Justin Cook and Gary Ryan took home top team honors at the King Kat Tournament Trail event at Milford Lake Saturday with a total catch of 98.64 pounds. Cook, from New Franklin, Missouri and Ryan from Columbia, Missouri combined to win a total of $4,200 for their first place finish. They also had the second biggest catfish caught in the tournament at 53.42 pounds.
The winning team of Justin Cook and Gary Ryan. Among the fish they turned in were two big fish including the second biggest in the tournament.
.There were 45 two-man teams who braced the winter weather including snow, rain and a cold win to fish in the tournament. With their first place finish Cook and Ryan have qualified for the national championship event November 1st and 2nd in Decatur, Alabama.
The biggest fish was hauled in by Blake McPherren of Wakefield and Jamie Jackson of Clay Center, at 55.56 pounds.
Blake McPherren and Jamie Jackson caught the biggest fish in the tournament.
Cabela’s will host another King Kat Tournament Trail regional qualifier at Milford Lake on March 28th, 2020 and they will bring their national championship event to the lake October 30th and 31st, 2020.
DOUGLAS COUNTY — One person died in an accident just after 7p.m. Saturday in Douglas County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Ford Explorer drive by Telisa Sheree Walker, 41, Topeka, was westbound on Interstate 70 just east of the east Lawrence exit.
The driver lost control of the vehicle. It left the road, traveled down the embankment impacting the ground four times before coming to rest on its top. Walker was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Frontier Forensics. She was properly restrained at the time of the accdident, according to the KHP.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Court of Appeals has ordered a new trial for a man whose conviction of two rape cases divided his small northeast Kansas town.
Ewing -photo KDOC
The court on Friday said mistakes by the prosecutor denied 24-year-old Jacob Ewing of Holton a fair trial. Ewing was convicted in June 2017 of two counts of rape and several other offenses.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Ewing argued in his appeal that special prosecutor Jacqie Spradling misstated evidence in her closing arguments that inflamed the “passions of the jury.” He also argued the court made other errors in allowing some evidence in his trial.
The appeals court ruled the cumulative effect of the errors required that Ewing get a new trial.
The allegations against Ewing, a member of a well-known family, divided Holton, a town of about 3,300 residents.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — No citations have been issued in a St. Patrick’s Day Parade accident in Lawrence in which a woman tripped and was run over by a float.
image courtesy The Lawrence St. Patrick’s Day Parade
A police report issued this week says officers don’t believe alcohol or drug use played a role.
The injured 41-year-old woman was taken to the University of Kansas Hospital. Neither she nor the driver of the float showed signs of impairment.
The report says the woman tripped while stepping off the curb to get beads that some people on the float were handing out. The driver told police he was looking forward and going slowly when he “felt a bump.” He said he stopped the truck and heard onlookers screaming.
The report provided no details on the woman’s injuries.
On Tuesday, March 26, we had final action on the Kansas House of Representative’s position regarding the budget. The final vote on the budget was 99-25, and now we will go into conference committee with the Senate to negotiate those details that differ between each chamber’s budget bill.
House Substitute for Senate Bill 25, which is the House Budget Bill, contains numerous provisions in it. It includes the annual bill that we pass regarding claims against the state, many of the recommendations from various state agencies, departments, and boards across the state, and some recommendations made by Governor Kelly.
Following are some of the highlights in the budget bill for the remaining months of fiscal year 2019 and for 2020.
We are not going to payoff the Pooled Money Investment Board loan in full, as suggested by the Governor. Instead, we will accelerate the payment schedule so it is paid off more quickly.
We will appropriate dollars for the hiring of 26 social workers in 2019 and an additional 26 social workers in 2020.
We did provide funding in 2020 through the Department of Agriculture for the Cattle Traceability Program, money for the State Water Fund, additional funds for mental health, reestablishing funding for the Kansas Main Street program for rural development, and a 2.5% pay increase for all state employees, excluding legislators and the Judicial Branch. We have another provision for pay increases for the Judicial Branch in the budget bill.
Commercial Hemp
Also on Tuesday, final action was taken on House Bill 2173, the commercial hemp bill, which passed 119-5. I voted “yes.” Due to the federal government making provisions in the Federal Farm Bill that passed in December of 2018, the state of Kansas needs to update our statutes regarding hemp that we passed last year for the industrial research program. House Bill 2173 establishes procedures to be used by the Kansas Department of Agriculture in submitting a plan to the US Department of Agriculture under which the KDA would monitor and regulate the commercial production of hemp. This bill also stipulates that industrial hemp authorized by the Alternative Crop Act would be excluded from the definition of marijuana and the list of Schedule 1 controlled substances.
Senate Bill 16 – House Education Finance Bill
Among the 33 bills debated in the House of Representatives on Monday was House Substitute for Senate Bill 16. The bill, which is the House’s position for addressing the Supreme Court’s demands regarding K-12 Education, received lengthy deliberation and was passed in the House, 63-61, on Tuesday morning. While there was little to no funding provisions in the bill it does address how funding should be spent.
The bill provides for performance and longitudinal achievement reports, goals in meeting the Rose standards, accessibility for ACT testing, adding computer science and financial literacy courses, a bullying prevention hotline, changes the bilingual weighting to seven years, and adds the dyslexia task force for another two years, among other changes.
Although the bill provides only policy provisions, and has some flaws which I disagree with, it does create a House position from where we can negotiate with the Senate and start a discussion, which was why I voted in favor of the bill. Then we will see the final version to address education finance.
Contact Information
As always, if you have any concerns, feel free to contact me (785) 296-7672, follow on twitter at @waymaster4house, visit www.troywaymaster.com or email me at [email protected]. Also, if you happen to visit the statehouse, please let my office know.
It is a distinct honor to serve as your representative for the 109th Kansas House District and the state of Kansas. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and questions. I always appreciate hearing from the residents of the 109th House District and others from the state of Kansas, as well.
Troy Waymaster (R-Bunker Hill) is the 109th Dist. state representative and chairman of the House Appropriations committee. The 109th District includes Osborne, Russell, and Smith counties and portions of Barton, Jewell, Lincoln and Rush counties.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an aggravated assault and have three suspects in custody.
Horner -photo Sedgwick Co.
Just after 3:30p.m. Thursday, police responded to report of suspicious character with shots fired call near the 4200 Block of Regents in Wichita, according to officer Kevin Wheeler.
When officers arrived, they circulated the area and located 18-year-old Otis Horner and a teen girl in the area of 16th and Fairmount. They matched a description given during the original call, according to Wheeler. Horner and the girl fled from police and were eventually taken into custody in the 1900 Block of Holyoke. Officers recovered a handgun during the foot-pursuit.
At the time of the original call, police also responded to a walk-in shooting call at Wesley Medical Center. A 19-year-old male had arrived with a single gunshot wound to his leg. He was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to Wheeler. The victim remains hospitalized.
Investigators have learned that the victim was in a vehicle with an 18-year-old woman and a 20-month-old child near the intersection of Shocker and Regents. There was an argument between the occupants and Horner who was outside of the vehicle with another teen girl. Horner and the victim exchanged gunfire and the victim was wounded.
Horner is being held on requested charges of aggravated battery, aggravated assault, attempt to flee and elude, criminal discharge of a firearm and several drug charges, according to Wheeler. Police also arrested the two teen women on outstanding warrants.
Stop in at Kaiser Liquor and purchase these four different brews available in singles…then vote for your favorite at HaysPost.com. At the end of four weeks, somebody is going to win a pair of tickets to Brews on the Bricks.
This week’s singles are:
Boulevard Tank 7
Martin City Abbey Ale
New Belgium Abbey
Great Divide Colette Farmhouse Ale
It is your chance to purchase just a single bottle or can and not the whole six pack. Who knows? You might find a new favorite.
Battle of the Brews at Kaiser Liquor…your chance to buy these unique beers in singles this week at Kaiser Liquor!
ELLIS COUNTY — One person was injured in an accident just before 9:30a.m. Saturday in Ellis County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Freightliner semi driven by Roger Raney, 56, Lynchburg, OH., was eastbound on Interstate 70 thirteen miles east of Hays.
The duals of the trailer struck a 2015 Nissan Rogue driven by Kenneth Ward, 36, Greeley, Co., that was stopped on the shoulder of the driving lane.
Ward was transported to the hospital in Hays. Raney was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — David Boren’s appointment as president of the University of Oklahoma two decades ago was the capstone of a storied career. Born into a prominent Oklahoma political family, he became a Rhodes scholar, then governor at age 33 and later a U.S. senator respected for his expertise in intelligence.
David Boren is currently President Emertius at OU photo courtesy University of Oklahoma
His arrival on campus marked a heady time for the school, which set out to achieve his vision for a flagship institution.
But now, less than a year after retiring, Boren’s reputation is at risk. The 77-year-old Democrat finds himself ensnared in allegations that he sexually harassed male subordinates, and he’s on the defensive in a red state now solidly controlled by political adversaries.
The university has hired a law firm to investigate the accusations, and state authorities confirmed this week they have opened a similar probe.
Bob Burke, one of Boren’s attorneys, has characterized the inquiry as a “fishing expedition based on vicious rumors.” But at least one former student has come forward and said Boren touched him and kissed him on multiple occasions in 2010 and 2011 after he began working as Boren’s teaching aide.
The allegations by Jess Eddy, now 29, which he detailed in an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press, contradict previous statements Eddy gave to investigators denying inappropriate behavior by Boren. Eddy’s new allegations were first reported on Tuesday by the online news site NonDoc.
Another Boren attorney, Clark Brewster, has dismissed Eddy’s new account, saying Eddy “was carefully examined, asked about anything that he had ever witnessed or had seen or had experienced and not only said that didn’t occur, but he gave specific factual detail as to why it couldn’t have been true.”
Eddy said he was untruthful earlier to protect Boren, but then “started to realize the implications of what I was doing by concealing my truth.”
Boren has denied any inappropriate behavior but declined a request for an interview, citing poor health, Burke said. Boren, who underwent heart surgery two years ago, suffered a minor stroke last year before stepping down.
He has two children from his first marriage and has been married to his second wife, Molly Shi Boren, for more than 40 years.
The sex abuse investigation adds to a tumultuous transition from Boren’s time at the university, during which he won widespread regard as one of the 129-year-old institution’s greatest presidents. During his 24 years at the helm, the university added dozens of new buildings, raised more than $3 billion from private donors and added an honors college and additional degree programs.
But after a new administration took over, he was suddenly accused of making the university financially unstable. His successor, James Gallogly, a retired energy industry executive chosen by a conservative-dominated board of regents, declared that he found the university was $1 billion in debt, and he quickly fired six senior administrators, including the chief financial officer.
He later forced out more after it was revealed that OU tweaked alumni donations data to improve its U.S. News & World Report college ranking.
Gallogly also scaled back several signature Boren initiatives, including tuition waivers and stipends for National Merit scholars and the university’s international studies program named in Boren’s honor.
Since then, the open rancor between the two presidents has reverberated across the state and the university’s large alumni network.
“We don’t know what to think, really,” said Alan Livingston, an OU alum and retired energy industry executive from Houston. “It bothers me very much, because I don’t like to see people that probably have the same goals for the university be on different roads.”
Boren’s political clout declined over the years as Oklahoma’s politics shifted rightward and the GOP came to hold 116 of the Legislature’s 149 seats. In 2016, he infuriated lawmakers by spearheading an unsuccessful 1-cent sales tax initiative for education funding as the Legislature cut higher education appropriations by 16 percent.
“Behind closed doors, it was a total joke in a lot of ways how inefficient higher education had become, but they still had this huge pull on the Legislature,” said former state Rep. Jason Murphey, a Republican critical of how the university’s lobbyists worked to influence his colleagues.
Burke, Boren’s attorney and longtime friend, said he believes much of the ill will stems from an ideological clash.
Boren’s “theories of government and education are … certainly more liberal than that of conservative leaders,” he said.
Disclosure of the sexual abuse allegation provided a reminder of a bizarre episode from Boren’s earlier political career. During his campaign for Senate in 1978, an obscure fringe candidate named Anthony Points publicly accused Boren of being gay. Boren responded with a news conference at the state Capitol where he swore on a family Bible that he was not gay or bisexual.
“I further swear that I have never engaged in any homosexual or bisexual activities, nor do I approve of or condone them,” Boren said at the time.
Boren went on to win the Senate seat. His son, Dan Boren, also served three terms in the U.S. House and was the last Democratic congressman from Oklahoma until Kendra Horn’s upset win last year.
At the university, many now wonder about Boren’s legacy.
Boren “was very much loved by the community,” sophomore Taylor Putman said, “especially by the students,” who appreciated his ambition for the university and flocked to the political science classes he taught.
However, amid the waves of layoffs, “I’d say there’s kind of a demoralized, uncertain, nervous atmosphere on campus,” said Rick Tepker, a longtime professor at OU’s College of Law. “I think there’s a growing awareness that Boren left us in a financial mess, and that makes people nervous.”
GREAT BEND – Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball, Chtd. (ABBB) is pleased to announce that the firm has been recognized as a Midwest Regional Leader by Accounting Today.
ABBB is one of three firms headquartered in Kansas named as a Regional Leader. The Midwest Region is comprised of firms in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. This region accounted for $1,650.38 million in total revenue. Firms in the Midwest averaged 8.30% growth.
“It is truly an honor to be recognized among this group of leading accounting firms,” said Brian Staats, CPA, CGMA, managing partner of ABBB. “This recognition is made possible by our incredible team and clients!”
Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball, Chartered provides a wide range of traditional and non-traditional CPA and consulting services to clients throughout Kansas, including agriculture organizations, construction companies, feed yards, financial institutions, governmental and not-for-profit organizations, manufacturers, medical practices, oil and gas companies, professional service firms, real estate companies and small businesses. Founded in 1945, today the firm maintains 13 office locations throughout the state.
For more information about Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball, please visit www.abbb.com.
DOUGLAS COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Friday shooting in Lawrence that sent two teenagers to the hospital.
Just after 4p.m. police were dispatched to 2700 West 27th Street, Holcom Park Recreation Center in Lawrence in response to a reported shooting, according to a media release.
EMS transported two male victims, ages 16 and 18, from the scene to area hospitals. The 18-year-old victim was reported in critical condition with potentially life-threatening injuries, and the 16-year-old victim in serious condition.
Witnesses at the scene gave officers a description of a possible suspect vehicle. Police located a vehicle matching the witness description shortly afterward and two persons in the vehicle were detained for questioning and then police arrested 17-year-old Benson J. Edwards Jr. and 17 year-old Sahavione K. Caraway both of Topeka. Both were booked into the Juvenile Detention Center on aggravated robbery charges. Both victims remain hospitalized Saturday, according to police.
Findings validate voluntary conservation efforts in northwest Kansas
MANHATTAN – When a group of farmers in northwest Kansas decided to voluntarily reduce their use of groundwater, no one really knew how that might affect their profitability.
Five years later, they have an answer.
In what can be considered a win for agriculture, Kansas State University agricultural economist Bill Golden is reporting that when farmers in the Sheridan County No. 6 Local Enhanced Management Area reduced water use by 20 percent, they actually made more money on their crops.
“There’s no two ways about it: What this has shown is that producers can reduce water use; they can slow the decline of the aquifer; and they can do this while making healthy profits,” Golden said.
A LEMA is a producer-driven conservation program in which farmers form a contract with the Kansas Division of Water Resources to voluntarily reduce their use of water. The agreement can be for any amount of time and include whatever goals the farmers want.
In the case of the Sheridan No. 6 LEMA, the farmers decided to reduce water use by 20 percent for five years. That agreement meant that the farmers were agreeing to an allocation of 55 inches of water per acre over a five-year period. In dry years, they might use a little more, or perhaps a little less in years when it rains more.
“What we saw is that they reduced corn acres, and when they did that, they also reduced the amount of water they were using on those corn acres,” said Golden, adding that many farmers instead increased irrigated wheat and grain sorghum acres.
Overall, the LEMA reported a decrease in groundwater use of 23.1 percent. Golden noted that a hydrology study done through the Kansas Geological Survey indicated that the decline rate of the Ogallala Aquifer in the area of the LEMA went from two feet per year to less than a half foot per year.
At the same time, producers reported greater profits due to less inputs and increased management.
“What we are seeing is that producers reduced fertilizer and seeding rates, and they have increased what I will call management,” Golden said. “Increasing management is hard to get a handle on, but when I talk to these guys, what they tell me is, ‘Bill, where we used to water, if we thought the crop needed water, today we look ahead four or five days and we ask is it going to rain or is it not going to rain. If we think it’s going to rain, we don’t water.’”
Producers inside the LEMA reported 4.3 percent more cash flow than their higher-yielding counterparts just outside the LEMA. Complete data is not available for crops other than corn, but Golden suspects that the trend will be very similar.
Another surprise finding – and one that may encourage producers to consider this approach in the future – is that the water that producers save remains available to them later on.
A related hydrology study “has shown that the water that the producers are saving is staying under their property,” Golden said. “And that’s important for producers to realize that whatever they save today, they get to use that water at some point in the future.”
Golden said the study relied on self-reported data from producers. The LEMA was monitored from 2012 through 2017, and the arrangement worked so well that the farmers applied to the Kansas Division of Water Resources to extend the project an additional year.
“That tells you something about how effective the LEMA has been for irrigation conservation and its effects on producer’s economic returns,” Golden said.
Golden’s full report is available online through the K-State Department of Agricultural Economics, located at AgManager.info. The work was completed with assistance of the Kansas Geological Survey and the Kansas Division of Water Resources, in addition to other local partners.
TOPEKA – Lewis VanMeter and Payton Breese of Concordia served as pages for 36th Dist. Senator Elaine Bowers (R-Concordia) in the Kansas Senate on March 21, 2019.
Pictured here with Governor Laura Kelly, Senator Bowers, and Quentin Breese, they spent the day taking a Dome Tour, attending committee meetings and running errands for the Kansas Senate.
Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, is the 36th Dist. state senator and serves as the Senate Majority Whip. The 36th Senate District includes Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Osborne, Ottawa, Republic, Rooks, Russell, Smith and Washington counties and portions of Marshall and Phillips counties.
