Ean Schulmeister, 17, Olathe, Kansas, was injured Saturday in Lenexa, Kansas. He died Monday.
Schulmeister was a back seat passenger of the Jeep, which also included the driver and three other passengers.
Police say Schulmeister was standing in the Jeep, which had its top and doors off. Witnesses told police he was holding onto a strap when the strap broke and Schulmeister fell.
Police say the driver had a valid restricted license that does not allow transporting non-sibling minor passengers. None of the passengers were siblings.
Police will forward a report to prosecutors, who will decide if any charges should be filed.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr declared Wednesday he thinks “spying did occur” on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, suggesting the origins of the Russia investigation may have been mishandled and aligning himself with the president at a time when Barr’s independence is under scrutiny.
Barr, appearing before a Senate panel, did not say what “spying” had taken place but seemed likely to be alluding to a surveillance warrant the FBI obtained on a Trump associate. He later said he wasn’t sure there had been improper surveillance but wanted to make sure proper procedures were followed. Still, his remarks give a boost to Trump and his supporters who insist his 2016 campaign was unfairly targeted by the FBI.
Barr was testifying for a second day at a congressional budget hearing that was dominated by questions about special counsel Robert Mueller’s Trump-Russia investigation. His comments risked inflaming Democratic concerns that Barr’s views are overly in sync with Trump’s and that he’s determined to protect the president as he readies the release of a version of Mueller’s report.
Barr said he expects to release a redacted copy of the report next week. Democrats have expressed concern that his version will conceal wrongdoing by the president and are frustrated by the four-page summary letter he released last month that they say paints Mueller’s findings in an overly favorable way for the president.
Attorney General William Barr during Wednesday’s Senate subcommittee hearing- image courtesy CSPAN
Democrats immediately seized on Barr’s testimony.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., tweeted that Barr’s comments “directly contradict” what the Justice Department previously had said, and he said he had requested a briefing from the department. House intelligence committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Barr’s comments were sure to please Trump, “but it also strikes another destructive blow to our democratic institutions.”
Republicans, meanwhile, praised Barr for looking into the matter. North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, a confidant to Trump who has raised concerns about Justice Department conduct for the past two years, tweeted that Barr’s willingness to investigate it is “massive.”
Barr, who was nominated to his post by Trump four months ago, was asked about spying by Republican Sen. Jerry Moran. He said that though he did not have specific evidence of wrongdoing, “I do have questions about it.”
“I think spying on a political campaign is a big deal,” Barr said.
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen asked him directly if he believed spying on the campaign occurred, and he said, “Yes I think spying did occur. The question is whether it was adequately predicated” — meaning whether it was legally justified.
Barr said he was reviewing his department’s actions in investigating Trump. A separate investigation is being conducted by the Justice Department inspector general into the early days of the FBI’s Russia probe, which Barr said he expects to conclude sometime around May or June.
“I feel that I have an obligation to ensure government power was not abused,” Barr said.
Asked again about spying at the end of the hearing, Barr tempered his tone. “I am not saying improper surveillance occurred. I am saying I am concerned about it, and I am looking into it,” he said.
Barr’s reference to “spying” may refer to a secret surveillance warrant that the FBI obtained in the fall of 2016 to monitor the communications of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing and has denied being a Russian spy.
That warrant included a reference to research that was conducted by an ex-British spy who was funded by Democrats to look into Trump’s ties to Russia.
Critics of the Russia investigation say the warrant on Page was unjustified and have also seized on anti-Trump text messages sent and received by one of the lead agents involved in investigating whether the Trump campaign was colluding with Russia.
At the White House on Wednesday, Trump repeated his claim that the investigation was illegal.
“It was started illegally. Everything about it was crooked. Every single thing about it. There were dirty cops,” he said.
He falsely claimed that the Mueller report had found “no obstruction.” While the four-page letter released by Barr said the special counsel did not find a criminal conspiracy between Russia and Trump associates around the time of the 2016 election, it also said Mueller had presented evidence on both sides of the obstruction question and ultimately did not reach a conclusion on it.
Barr said he did not believe the evidence in the report was sufficient to prove the president had obstructed justice. Democrats said they were concerned that Barr’s letter portrayed the investigation’s findings in an overly favorable way for Trump.
Barr’s statement Wednesday that he expected to release a redacted version of Mueller’s nearly 400-page report next week marked a slight change from the estimate he gave Tuesday, when he said the release would be within a week.
Though he said the document will be redacted to withhold negative information about peripheral figures in the investigation, he said that would not apply to Trump, who is an officeholder and central to the probe.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the Attorney General William Barr’s testimony to Congress and the Russia probe (all times local):
Attorney General William Barr says he plans to review the origins of the FBI’s investigation between Russia and the Trump campaign.
Barr told senators on Wednesday that he believed the Trump campaign had been spied on, but “the question is whether it was adequately predicated.”
He says he believes that “spying on a political campaign is a big deal.
The Justice Department’s inspector general has already been investigating the early days of the FBI’s Russia probe.
Barr says he wants to pull together the different reviews underway within the Justice Department and see if there are remaining questions that need to be addressed.
A person familiar with the process said Barr is forming a team to review the origins of the FBI investigation.
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Attorney General William Barr says a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report is coming “hopefully next week.”
The timeline mentioned by Barr at a Senate hearing on his department’s budget is a tweak from comments he made a day earlier. Barr said at a House hearing Tuesday that the report was coming “within a week.”
Barr made the comments as senators questioned him on the specifics of the report and what he would be redacting. Democrats have said they won’t accept redactions and will fight to get the full report.
8:00 a.m.
President Donald Trump is declaring that he wants an investigation into the origins of the federal probe into ties between his campaign and Russia.
Trump, speaking to reporters Wednesday at the White House, decreed it an “illegal investigation” conducted by “dirty cops.” The president did not name them but has previously blamed Justice Department officials and former FBI Director James Comey.
Attorney General William Barr has a team reviewing the origins of the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign and Russia, according to a person familiar with the situation who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal discussions..
Trump also stated that “I don’t care” about the report from special counsel Robert Mueller that Barr says he will release in the coming days in redacted form. Despite that declaration, the president has repeatedly tweeted about the report in recent days.
Mueller didn’t find a criminal conspiracy between Russia and Trump. He did not rule on obstruction of justice, though Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein ruled Trump did not.
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1 a.m.
Attorney General William Barr is returning to Capitol Hill for a second time this week as lawmakers, the White House and the American public anxiously await his release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on potential ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.
Barr will speak to a Senate appropriations subcommittee Wednesday about his department’s budget. But like members of the House on Tuesday, senators are expected to be more interested in the nearly 400-page Mueller report than budget details.
Barr told the House lawmakers that he expects to release a redacted version “within a week.”
Justice Department officials are scouring the report to remove grand jury information and details relating to pending investigations, among other materials.
Democrats say they will not accept redactions and want the full report’s release.
RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged sex crime.
Just after 12:30a.m. Wednesday, police filed a report for sexual battery in Manhattan involving a 29-year-old female victim, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.
Police listed an 81-year-old man known to her as the suspect.
Due to the nature of the crime reported, police released no additional details.
Ronnie Milsap is scheduled to perform on the Stiefel Theatre stage at 8 p.m. Aug. 10. Photo courtesy Stiefel Theatre
SALINA — The legendary Ronnie Milsap is coming to the Stiefel Theatre this summer!
Jane Gates, executive director of the Stiefel Theatre, announced Wednesday morning that Milsap is scheduled to perform at 8 p.m. August 10.
Tickets start at $38 and are scheduled to go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday. Tickets can be purchased in person at the box office of the Stiefel Theatre, 151 S. Santa Fe, by calling 785-827-1998, or at Ticketmaster.
Born blind (his family thought it was retribution for sin), Milsap’s grandparents gave the boy over to the North Carolina State School for the Blind hoping for a better chance. There, Milsap discovered music -– deviating from the school’s classical curriculum to explore the nascent realms of race music, rock & roll and jazz.
Being the brilliant kid he was, it wasn’t long until he’d found his way into the local clubs and the tiny indie labels.
Suddenly, he was sharing bills with Ray Charles (who took the Ashford & Simpson-penned B-side to Milsap’s Scepter single Never Had It So Good and scored his own hit with Let’s Go Get Stoned), and James Brown on a circuit that included the Howard Theater, the Royal Peacock, and more.
It was Charles who told the young pianist when he was offered a scholarship to Young Harris College’s law program, “Son, I can hear the music inside you…”
It settled Milsap’s fate.
Living in Atlanta, playing clubs and doing sessions the future Country Music Hall of Famer caught wind that JJ Cale was looking for a keyboard player. Cale hired him. Milsap went on to work at the Whiskey for a good while.
From Atlanta, Milsap moved to Memphis where he was doing sessions with Chips Moman, where Elvis famously commanded, “More thunder on the keys, Milsap,” during the recording of Kentucky Rain. It was there he was asked to play the Whiskey on the famed Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. While staying at the notorious Hyatt House, Charley Pride, a famous man in country music, saw the white kid playing rock and soul and suggested giving Nashville a try.
Forty No. 1s. Five decades of charted singles. Creating a new way of recording (being blind his hyper-attuned hearing led him to create/build what is now known as Ronnie’s Place, where the new album, the Duets, was captured), he broke genre rules and became one of the biggest pop/AC and even R&B artists of the late ’70s and early ’80s.
Six Grammys. CMA Entertainer of the Year and four Album of the Year Awards. The first country video played on MTV (the ironic She Loves My Car). An early champion of NFL star Mike Reid, who wrote many of Ronnie’s No. 1 hits and who’d go on to write Bonnie Raitt’s second most enduring classic I Can’t Make You Love Me.
Always chasing the music, always hungry for the songs, he is now an inspiration for a new generation of country stars from critical standard setters Kacey Musgraves and Little Big Town to CMA/ACM Entertainers of the Year Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean, as well as a standard-setter for friends like Dolly Parton, George Strait, Willie Nelson and even ground breakers Leon Russell and Billy Gibbons.
In a world of marketing match-ups, Milsap’s Duets is an homage to blurring lines, great songwriting and vocals that celebrate soul over product -– something rare in today’s flashcard jingle country.
But just as importantly, Milsap is a testament to going where you don’t belong with an open heart and a true sense of music as compass. A rebel blind boy often at odds at school for following the music in his heart, that music took him to places white people didn’t go… brought him a wife who would be not just a steadfast companion, but a fellow traveler in the songs (they’re still together!!)… give him stages from the chitlins circuit, soul clubs, rock rooms to the biggest arenas, Solid Gold, the White House, and beyond.
He saw racism inside out. He led with an open-mind, and a hunger to play. He created action in songs instead of words without tangible works. He’s the same guy today, but all these years later, he’s still a man who lives to play.
The driver of a Toyota passenger vehicle and a cattle truck on Kansas 96 near Potwin died at the scene. He has not been positively identified, according to Butler County Undersheriff Tony Wilhite.
It’s also still unclear whether the tractor-trailer or the Toyota crossed the center line before the collision.
The 58 cattle on the truck were being transported from Joplin, Missouri to Dighton, Kansas, according to Wilhite.
Nineteen cattle died or were euthanized as a result of the crash and fire. Four cows are still missing. The 59-year-old semi driver was not injured.
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POTWIN, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say one person and around a dozen head of cattle have died in a head-on wreck in rural Kansas.
The crash happened late Monday on Kansas 196 near the Butler County town of Potwin, which is about 25 miles northeast of Wichita. The Butler County Sheriff’s Office says it’s unclear whether a tractor-trailer or passenger vehicle crossed the center line before the collision.
The driver of the passenger vehicle was killed; the cattle truck’s driver wasn’t hurt. More than 30 cattle survived the wreck. They were either stuck inside the rig or wandering around a nearby wooded area. Deputies warned drivers in the area to be on the lookout.
Deborah Nadine Cobb, 68, passed away April 9, 2019 at her home in Great Bend. She was born January 27, 1951 at Belvidere, to Donald & Nellie (Hembree) Cobb.
Deborah had been a long-time Haviland resident and homemaker. She liked to listen to classical music, read, paint and draw. She especially loved to have tea parties with her grandkids and read to each of them.
Survivors include, one son, Garrison Cobb and his wife Brittaney of Great Bend; one brother, Grant Cobb and one sister, LaDonna Herman, both of Missouri; and six grandchildren, Christopher Avery, Adalynn Cobb, Daniel Lewis, MaKynna Lewis, Teigan Cobb and Brinley Cobb. She was preceded in death by her parents.
Cremation has taken place and Private Family Services will be held at a later date.
Memorials are suggested to the Deborah Cobb Funeral Expense Fund, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
The Hays Police Department will be conducting training from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at 2736 Colonial.
Police officers will be training with special tactical equipment. This training is being done with great care and safety.
As a home or business owner, you may see law enforcement officers move through your area. There is no need to be alarmed. The officers are merely conducting a realistic training exercise and there is no danger to the community.
If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact the on-site supervisor, Team Leader Aaron Larson, or Chief Don Scheibler at 785-625-1030.
SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating the forgery and attempted forgery at two bank branches in Salina and report the suspect is also wanted for other incidents.
This woman is wanted in connection with two vehicle burglaries, an unlawful use of a credit card, and two forgery cases in Salina. Here she is seen walking into Walgreens. Photos courtesy Salina Police Department
On Sunday, someone broke into two vehicles at the Salina Soccer complex at 2100 E Magnolia, Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.
A 33-year old woman reported that someone broke the driver side window of her 2015 Hyundai Sonata and stole various items including her black Coach purse, diamond earrings, credit cards, ID, and checks. Total loss was estimated at $1,279.
A 34-year-old woman reported that someone broke the driver side window of her 2008 GMC SUV and stole various items including her purse, credit cards, ID, checks, and a couple of hundred dollars in cash. Total loss was just under $500.
One victim was notified that her Discover card was being used at Walgreens, 700 S. Broadway. According to Forrester, a white female with brown hair attempted to purchase three pre-paid VISA cards, but the amount was over Walgreen’s limit, so she only purchased two, resulting in a $512 charge to the Discover card.
The victim then went to Walgreens and located her purse in a dumpster along with another victim’s Coach purse, according to Forrester. Items from the purses were still missing.
This is the white Volvo S90 the suspect was seen driving while at the two First Bank Kansas branches. The license tag on the vehicle is stolen, according to Salina Police. This vehicle also was seen at the Manhattan Walmart on Sunday.
On Monday, the suspect was in the drive-through at First Bank Kansas, 235 S. Santa Fe, in a white Volvo S90 and used a stolen check to withdraw $1,100 from Krehbiel’s account, Forrester said.
The woman then used a stolen check belonging to Cornerstone Clinic to deposit $2,400 into Linn’s account and then got $1,700 in cash back at the First Bank Kansas facility at 2860 S. Ninth, at approximately 1 p.m. on Monday, Forrester. The female returned to the bank a short time later and tried to withdraw an additional amount of money, but an alert First Bank Kansas employee who remembered Linn working for the bank, recognized that the female attempting to withdraw money was not Linn, Forrester said. The employee tried to coax the female into the bank, but she drove off instead, he said.
The woman is believed to be a suspect in incidents in Manhattan, and was seen on surveillance video at the Manhattan Walmart on Sunday.
Anyone who recognizes the woman or has any information about the cases, are encouraged to contact the Salina Police Department
Walmart plans estimated $49.7M in Kansas store improvements in 2019
WICHITA — Building on its commitment to save customers time and money in new ways, Walmart expects to spend an estimated $49.7 million this year in Kansas through the remodeling of 10 stores, as well as the launch and continued expansion of several customer-focused innovations.
“In addition to saving customers money every day, Walmart has been committed to making the shopping experience fast and convenient for our Kansas customers,” said David Carmon, Walmart regional general manager. “That commitment will continue this year by enhancing our stores and adding innovative technology, such as Pickup Towers and Online Grocery Pickup, that will give customers even more choices and transform the way they shop.”
2019 Walmart Remodels in Kansas
Walmart plans to remodel stores in the following locations:
1920 US-73, Atchison, Kan.
2700 S Santa Fe Avenue, Chanute, Kan.
1863 5300 Road, Coffeyville, Kan. (remodeled in March)
2020 Nelson Drive, Derby, Kan. (remodeled in March)
3503 10th Street, Great Bend, Kan.
2301 Industrial Road, Emporia, Kan.
4301 Vine Street, Hays, Kan.
205 Centennial Drive, McPherson, Kan.
1701 South Kansas Road, Newton, Kan. (remodeled in March)
Busy customers love Walmart’s grocery pickup option. It gives them the convenience of shopping online and the ease of quickly picking up groceries without having to leave their cars. The best part: it’s all at no additional cost. Walmart plans to expand the popular program to 19 stores across the state by the end of the year. The company also recently introduced Walmart Voice Order, which allows customers to simply say “Hey Google, talk to Walmart” and the Google Assistant will add items directly to their Walmart Grocery cart.
Walmart Pickup Towers are 16-feet tall, high-tech vending machines capable of fulfilling a customer’s online order in less than a minute once they arrive at the store. It’s easy to do– once the order is ready, step up to the Pickup Tower and scan the barcode sent to your smartphone to retrieve your item. This year, Walmart plans to add 12 Pickup Towers to stores across the state.
(4) FAST Unloader
Today, product is unloaded as it arrives at the store through a complex, highly manual process that has seen little innovation over the last 50 years – until now. A new system in Walmart backrooms– known as FAST-automatically scans and sorts items that come off trucks based on priority and department, allowing associates to spend less time unloading in the backroom and more time on the sales floor with customers. This year, Walmart plans to expand the technology to 16 stores across the state.
(5) Autonomous Floor Scrubber
The autonomous floor scrubber uses assisted autonomy technology to perform the task of cleaning and scrubbing the concrete floors in stores. The company plans to expand the technology to 20 stores across the state this year.
Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU presidentI love to share stories about students who through grit and determination have traversed difficult journeys and succeeded. They inspire me every day and remind me of my purpose: making a positive impact in the lives of others.
That motivation and purpose, however, is also fueled by painful memories of students who have died, some from sickness or accident, but others from mental health illnesses and substance abuse. The memory of all those students and their families are forever in my heart and have profoundly shaped my perspective in understanding the importance of community awareness, understanding, compassion, and action.
Throughout my career I have relied upon a number of colleagues who have worked with me to help individuals and the campus through struggles and tragedies – from individual professors and staff members, to crisis intervention teams, to campus police.
The death of any student is tragic, but for those who die as a result of mental illness the tragedy is compounded by the questions that remain with their friends and loved ones: Was there something we could have done? What did we miss? How could I have helped?
Those questions also haunt those of us who worked at the universities where the students studied, and always at the center of our institutional hopes are our professional counselors – a caring and experienced group of faculty and staff who quietly help so many members of our community gain the skills and knowledge to heal and to grow. They are truly gifted, kind, and remarkable.
In addition to helping individuals, these professionals also educate and shape policy so that our university grows stronger, enhances our outreach, and strengthens the overall wellbeing of our campus community.
Recently our Department of Psychology and the Kelly Center joined together to build awareness, improve the quality of health services, protect students, and discourage harmful behaviors across our campus through a partnership with the JED Foundation, created in 2000 by Donna and Phil Satow, who lost their youngest son, Jed, to suicide in 1998. They desired to use their loss to help communities strengthen their knowledge and skills and, ultimately, save lives.
At FHSU, we have been doing a lot of exemplary work in mental health promotion, but core to who we are, we know that no matter how proficient, there is always room for improvement. So the faculty and staff of the Psychology Department and the Kelly Center set out to validate all of the good work FHSU has already done to provide mental health and substance abuse services to our students and to look for ways to enhance and improve what we were doing. They accomplished this through JED Campus – an initiative of the Jed Foundation to guide schools through a collaborative process to create and implement a strategic plan to promote mental health, prevent suicide and limit substance use on college campuses.
According to FHSU’s Dr. Leo Herrman, an associate professor of psychology, the campus program framework incorporates the content of the “Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention on College and University Campuses.” This is a collection of data-driven best-practices developed by JED and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. It allowed us to anticipate and evaluate our clinical and programming needs, examine how we utilize both personnel and financial resources to address challenges, coordinate efforts across campus, and measure our effectiveness.
Fort Hays State’s JED Campus Initiative was a four-year process led by Gina Smith, director of the Kelly Center, and Herrman. A campus-wide committee with diverse representation from the administration, the student body, student affairs, residential life and various academic colleges worked with JED Campus to do a comprehensive review of the university’s policies, practices and resources as they relate to our students’ overall adjustment to college, mental health and general well-being.
Our campus initiative resulting from their work focused on nine key areas. It created, implemented or modified institutional policies and practices to improve the university’s environment and enhance our mental health and student adjustment services.
For instance, the committee looked for ways to identify risks and begin dealing with them early. The health form that incoming students complete for the Campus Health Center now includes questions about mental health and alcohol and drug histories. Students who self-identify as having mild or moderate mental health issues get an email outlining services available on campus, and campus care providers follow that up by helping students develop self-care plans.
We also now have a well-defined medical leave policy that can be applied consistently for mental health as well as physical issues, and we are proactive about letting new and existing students – and their families – know about it.
The initiative also addressed educating students on healthy lifestyle choices and increasing their awareness of warning signs in their own behaviors and where to seek help.
The project was comprehensive and extensive, and we have a better and safer campus with more supports and help for our students. According to Dr. Herrman, feedback from JED was positive in regards to existing programming, but work with them clearly enhanced what we were doing.
Fort Hays State was one of the first schools nationally to join the JED Campus Initiative and is still the only one in Kansas. FHSU is one of only 15 nationally to achieve Alumni Status. I am so proud of our people for caring so deeply about our community and working even harder to create a safer campus.
Every student matters. It is this ethic of care and this spirit of positive restlessness – always striving to improve – that makes Fort Hays State University so strong.
Leah Rae Metcalf, infant daughter of Shannon Michael Metcalf and Elizabeth “Libby” Jean Fort, passed away April 7, 2019 at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.
She was born on November 23, 2018, in Wichita.
Leah is survived by her parents and brothers: Reid Fort, Aden Metcalf and Axel Metcalf, all of Danbury, NE; grandparents, Kent and Julie Legg of McCook, NE and Sid and Cheryl Metcalf of Oberlin, KS and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Funeral service will be held 10:00 am Monday, April 15, 2019 at the United Methodist Church in Oberlin. Burial will follow at Oberlin Cemetery. Visitation will be 12:00 – 7:00 pm Sunday, April 14, 2019 at Pauls Funeral Home in Oberlin.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Ronald McDonald House Charities Wichita. Condolences may be left at www.paulsfh.com
