BARTON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities were busy in Barton County over the weekend making numerous drug arrests.
Just after 9:30 p.m., Friday, officers were dispatched to the area of the 4100 block of 10th Street in Great Bend in reference to Daniel Bartonek, age 31, being in the area and having an active warrant.
The officer located Bartonek driving in the area and conducted a traffic stop. Bartonek ran from the vehicle on foot and the officer apprehended him and arrested him on the warrant. Bartonek was also in possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia at the time of his arrest. Bartonek was booked into the Barton County Jail for the warrant, interference with law enforcement, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Jamie Moore
Just after 9p.m. Saturday, officers were dispatched to the 2400 block of 10th Street in Great Bend in reference to Jamie Moore, age 27, being in the area and having active warrants. Moore was taken into custody on the warrants. Officers located methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia on Moore when she was taken into custody. Moore was booked into the Barton County Jail for possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia
A short time later, an officer conducted a traffic stop in the 1600 block of 10th Street in Great Bend for a vehicle driving without headlights. When the officer contacted the driver, who was identified as Luis Reyes, age 21, they could smell an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.
Luis Reyes
The officer searched the vehicle, where marijuana and drug paraphernalia were located. Reyes was booked into the Barton County Jail for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Just after 1 a.m. Sunday, an officer conducted a traffic stop in the 2700 block of 10th Street in Great Bend. Police K-9, “Lazar” indicated an odor of illegal narcotics inside the vehicle.
Officers searched the vehicle and located methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Krystal Halseth, age 23; Bailey Klein, age 21; and Brayden Powell-Rand, age 18 were booked into the Barton County Jail for possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Brayden Powell-Rand-photo Barton Co.
Anyone with information about these crimes, or any other crimes, can contact the Great Bend Police Department or Crime Stoppers at 620-792-1300 or 888-305-1300.
Russell Community Theater has announced its 2019 slate of plays.
“About Time”, written by Tom Cole and directed by Bob Roe, opens the season April 30 through May 4, 2019 at the RCT Playhouse located at 5th and Kansas in Russell.
In “About Time”, an elderly married couple is found in the kitchen of their condominium at breakfast, lunch, dinner and finally for a late snack. The couple talks about everything under the sun, including food, sex, children and aging. She is slowing down some and he can’t get around like he once could, but they are both still sharp as tacks. Through the four scenes, they grapple with what it means to share – and come to the end of – a life together.
“The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] is written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield. Mitch Eaton will direct the summer production which will be presented June 25-29 at the RCT Playhouse.
Celebrating over 30 years on the stage, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised]” features all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays (SURPRISE!!) performed in just over 90 minutes (WOW!!) by three actors (NO WAY!!). Fast paced, witty and physical, it’s full of laughter for Shakespeare lover and haters alike. Join these madcap men in tights as they weave their wicked way through the Bard’s Comedies, Histories and Tragedies in one wild ride that will leave you breathless with laughter.
The 2019 season wraps up at the RCT Playhouse October 8-12 with “Four Old Broads”, written by Leslie Kimbell and directed by Crystal Craig.
Retired burlesque queen Beatrice needs a vacation from Magnolia Place Assisted Living and a Sassy Seniors Cruise sounds perfect if she can convince her best friend, Eaddy Mae, to join her. Other residents are facing their own issues – memory loss, soap opera obsession, unrequited love – and things just haven’t been the same since Nurse Pat began working there. Mysteries unfold as the gals try to outsmart the evil Nurse Pat. If everything goes as planned, they’ll make it to the cruise ship after all.
Russell Community Theater is a non-profit theater company in Russell, Kansas.
The sole purpose of RCT is to produce theater for the community and the surrounding area. Completely volunteer-driven, RCT is supported financially solely through ticket admissions and gifts from those supportive of community theater.
Since its inception in 1986, RCT has presented 94 full-scale theatrical productions. For more information, call 785-483-4057 or find us on Facebook.
KANSAS CITY (AP) — A man has been found guilty of killing five people in September 2014 in Kansas City.
Brandon Howell -photo Jackson Co.
Jurors on Monday convicted 38-year-old Brandon Howell of five counts of first-degree murder and seven other felonies.
The jury deliberated for less than two hours.
Prosecutors said Howell beat 80-year-old George Taylor and his wife, 86-year-old Anna Taylor, while trying to steal their vehicle. They died a week later.
The Taylors’ neighbor, 69-year-old Susan Choucroun, was shot in her driveway. Two others — 88-year-old Lorene Hurst and Hurst’s son, 63-year-old Darrel Hurst — were killed as they returned from a store.
Howell was arrested that night walking along a freeway carrying a shotgun in his pants.
Howell previously was acquitted of killing two teens from Kansas.
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KANSAS CITY (AP) — Deliberations have begun in the trial of a man charged with killing five people in 2014 during a rampage in a quiet Kansas City neighborhood.
Jurors got the case Monday after closing arguments in the case against 38-year-old Brandon Howell. He is charged with five counts of first-degree murder and seven other felonies.
While trying to steal a classic Jaguar from a home, Howell is accused beating 80-year-old George Taylor and 86-year-old Anna Taylor so badly that they later died.
The couple’s neighbor, 69-year-old Susan Choucroun, was shot in her driveway. Two others — 88-year-old Alice Hurst and Hurst’s son, 63-year-old Darrel Hurst — were killed as they returned from a store.
Howell was arrested that night walking along a freeway carrying a shotgun in his pants.
Howell previously was acquitted of killing two teens from Johnson County, Kansas.
Eldon Martell, 62, Quinter, died Saturday, April 13, 2019 at Gove County Medical Center.
He was born August 15, 1956 in Hoisington the son of Kendall E. and Betty J. (Herrman) Martell. He was a graduate of Hays High School, and earned his bachelor’s degree in music education in 2002 and master’s degree in music education in 2003 from Fort Hays State University. He was a music instructor in the Wheatland-Grinnell School District.
Survivors include his mother, Betty of Hays, a brother; Brad Martell and wife Lillian of Bettendorf, IA, a sister; Debbie Bielefeld and husband Gene of Abilene, five nieces and nephews; Nate Martell and Bria Martell of Bettendorf, IA , Ryan Bielefeld of Overland Park, Kelly Bielefeld and wife Angie of Clearwater, and Darcy Doege and husband Kent of Charlotte, NC, and eleven great-nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father, Kendall.
Funeral service will be at 11:00 am on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home with Fr. Terry Klein officiating. Inurnment will be at a later date in St. Joseph Cemetery. Family will receive friends from 10:00 am until service time on Wednesday at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested to the Wheatland-Grinnell School Music Department. Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at www.haysmemorial.com
Cindy L. Basgall, age 62, of WaKeeney, passed away Sunday, April 14, 2019, at her home. She was born January 29, 1957, in Stafford, Kansas to Wayne Eugene and JoAnn (Betson) McCurdy.
After graduating from Trego Community High School in 1975, Cindy attended Cloud County Community College. On January 29, 1977, she was united in marriage to Mark A. Basgall, in LaCrosse, Kansas.
Cindy is survived by her husband of the family home; her two children, Amy R. and husband John Davis of Chanute, Kansas, and Christopher L. Basgall and wife Maggie of Lenora, Kansas; four grandchildren, Jada and Jyl Davis, and Makena and Emily Basgall; and a brother, Mike McCurdy and wife Paula of WaKeeney. She was preceded in death by her parents; and a brother, Robert “Bob” McCurdy.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be Thursday, April 18, 2019, at Christ the King Catholic Church, WaKeeney. Burial will follow at WaKeeney City Cemetery.
Visitation will be Wednesday evening, from 5 to 7 at the funeral home. A parish vigil will follow at 7 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or American Red Cross. Donations made to the fund may be sent to Schmitt Funeral Home, 336 North 12th, WaKeeney, KS 67672.
Robert Wayne Kasper Sr., 68, passed away Sunday April 14, 2019, at his home in Great Bend. He was born September 12, 1950, in Newton, the son of Daniel and Fern (Owen) Kasper.
Robert had been a resident of Great Bend since 1980, coming from El Dorado. He had worked for White and Ellis Drilling in El Dorado until they moved him to Great Bend until 1998, having then working for Sioux Tank, LLC until he retired in 2015. He was united in marriage to Peggy Lietzke on April 17, 1972, in El Dorado. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, water skiing and traveling. Robert loved spending time with his family.
Survivors include wife, Peggy of the home; daughter, Kathy Schwanke and husband Jason of Davenport, OK.; one brother, Rocky Kasper of El Dorado; six sisters, Eulalah Ann, Louise, Joan, La Verta, Carol and Emma; sister-in-law, Nancy Kasper; five grandchildren, Sarah, Ryan and Emma Schwanke, Brody and Kye Kasper. He was preceded in death by one son Robert Jr. and two brothers, Daniel and Kenneth Kasper.
Graveside service will be held 2:00 p.m. Thursday April 18, 2019, at Hillcrest Memorial Park, Great Bend, with Rev. Larry Schumacher officiating. Visitation will be 1-9 p.m. Wednesday April 17, 2019, at Bryant funeral Home.
Memorial fund has been established with the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
KEARNEY, Neb. – The Fort Hays State men’s track and field team traveled to visit inter-conference foe on Sunday (April 14) as they competed in the Loper Invitational hosted by Nebraska-Kearney. On the day, one event went to the Tigers while others finished with high placements throughout.
Reed Rome led the way for Fort Hays State as he captured first place in the 5,000-meters as he posted a top-time of 15:28.52. This was the lone first place finish on the day for the Tigers. Kaleb Crum was close behind Rome in third place with a time of 16:17.79 with Erik Chaparro placing fifth at 16:58.53 and Christopher Nemechek rounded out the Tiger performances in the event in sixth place at 17:03.72.
In the 200-meters, Shane Finegan placed eighth with his strong performance of 22.81. Michael Eisenbarth earned a third place finish in the 10,000-meters with a time of 34:45.64. In hurdles, Sabino Medrana placed fifth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.31 and earned a fourth place finish in the 400-meter hurdles at 58.29.
Four Tigers claimed a top-ten finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase led by Israel Barco in second at 10:05.19. Robbie Schmidt placed third at 10:06.66, Peter Franklin earned fifth at 10:21.21 and Robert Loeffler finished in sixth at 10:28.28.
Moving to field events, Lucas Broxterman captured fifth place in the high jump at 6 feet, 2 ¾ inches with Blayne Godshall right behind in sixth place at 6 feet, 2 ¾ inches. In the pole vault, Mark Faber placed sixth with a jump of 14 feet, 11 ½ inches and Jonathan Ball coming in tenth at 14 feet, 5 ½ inches. Broxterman also added a fourth place finish in the long jump at 21 feet, 7 ¼ inches.
Gilbert Peters earned ninth place in the shot put with his heave of 49 feet, 11 inches, as well as a ninth place finish in the discus at 156 feet, 7 inches. Jacob Vaughn added a sixth place finish in the discus with his own throw of 158 feet, 6 inches. Hunter DeGarmo achieved a tenth place finish in the hammer throw by throwing for 161 feet, 7 inches. The javelin brought two top-ten finishes for the Tigers as Cameron Fouts earned third at 175 feet, 7 inches and Trey Teeter behind him in fourth with his throw of 158 feet, 5 inches.
The Tigers next travel to Azusa, Calif for the Bryan Clay Invitational which starts on Wednesday (April 17).
PARIS (AP) — A massive fire engulfed the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of the French capital Monday, toppling its spire and sending thick plumes of smoke high into the blue sky as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below.
A spokesman said the entire wooden frame of the cathedral would likely come down, and that the vault of the edifice could be threatened too.
“Everything is burning, nothing will remain from the frame,” Notre Dame spokesman Andre Finot told French media. The 12th-century cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world’s most famous tourist attractions.
The cause of the catastrophic blaze was not known, but French media quoted the Paris fire brigade as saying the fire is “potentially linked” to a 6 million-euro ($6.8 million) renovation project on the church’s spire and its 250 tons of lead. Paris police said there were no reported deaths.
Flames shot out of the roof behind the nave of the cathedral, among the most visited landmarks in the world. Sights of the flames stopped passers-by in their tracks along the Seine River that passes beneath the cathedral.
French President Emmanuel Macron postponed a televised speech to the nation because of the stunning blaze and was going to the cathedral himself.
French historian Camille Pascal told BFM broadcast channel the fire was destroying “invaluable heritage.”
“It’s been 800 years that the Cathedral watches over Paris”, Pascal said. “Happy and unfortunate events for centuries have been marked by the bells of Notre Dame.”
He recalled that Notre Dame bells sounded the death knell following the 2015 Paris attacks.
“We can be only horrified by what we see”, Pascal said.
Associated Press reporters at the scene saw massive plumes of yellow brown smoke filling the air above the Cathedral and ash falling on the island that houses Notre Dame and marks the center of Paris.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is in despair at the “terrible fire.” Hidalgo said in a Twitter message that Paris firefighters are still trying to limit the fire and urged Paris citizens to respect the security perimeter that has been set around the cathedral.
Hidalgo said Paris authorities are in touch with Paris diocese.
Our thoughts continue to be with the folks in the Norton community, we lift you up and wish you strength and healing in the days and weeks ahead.
The Kansas Legislature is on a “Spring Break” until May 1st, so it is a time to catch up on other work, visit with constituents and attend meetings to hear directly from those we serve.
I have the privilege of serving as Chairman of the Higher Education Budget Committee and am a strong supporter of all of the university, colleges and technical schools in the state, and last weekend attended functions celebrating the successes and opportunities at Manhattan Christian College and Colby Community College.
There was a lot of activity right before first adjournment and I wanted to share a few highlights with you this week.
Following several rounds of negotiations, the budget conference committee was unable to come to a final agreement on SB 25, which is the bill in which all budget positions are being discussed. House and Senate negotiators left all decided positions frozen and will take up conferencing when the Legislature returns for Veto Session May 1.
House Appropriations and Senate Ways and Means Committee will meet just before the start of Veto Session to put together Omnibus budget bills. The meeting is set for April 30.
The Committees will meet jointly to receive the Consensus Revenue Estimates (CRE), caseloads adjustments, and potentially Governor’s Budget Amendments (GBA), prior to holding separate meetings.
The CRE is determined by the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group, which has representatives of the Division of the Budget, Kansas Legislative Research Department, Kansas Department of Revenue, and economists from the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, and Wichita State University. The group meets twice each year, generally in November and April.
The CRE is the official revenue projection for the State General Fund. Estimates are made for the budget year and adjustments are made for the current and out year. The Governor uses the November estimate to finalize her budget recommendations. The spring CRE will be released on April 18 and may be used by the Legislature to adjust expenditures. The CRE and Budget Conference positions can be found here.
The House approved of the conference committee report of SB 67, which would require a physician to verbally inform a woman who is seeking a medication abortion that she may be able to reverse the intended effects of the abortion before the medication regimen is complete.
The bill specifically applies to medication abortions induced via mifepristone (also known as RU-486), which is followed by a second pill named misoprostol. The first pill is taken in the presence of a physician and the second is taken at home. Under this bill, the physician must inform the woman 24 hours before the abortion takes place of the possibility of reversing the intended effects of the abortion, before the second pill is taken. In addition, the facility where the first pill is administered must post a sign with the same details.
The conference committee amended the bill to require a report to be sent to KDHE regarding APR. The report would include the prescription/administration of progesterone, the failure of the progesterone treatment to reverse the effects of the medication abortion, and the maternal and newborn health conditions, at the time of birth, if a pregnant woman successfully reversed the pill-based abortion.
Seven states have enacted APR legislation, including Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah. Four states including Kansas are considering this type of legislation. This language was previously in HB 2274 (sponsored by 60 representatives) and SB 167 (sponsored by 21 senators). SB 67 was approved with a veto-proof majority vote of 85-35. The bill has been sent to the Governor for consideration.
The House passed HB 2144, which would require community colleges to post on their respective websites their tuition rates, fees, cost per credit hour, percentage of students attending each campus, enrollment, percentage of students residing inside and outside of the community college district, property tax revenues and mills levied over five fiscal years. Specific student fees imposed by the colleges would be required to be spent on those particular purposes. Billing statements must also include student fees broken down by purpose. The aggregate amount disbursed for the two previous fiscal years for scholarships, foundation scholarships, and Pell Grants for students residing in the community college district and those who reside outside the state.
Property taxes are levied within a community college district to fund the local community college. Requiring that these colleges post property tax information along with scholarship information, general credit hour costs and other information digitally ensures that taxpayer dollars are spent appropriately and adequately. Disclosing the specific purposes of each student fee also guarantees this.
HB 2144 would also allow community college students and prospective students to verify which offered courses will afford them the opportunity to transfer to a Regents institution, should they decide to attend any of those institutions. The House concurred with amendments in conference with a vote of 116-6. The bill has been sent to the Governor for consideration.
And, the House passed HB 2209, which would primarily exempt a nonprofit agricultural membership organization in Kansas, the Kansas Farm Bureau (KFB), from the jurisdiction of the Commissioner of Insurance should healthcare benefit coverage be provided to its members.
This healthcare benefit coverage would allow KFB to offer affordable plans that are available to members without the threat of cancellation. It would be individually rated, allowing KFB to accurately assess risk to keep premiums affordable as well.
KFB’s coverage is not considered health insurance and is not offered by an insurance company. It is not an association health plan, not compliant with the Affordable Care Act, and not a mandate.
HB 2209 and KFB’s coverage offers an affordable alternative to high healthcare coverage costs in Kansas, reduces the number of Kansans without coverage, provides an additional revenue source for the state, provides an incentive for Kansans to remain on the farm and helps starting businesses by reducing healthcare costs. The bill would also expand association health plans and amend the Insurance Code to exempt an entity providing non-insurance healthcare benefits coverage. Like the KFB portion of this bill, these provisions would also be exempted from the jurisdiction of the Insurance Commissioner.
Secondly, the bill would prevent life insurance companies from refusing to insure individuals who are living organ donors. Organ donors would be subject to the same standards as individuals who are not organ donors. This is a commonsense measure to protect those who have chosen to donate their organ(s).
Thirdly, the bill would require a life insurance benefit to be payable to owner or the beneficiaries, and in the event they could not be found, then the benefits would revert to the state as unclaimed property. The insurance company would be required to notify the State Treasurer should the beneficiary not submit a timely claim or the company has been unable to contact the beneficiary. The unclaimed policy would then be required to submitted to the State Treasurer.
Lastly, HB 2209 would allow the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) to purchase cybersecurity to protect student records and other sensitive information without typical purchasing compliance procedures of the Department of Administration, and also independent of the Committee on Surety Bonds. This would allow KBOR to more easily acquire protection for taxpayer kept data. The House adopted the Conference Committee Report with a vote of 116-6. The bill has been sent to the Governor for consideration.
If I can be of assistance or if you have questions or concerns, please reach out: email is: [email protected] and you can always try my cell number is (785) 302-8416.
It is my honor to serve you in the Kansas House of Representatives.
Rep. Ken Rahjes (R-Agra), is the 110th state representative and chairman of the Higher Education Budget Committee. House District 110 includes Norton and Phillips counties as well as portions of Ellis, Graham, and Rooks counties.
Seven faculty members and five students from the Fort Hays State University Department of Mathematics attended the recent Kansas Section Meeting of the Mathematical Association of America in Pittsburg.
“FHSU was well represented in the number of talks that were presented,” said Dr. Keith Dreiling, chair of the department. “Our university contributed almost half of all talks given during the conference. Special recognition should go out to our two students, Tyler and Ashley, for presenting at this conference.”
Two students and four faculty presented papers at the conference, making up six of the 13 speakers.
Tyler Bloom, Netawaka senior majoring in physics, presented “The Devil’s Chessboard and How to Solve It,” and Ashley Pritchard, Wichita freshman, presented “Fibonacci Cordial Labeling of Comb Graphs.”
Dreiling presented on “Kaprekar’s Constant”; Dr. Tom Dunn, assistant professor of mathematics, presented “Algebraic Geometry and Intersections”; Dr. Sarbari Mitra, assistant professor of mathematics, presented “Channel Assignment Problems of Circulants”; and Dr. Hong Zeng, professor of computer science, presented “Functional Programming and Math Problems.”
Two FHSU teams competed in a math event.
The first team was Fernando Guzman, Hays junior majoring in mathematics, and Bloom. The second team was Lailah Collins, Wichita freshman majoring in mathematics, Sheena Zeng, Hays freshman, and Pritchard.
Julie N. Pope, 66, Grinnell, KS, passed away, Wednesday April 10th, 2019 at Hays Medical Center.
She was born May 28th, 1952 to Hank and Elsie (Richardson) Morgan in Beatrice, NE. She had been a welder for nearly 20 years then worked for the Good Samaritan, both in Beatrice, NE. While residing in Nebraska, she had two sons, John (Lincoln, NE) and Corey (Beatrice, NE) Eggert. On July, 2nd 1999, she married Robert Pope. Julie truly enjoyed fishing, camping and helping others.
In more recent years, Julie spent a lot of time at the Senior Citizen Center in Grinnell, KS where her and Robert lived. She loved helping in any way she could while spending time at the Senior Citizens Center.
Survivors include, her husband Robert (Grinnell); Son John Eggert (Lincoln, NE); Son Corey Eggert (Beatrice, NE); Daughter-in-law Linda Pope (Hoxie); Step-daughters Lisa Winters (Topeka) and Kari Morris (Mankato); Granddaughter Arial Eggert; Grandsons Chase and Cayden Eggert; Step Grandchildren Chris, Cody and Mitchell Pope, Megan Felder, Alec Robins and Shawna Gilbert; Step Great Grandchildren; Corbin, Chloe and Kinley Pope, Dice and Drew Felder and Olivia and Amelia Gilbert.
She was preceded in death by her parents and Step Son, Russell Pope.
Pending inurnment, a Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.
Memorials are suggested to the Senior Citizen Center in Grinnell, KS; c/o People State Bank of Hoxie, 940 Oak Street/P.O. Box 869 Hoxie, KS 67740
