Thomas Lee Charles Rupp, age 69, of Russell, Kansas passed away Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at Hays Medical Center.
Funeral services will be 2:30 PM Saturday, May 4, 2019 at Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory, 2509 Vine, Hays, KS 67601.
Visitation will be Friday 4 PM – 8 PM and Saturday 1:30 PM until service time all at the funeral chapel.
A complete obituary is pending.
Phillipsburg resident Charla L. Hoover passed away April 30, 2019 at the Hays Medical Center in Hays, KS at the age of 70. She was born August 28, 1948 in Eldorado, KS, the daughter of Charles & Marjorie (Staats) Benfer.
Survivors include her husband Gordon of the home; 2 sons, Shawn of Glade & Shane of Phillipsburg; her daughter, Sheila Burton of Jay, OK; her sister Gale Gladfelter of Albuquerque, NM; 7 grandchildren & 4 great grandchildren.
There will be a public viewing and the family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Saturday at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, with cremation to follow.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Phillipsburg Fire Dept. or the Phillips County EMS
Karen Louise Bolt, 64, of Atwood, Kansas left this earth on Sunday, April 28, 2019 as a result of an auto accident near Cope, Colorado.
Karen was born on June 7, 1954 in Goodland, Kansas to Jewell and Rosalyn (Edwards) Bolt. The family lived in Brewster KS until they moved to the Edwards Family Homestead north of Goodland in 1962.
She graduated from Goodland High School with the class of 1972. While in school, Karen was involved in Girl Scouts, 4-H member and participated in various clubs and organizations. Following High School she furthered her education at Fort Hays State College, graduating with both a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in Counseling. She used those gifts and talents of helping others her entire life. She started her Counseling Career at Ransom High School and later at Jennings High School. After Jennings she made her home in Atwood where she was the counselor at Atwood High School and had a private counseling practice in Atwood. Her interest in kids extended into the sports, music, and arts departments at the school. Karen was proud to say she was the score keeper for volleyball and basketball for over twenty years and couldn’t wait until the season started to be back with her “kids.” She recognized each senior in the sports areas with a plaque, card, or flower, that she made herself, to recognize each of their achievements.
Karen joined the Catholic Church in 1993 and proudly supported her faith in the programs there. Her dedication to her faith was exemplary.
As time yielded itself, Karen developed a reputation of “the best cheesecake in the county” along with making baked goods and mints. She also had a love of flower arranging and giving the finished creation to many people to brighten their day.
Karen was preceded by her parents Jewell and Rosalyn Bolt; oldest sister Barbara Stull and her husband Rich Stull.
She is survived by sisters, Cheryl Mickey and Marilyn (Dennis) Masters; brother Don (Susi) Bolt; nephews, Jason (Kelly) Stull, John Stull, Gregg (Diane) Mickey, Chris (Sheila) Mickey, Justin Bolt, and Tyler (Lisa) Bolt, nieces, Ann Mickey and Jamie (Chad) Dolan along with great nieces and nephews and a host of other friends and relatives too many to list.
Greeting of friends will be held Friday, May 3, 2019 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Atwood from 6-7 pm with Vigil service at 7:00 pm. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 am, Saturday, May 4, 2019 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Atwood, Kansas. Graveside service will be 3:00 pm (Central Standard Time) at the Goodland Cemetery in Goodland, Kansas. Memorials are kindly suggested to the Atwood High School for a scholarship in her name or the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Atwood and can be sent in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 391, Colby, KS 67701. For condolences or information visit www.baalmannmortuary.com
KDWPT
TOPEKA – Brad Loveless, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, announced today that Bridgette Jobe has been selected to become Director of the Division of Tourism. Jobe’s appointment will be effective in July 2019. She currently serves as Executive Director of the Kansas City Kansas Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc. (KCKCVB) and will use the next couple of months to complete some important projects for the KCKCVB.
“We are very excited that Bridgette will be joining our team,” Loveless said. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and a genuine enthusiasm to promote statewide travel and tourism to our residents and to people around the nation and the world who are looking for an authentic Kansas experience.”
“I am thrilled to become a new member of the Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism team. I look forward to being a part of the continued growth and economic impact that travel and tourism brings to Kansas,” Jobe said. “My goal is to take the experiences and relationship skills that I have built in Kansas City, KS and use them to move tourism forward for our entire state.”
Jobe attended Tennessee Temple University and Fort Hays State University. She has been with the KCKCVB since 1998, when she started as the Tourism Manager. She was appointed Executive Director in 2005. During her tenure as the Executive Director, she led the KCKCVB through significant organizational transformation, spurred by the phenomenal growth of tourism in Kansas City, KS.
Jobe serves on several tourism-related boards. She is the Chair of the Governor’s Council on Travel and Tourism and was recently reappointed by the third consecutive Kansas Governor. She was the 2017 President of the Travel Industry Association of Kansas and continues to serve on the board for that organization. Bridgette was recently awarded the 2019 Hospitality Leadership Award from the Kansas City Hotel & Lodging Association.
FHSU Athletics
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State Softball had four players named to the All-MIAA Team for the 2019 season on Wednesday. Players to earn the distinction this year are sophomore catcher Sara Breckbill, junior pitcher Hailey Chapman, sophomore outfielder Terran Caldwell, and junior shortstop Lily Sale. Breckbill earned second-team honors, while Chapman, Caldwell, and Sale are honorable mention selections.
Breckbill earned All-MIAA status for the second straight year. Last year she earned first team honors at utility/non-pitcher by splitting time between first base and catcher. This year, she earns a second-team nod at catcher, serving as the team’s starter behind the dish in 46 of 49 games. Breckbill finished the 2019 season with a .313 average and a team-best 16 extra-base hits. She was second on the team in runs scored with 32. She ranked 10th in the MIAA in doubles with 13.
Chapman earns All-MIAA honors for the first time in her career, receiving an honorable mention nod in the pitching circle. Chapman led the MIAA in strikeouts by far with 174, finishing with 42 more than any other pitcher in the conference. She was one of only five players in the MIAA with at least 100 strikeouts this season. By regular season’s end, Chapman ranked 22nd in NCAA Division II for total strikeouts and 31st for strikeouts per seven innings (8.0). Chapman ranked second in the MIAA in complete games with 15, tied for third in saves with three, and ranked ninth in wins with 12. She had an ERA of 3.44 for the season.
Caldwell gains an All-MIAA selection for the first time in her career. Serving as the FHSU starting center fielder in all 49 games, Caldwell put together a .321 batting average with a team-best 54 hits, 34 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases. She ranked among the Top 20 in the conference in all three of those categories. She also remained errorless on 67 chances in the field this year, while adding three outfield assists defensively.
Sale earns an All-MIAA selection for the first time in her career at FHSU. She finished the year with just 11 errors in the field, the second fewest among players in the MIAA with shortstop as their primary position. She started all 49 games for the Tigers at shortstop. At the plate, Sale finished with a .264 batting average, 12 RBIs, and 17 runs scored. Sale now has 301 defensive assists in her career at FHSU, becoming the fourth player in program history with 300 or more.
KINGWOOD, W.Va. (AP) — An armed Missouri man accused of threatening President Donald Trump during a traffic stop in West Virginia has been sentenced to 90 days in jail.
Eric Leonardo Charron of Kansas City pleaded guilty Wednesday in Preston County Magistrate Court to reckless driving and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. He was given credit for 36 days served.
State police say Charron was going 130 mph (209 kph) on Interstate 68 when he was pulled over March 27.
A trooper said in a criminal complaint that the 42-year-old Charron claimed to be running late to a dinner with Trump and also wanted “to meet with the leader of the Army to return a phone.”
Norton resident Jacqueline “Jackie” Underwood passed away April 29, 2019 at her home in Norton at the age of 91. She was born Feb. 3, 1928 in Marsailles France.
Survivors include her sons, Robert & William both of Norton, 4 grandchildren & 4 great grandchildren.
Cremation was chosen. A graveside service will be held Tues. May 7 at 2:00 p.m. in the Norton Cemetery, Norton, KS with Pastor Darel Boston officiating.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Norton County Hospital.
Online condolences: www.olliffboeve.com.
Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on legislative efforts to expand Medicaid in Kansas (all times local):
Republicans have blocked a move in the Kansas Senate to expedite a debate on Medicaid expansion.
The vote Wednesday was 23-13 to pull an expansion bill from committee, one vote short of the 24 needed.
The House passed the bill in March but the Republican-controlled Senate has not acted on it.
Medicaid expansion is one of new Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s priorities. Her plan for expanding Medicaid health coverage to up to 150,000 additional Kansas residents is based on a bill that passed in 2017 with bipartisan support, only to be vetoed by then-Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican.
GOP leaders say they want to wait until next year to vote on an expansion plan and that Kelly is trying to rush the debate.
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By JOHN HANNA
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Supporters of expanding Medicaid in Kansas are looking to block passage of the state’s next annual budget to force an expansion plan through the Republican-controlled Legislature over conservative leaders’ objections.
Legislators were set to reconvene Wednesday after an annual spring break, and the state Senate expected to vote quickly on expediting an expansion debate. The Senate has yet to act on a measure approved by the House in March, and top Republicans want to delay action until next year.
The next Senate vote would be on pulling an expansion billout of the committee where it’s been stuck for weeks, and supporters are not sure of success. Their doubts have them focusing on the alternative of tying up the $18 billion-plus budget that lawmakers must pass to keep state government operating after June.
“It’s the best leverage we have right now,” said House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat. “There’s been a lot of discussion.”
Medicaid expansion is one of new Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s priorities and its approval would be her biggest victory so far in her first months in office. Expansion has enjoyed bipartisan support for at least several years, but Kelly’s conservative Republican predecessors were vocal critics of the 2010 federal Affordable Care Act that encouraged it.
During an Associated Press interview, Kelly brushed aside top Republicans’ concerns about needing more time to consider the details of an expansion as “just a stall tactic.”
“I don’t really believe that they can come up with a better product, given a year,” she said. “I think they are really not that interested in expanding Medicaid. They never have been, but I think they’re starting to recognize the inevitability of it.”
Top Republicans argue that Kelly is trying to rush the debate and that they want to avoid pitfalls that could drive up the state’s costs.
“It needs a lot of due diligence and structure to protect the patients as well as the taxpayers,” said Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, a conservative Kansas City-area Republican.
Kelly’s plan for expanding Medicaid health coverage to up to 150,000 additional Kansas residents is based on a bill that passed in 2017 with bipartisan support, only to be vetoed by then-Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican.
Denning called the House-passed expansion bill “regurgitated” and said the state needs policies in place to curb health costs and encourage Medicaid participants to seek preventative care. GOP lawmakers also have mentioned imposing work requirements and even drug testing.
Denning said he agrees with Kelly that expansion “is inevitable” but added, “She’s going to have to wait, I hope, until the second year so we can do the massive and complicated plan correctly, rather than in a rush.”
The Affordable Care Act was Democratic former President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy and it encouraged states to expand Medicaid by promising that the federal government would cover most of the cost. Thirty-six states have expanded Medicaid or seen voters approve ballot initiatives.
If you are in Topeka, please join us in fighting for Medicaid Expansion in Kansas! The vote is today, and 150k people will get coverage if it passes……✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼🗣🗣🗣🗣 pic.twitter.com/3n7R0UuUMQ
— Pringle For Senate (@markforsenate) May 1, 2019
Kelly’s administration has projected that the first full year of Kansas’ expansion would come with a net cost of $34 million to the state. Some supporters believe the influx of federal dollars will spur economic activity, generate new state tax revenues and offset those costs. Many Republicans are skeptical and believe the state’s next costs could be much higher.
The Senate’s top Democrat, Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, of Topeka, notified colleagues the he would try to pull the expansion bill from committee. Under Senate rules, he needed 24 of 40 votes to do so. Supporters then needed 27 of 40 votes to put the bill at the top of the debate calendar against GOP leaders’ wishes.
Democrats hold only 11 seats in the Senate and must rely on Republicans to bypass the normal committee process. It could be a tough sell to some moderate GOP senators who lead committees themselves and don’t want to face a similar tactic in the future.
Blocking the budget is “all we have left,” said Rep. Susan Concannon, a moderate Republican and expansion supporter from western Kansas.
“If we support Medicaid expansion, that’s our leverage,” she said.
The Western Plains Diamond Classic will be May 2 to 4. Games will be played at Hays High School, 2300 E. 13th.
Daily admission prices are $7 for adults and $4 for students. Three-day passes at $18 for adults and $10 for students.
Michael Roger Goscha, 73, of McPherson, Kansas, passed away at 8:08 a.m., Monday, April 29th, 2019 while in the company of family members, at Wesley Medical Center, Wichita, Kansas.
Michael was born in Wichita, Kansas on May 29, 1945, a son of Raymond W. and Monica M. (Campbell) Goscha-Zodrow.
Mike attended St. Johns grade school, Hoisington, Kansas and graduated from Hoisington High School, Hoisington, Kansas in 1963, Mike then attended Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas.
He was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in McPherson, where he was a member of the Knights of Columbus.
He served in the U.S. Air Force as a Sgt in the Vietnam War.
Through the years Mike worked for various machine shops in Kansas, he then worked for American Maplan, McPherson, Kansas, while operating his own machine shop “Triple M”, McPherson, Kansas.
Mike was a member of American Legion Post 24 of McPherson.
Mike was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed playing pool, cards, was an excellent machinist and loved spending time in his man-cave, spending time with family and grandchildren.
Michael Roger Goscha was united in marriage to Rita M. Huslig on April 16, 1966 in Odin, Kansas. The young couple established their first home together in Wichita, Kansas. This union was blessed with the birth of two children, a son and a daughter, Chad and Richelle.
He is survived by his loving and devoted wife Rita Goscha, of McPherson, Kansas; his children, Chad Goscha and his significant other Karen Brown, of Olathe, Kansas, Richelle Barkdull and her husband Ryan , of Andover, Kanas and Scott Taylor and his wife Lori, of Monte Vista, Colorado; his siblings, Ron Goscha and his wife Darlene, of Carbondale, Colorado, Gary Goscha and his wife Stephanie, of Overland Park, Kansas, Sheryl Hays and her husband Jim, of Wichita, Kansas and Gregg Goscha and his wife Marie, of Wichita, Kansas. He is also survived by his grandchildren Abigail Goscha, Alexis Goscha, Kylie Goscha, Ashton Barkdull, Bryce Barkdull.
Mike was preceded in death by his parents and a brother Craig Goscha.
Visitation will be held on Monday, May 6, 2019 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church from 6:00 p.m to 7:00 p.m. with a Rosary at 7:30 p.m..
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on Tuesday, May 7th, 2019 at 10:00 a.m., with Fr. Ben Shockey officiating.
Burial will be at McPherson Cemetery McPherson, Kansas with military honors presented by the American Legion Post 24 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2715, both of McPherson.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and they can be sent to Glidden-Ediger Funeral Home; 222 W. Euclid St., McPherson, Ks. 67460..
Roy Lambert Quiett, of Hill City, Kansas and Casper, Wyoming, passed away surrounded by his loving family Sunday, April 28, 2019 at the Graham County Hospital, after a brief battle with liver cancer.
Roy was born February 18, 1939 to Ellis and Annette (Brewster) Lambert in Marshall, Texas. He was later adopted by Roy Carl and Grace (Brewster) Quiett of Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Roy graduated from Ponca Military Academy in Ponca City, Oklahoma in 1957. He was an accomplished marksman, taking first place in the 1957 Oklahoma ROTC State Rifle Championship. In 1958 he joined the U.S. Army and was stationed at Fort Campbell before being deployed to France.
Roy was united in marriage to Leah Rolleen Anderson in Colby, Kansas August 2, 1959. They were deeply committed to each other and were looking forward to celebrating their 60th Anniversary later this year. Their union was blessed with two children: Roy Carl II (R.C.) and Terry Everett. Roy adored his family and relished the times they could all be together.
Known as a jack-of-all-trades, Roy pursued many professions before finding his calling. In 1969 he graduated from Bethany Nazarene College in Bethany, Oklahoma and became an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene. He spent most of his professional life pastoring Kansas churches in Oakley, Phillipsburg, Kirwin and Concordia; and he also pastored in Lander, Wyoming. He even came out of retirement years later to pastor the Hill City Church of God.
Eventually, he and Rolleen retired to Woodland Park, Colorado where he worked as a real estate broker before his health issues forced them to really retire to Canyon, Texas.
Roy loved working with wood, including building log homes in Wyoming and Colorado. In his later years, he became an avid pen maker, turning beautiful wood pens and selling them strictly by word-of-mouth and friendly conversations.
Never one to keep still, there were few things Roy enjoyed more than traveling. Personal highlights included Alaska, the Redwoods of California, and Silver Dollar City at Christmas. He and Rolleen were often joined in these excursions by their special traveling companions Ralph and Jeanine Ray and Dana and Steve Edwards.
Roy was preceded in death by his parents Ellis Lambert, Annette Hardy, Roy Carl Quiett, Grace Quiett and Lorraine Quiett. Roy is survived by his loving wife Rolleen Quiett of the home; sons: R.C. (Nancy) Quiett of Casper, Wyoming, and Terry (Amy McWhirt) Quiett of Winfield; brothers, Ellis “Alec” (Suze) Quiett of Alpine, Texas and Larry (Linda) Lambert of Montgomery, Alabama; sister Jane (Ronald) Bear of Columbia, Mississippi; half-sisters, Nannette (William) Morrisett of Dawsonville, Georgia, and Darlene (Keith) Burney of Water Valley, Mississippi; sisters-in-law: Jean (Ralph) Ray of Morland, Kansas, Rita Anderson of Hill City, Donna Anderson of Minneapolis, and Betty (Gene) Ryan of Scott City; and three grandchildren: Chelsey (Dalton) Toland of Casper, Wyoming and Evie Quiett and Copeland Quiett of Winfield.
