer standing in the road.
Gaschler and a passenger Barbara Root, 54, Lyons, were transported to the hospital in Norton. They were not wearing helmets, according to the KHP.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Water Office is currently accepting applications from those who would like to participate as a member of one of the 14 Regional Advisory Committees (RACs) which are established by the Kansas Water Authority (KWA). Interested individuals are encouraged to apply soon as the deadline is only two weeks away.
These committees play a key role in advising the KWA on implementation of each region’s water supply priorities as part of the Kansas Water Vision and the Kansas water planning process as a whole. They help identify and provide input on other emerging water resource related issues and concerns. The committee selection process will ensure all of the water users and interests within the region are represented.
Kansans can have a definite lasting impact on the future of water resources through RAC membership.Interested persons can apply at www.kwo.ks.gov. The application deadline is May 31, 2019.
As the state’s water office, KWO conducts water planning, policy coordination and water marketing as well as facilitates public input throughout the state. The agency prepares the Kansas Water Plan, a plan for water resources development, management and conservation.
CLOUD COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after an arrest.
Mark Kearn photo Marshall County
Just after 8:30a.m. Thursday, a Cloud County Sheriff’s Deputy located a vehicle where an individual appeared to be slumped over in the driver seat in the 300 block of West 6th Street in Concordia, according to a Sheriff Brian Marks.
While doing a public safety check, deputies arrested 40-year-old Mark Kearn of Concordia on requested charges that include possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Kearn has previous convictions for aggravated endangerment of a child, battery and intro contraband; non firearm, ammo, explosive, controlled substance by non employee, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
He remains jailed in Cloud County Law Enforcement Center.
HAMILTON COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 10:30a.m. Friday in Hamilton County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Chevy Silverado driven by Garland Gould Smith, 57, Syracuse, was southbound on County Road Y three miles south of Kendall. The pickup crossed the center line and collided with a northbound 2012 Chevy Silverado driven by Payton Cole Chambless, 40, Kendall.
Smith was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Don Fellers Funeral Home.
Eagle Med transported Chad Ryan Vanatta, 47, Lakin, from the 2019 Silverado to a hospital.
Chambless, one passenger in the 2012 Silverado Huston Hays, 15, and a passenger in the 2019 Silverado Michael C. William, 48, Kendall, were transported to the Hamilton County Hospital.
A third passenger in the 2012 vehicle Chance Weston Hobrok, 29, St. Francis, was transported to the hospital in Garden City.
None of the occupants in the collision were wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) cautions people living in or near high-water areas to not be surprised if they see more wildlife than usual. Animals living near flooding bodies of water or in low-lying areas will be forced to temporarily move to other locations to survive. They could congregate on high-ground “islands,” in residential or commercial areas or around outbuildings. Residents may even find small animals in homes or outbuildings if they’re not well-sealed.
Animals such as rabbits, rodents, lizards, snakes, turtles, insects, certain birds or even larger animals such as coyotes and deer may be on the move. Here are some tips to be aware of when you spot a flood-weary animal –
Leave them alone. They need a refuge from high water and might only be passing through. They will not set out to harm you, but any animal may bite or attack in self-defense.
Small animals like lizards and snakes may congregate under shrubs, rocks and debris. Use caution and protective clothing such as long pants, gloves and sturdy shoes if you need to work in the yard or garden. Above all, do not reach blindly under rocks and debris. You don’t like surprises, and neither will a sheltering animal.
Many animals can swim and may get trapped in a flooded building, so use caution when removing possessions from a flooded structure.
Do not try to feed them. Free food may encourage them to overstay their welcome.
The water will eventually recede, giving animals the opportunity to return to their former habitats, so be patient and be a good neighbor to our wildlife.
Most animals can adapt to changing weather conditions, but not all. Be aware that some animals will perish but many more are likely to survive.
Ground-nesting birds and other animals may lose their nests or burrows and their eggs or young. Many will re-nest as soon as they find proper habitat. Though it may take time, most animal populations will eventually recover.
Do not attempt to rescue animals stranded by high water, as flood waters are dangerous and can obscure serious hazards.
Keep an eye on pets to be sure they don’t tangle with displaced wildlife or chase wildlife into floodwaters.
If displaced wildlife have become a nuisance, people can visit the KDWPT website at https://ksoutdoors.com/Services/Wildlife-Damage-Control and find a list of wildlife damage control permit holders (NADC Permit Holders) who may be able to assist.
WICHITA – Mother nature was the big winner on day one of the KSHSAA State Track and Field meet in Wichita.
After starting three hours late, a second round of rain and severe weather moved into the Wichita area just after 1 p.m. forcing officials to eventually postpone almost all remaining events to Saturday morning.
All of Friday’s remaining running events, except for the 4A, 5A and 6A 3200 meter runs will resume at 8 a.m. Saturday. All of the events will be timed finals.
The remaining 3200 meter runs are scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.
All of the field events have also been postponed to Friday at 8 a.m.
Some area athletes were able to take part in their field events Friday morning. Among those was Plainville’s Jared Casey who finished second in the 2A boys shot put with a throw of 54 feet 4 inches.
Jacob Eck of Ellis finished second in the 2A boys pole vault. He cleared 13 feet and finished second by tiebreaker.
In the girls 2A 3200 meter run Trego’s Helen Giefer finished second, Hoxie’s Emily Diercks was third and Sybil Giefer of Trego was fourth.
Tune into 101.9 The Bull starting at 9:30 on Saturday for updated results.
HASTINGS, Neb — Crews have contained a large fire at a Hastings, Nebraska fertilizer plant and are investigating the cause.
Scene of the fire early Friday photo courtesy Hastings Police
Just after 11:45 p.m. on Thursday, fire crews responded to a reported structure fire at CPI Elevator in the area of Showboat and 6 Hwy near Hastings, according to media release from police.
Crews arrived in less than five minutes to find the facility was fully engulfed in fire.
The blaze forced authorities to close U.S. Highway 6, but the road was reopened early Friday.
Due to building collapse and other structural hazards, the fire has not been able to be fully extinguished. This will cause smoke in the area possibly through the weekend.
Authorities urged residents to keep their windows closed and turn off air conditioners if they have health conditions that could be exasperated by smoke.
The smoke should be considered no more hazardous than smoke from an outside burn, however residents should be prepared to take certain precautions should wind cause smoke in your neighborhood.
Precautions would include washing any exposed surfaces with soap and water, and keeping doors and windows shut until the smoke subsides. Individuals with a predisposition to respiratory and breathing problems may find the smoke to be irritating, and should be prepared to wear a dust mask or relocate until the smoke subsides. If you think you are experiencing a medical emergency, do not hesitate to call 911 for assistance.
Hastings Fire and Rescue has been working closely with Hastings Rural Fire, Adams County Emergency Management, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, the National Weather Service, and CPI representatives to ensure your safety and health. Authorities will be closely monitoring the weather and will provide updates should weather conditions indicate smoke causing potential problems to residents.
No injuries were reported and the extent of damages to the plant weren’t clear. Hastings is located approximately 150 miles north of Salina.
Overflowing rivers and reservoirs across Kansas are already producing significant flooding, particularly in the southeast corner of the state.
But, forecasters say, things could get much worse over the next several days as slow-moving thunderstorms develop over central and northeast Kansas.
“We’re going to see repeated bouts of thunderstorms over the next several days and those storms are going to move repeatedly over the same areas,” said Chad Omitt, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
The storms, he said, could produce flooding in northeast Kansas similar to that generated by up to 20 inches of rain that fell over portions of southeast Kansas in recent days, sending the Neosho, Verdigris and Marmaton rivers over their banks.
That’s well above the region’s average rainfall for the entire month of May of about five inches.
“Many of these areas are seeing an entire month’s worth of rain in one night,” Omitt said.
Omitt joined Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and the heads of several state agencies Thursday to brief reporters on disaster relief efforts already underway and warn that more creeks, rivers and reservoirs could soon be spilling over their banks.
“We’ve got to be vigilant, we’ve got to make safety a priority,” Kelly said, noting that she has issued disaster declarations for 42 of the state’s 105 counties since the end of April.
Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli, the commander of the Kansas National Guard and the state’s emergency management director, said Kansans should prepare for what he calls “a multi-hazard event” – meaning more heavy rain and the increased possibility of tornadoes and other types of severe weather.
Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli of the Kansas National Guard warns about possible flooding on the way in the state.
CREDIT JIM MCLEAN / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
“It really creates a very dangerous situation,” Tafanelli said.
At a minimum, Tafanelli said, Kansans should factor the warnings into their plans for the Memorial Day weekend. That starts, he said, with checking to see whether rains have forced the closure of roads or state parks.
The recent death of a motorist who drove into water rushing over a roadway near Emporia should serve as a warning to all travelers, said Larry Thompson of the Kansas Department of Transportation.
“We’re urging drivers to pay attention when they’re out there,” Thompson said. “Don’t drive into flowing water, don’t drive around the barricades.”
Drivers who spot water overtopping a roadway, Thompson said, should call 911 to report it.
The Kansas Department of Children and Families is overseeing shelters for Kansans forced out of their homes by flooding, The Department of Health and Environment is preparing for possible weather-related health threats. In particular, heavy rain and flooding could sharply increase the number of disease-carrying insects.
“With water everywhere and warm temperatures, we will see ticks and mosquitos flourish,” said KDHE Secretary Lee Norman.
“So, once the water starts receding, it will be really important for people to drain out any standing water,” he said.
The forecast for continued heavy rain and severe weather runs through early next week, Omitt said.
“Probably through about Tuesday before the pattern breaks down,” he said, “we get this stuff to start moving and get we get some drier weather.”
Jim McLean is the senior correspondent for the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks or email jim (at) kcur (dot) org.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Commerce and the Kansas Small Business Development Center are hosting several upcoming info sessions on export opportunities to Mexico.
