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Author: Hays Post

Abortion flap could cost Kansas governor her commerce chief

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By JOHN HANNA

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly could be forced to replace Kansas’ top business development official because of two small grants to a nonprofit group he previously managed from a fund tied to a late physician known nationally for doing late-term abortions.

Acting Commerce Secretary David Toland visits with Gov. Kelly during a March 21 presentation in Topeka -photo courtesy Kan. Commerce Secretary

Acting state Commerce Secretary David Toland has no role in regulating abortion providers, but the state’s most influential anti-abortion group has joined an effort by some Republican legislators to oust him. They are troubled by grants totaling less than $20,000 to a southeast Kansas economic development group from a memorial fundnamed for Dr. George Tiller.

Tiller was among a handful of physicians in the U.S. known to terminate pregnancies in their final weeks. His clinic in Wichita was the site of repeated anti-abortion protests, including the weeks-long “Summer of Mercy” in 1991. He was shot to death in 2009 in his church by an anti-abortion zealot who is serving a 25 years-to-life prison sentence.

Toland’s political problems began with serving as the unpaid treasurer for Kelly’s successful campaign last year and have since mushroomed. The Republican-dominated Senate is expected to vote on his appointment next week, and it refuses to confirm him, he will have to step down from the Cabinet post he’s held since Kelly took office in January.

Several Republican senators said Tuesday that the Tiller fund grants troubled them, and the anti-abortion group Kansans for Life emailed all 40 senators a letter Monday urging them not to confirm Toland’s appointment. A few GOP lawmakers noted that the commerce secretary controls programs and incentives for luring businesses to Kansas.

“The next logical question is: Is he going to try to increase the number of abortion clinics in the state of Kansas?” said state Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook, a conservative Kansas City-area Republican. “I think that we can’t rule that out.”

Opposition to Toland’s appointment is an example of how abortion remains an enduring political issue in Kansas, which has only three clinics providing abortions. The Legislature has had solid anti-abortion majorities for two decades and recently passed a resolution condemning a new law in New York protecting abortion rights.

“The last thing we want to see happen is a commerce secretary who is dialed in to how to get money from the Tiller foundation,” said Mary Kay Culp, Kansans for Life’s executive director.

The controversy also shows how Kelly, who promised a bipartisan governing style, has had a rocky start in the face of resistance to her agenda from conservative Republican leaders. It’s especially notable because it’s rare for even Democratic governors to have Cabinet appointments rejected.

“It’s a smear campaign,” said Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat and close Kelly ally. “It’s just politics.”

Toland previously served 11 years as executive director of Thrive Allen County, the southeast Kansas nonprofit. He’s received credit for helping to lure a new grocery store to his hometown of Iola and persuade voters to build a new community hospital.

Some Republicans have questioned Toland’s credentials and criticized him over a few social media posts and comments he made at a rally last year for expanding Medicaid. However, he also has the support of business leaders and local chamber-of-commerce officials across the state, and even some GOP senators consider him well-qualified.

“It’s time to end these baseless attacks and confirm him to be our next secretary of commerce,” Kelly said in a statement Tuesday.

According to the Wichita Community Foundation , which administers the Tiller fund, its first grant to Thrive Allen County, in 2015, was $9,380. It went to efforts to help low-income pregnant women stop smoking and get them to appointments for breast and cervical cancer screenings.

The second grant, in 2018, was $10,000 and went to the local health department to help provide long-acting contraceptives to women who have no or limited health insurance coverage.

Toland said in statement that he’s proud of Thrive Allen County’s work and, “We have healthier mothers and healthier babies in the county as a result, which is good for businesses and our economy.”

Kansans for Life and other abortion opponents are put off because Thrive Allen County’s website lists the Tiller fund as one of its “partners.”

Culp worries that small grants across the state could be used to refer women to abortion providers as part of a “racket to protect abortion.”

And Sen. Gene Suellentrop, a conservative Wichita Republican, said Toland and Thrive Allen County now have a tie with the Tiller fund.

“It does trouble me,” he said.

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Tracy Raye Engel

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Tracy Raye Engel, 48, Hays, died Tuesday, March 26, 2019 surrounded by family at her home.

She was born July 11, 1970 in Hill City the daughter of Merril A. and Donna M. (Schafer) Engel. In 1988 she graduated from Hill City High School and she studied Sociology at Kansas State University and received her B.S. degree in Criminal Justice from Fort Hays State University. She was a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, and was an active member of the Kiwanis Club in Hays, volunteering to help with various club events including the Easter Egg Hunt and Flag Project. She worked at her friend Bud’s insurance office, and volunteered at the Humane Society of the High Plains, Meals on Wheels, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and helped with religion classes and daycare at IHM Catholic Church. She loved spending time with and babysitting her nieces and nephews, helping children and animals, and was very unselfish, strong, inspirational, and a friend to everyone. Tracy was an avid sports fan and relished watching and rooting for the Kansas State Wildcats, Kansas City Chiefs, and Kansas City Royals.

Survivors include her fiancé; Garrick Augustine of Hays, her mother; Donna Engel Schmidtberger and husband Dan of Hill City, sisters; Stephanie Jacobs and husband Francis of Hays, and Melanie Archer and husband Cameron of Norton, brother; Matt Engel and wife Marti of Oakley, and numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her father and infant twin sisters; Philomena and Leona Engel.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 am on Friday, March 29, 2019 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church with Fr. Barry Brinkman and Fr. Henry Saw Lone officiating. Burial will be at 2:30 pm on Friday at St. Michael’s Cemetery in LaCrosse, Kansas. Visitation will be from 4:00 pm until 8:00 on Thursday and from 9:30 am until service time on Friday, all at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church. A parish vigil service and rosary will be at 6:30 pm on Thursday at the church. Memorials are suggested to the Kiwanis Club of Hays, in care of the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home. Condolences and memories of Tracy may be shared with the family at www.haysmemorial.com

Fire hydrant tests continue Wednesday in Hays

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HFD

The Hays Fire Department will be inspecting and flow testing fire hydrants on Wednesday in the area of Vine to Willow between 27th and 33rd streets, and also Hall to Highway 183 Bypass between 41st and Interstate 70.

This is part of a coordinated effort by the City of Hays to inspect all fire hydrants in the city and flush all water mains annually.

Plane flips in Kansas field during emergency landing

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HARVEY COUNTY — A Kansas man survived a small plane crash just before 5:30p.m. Tuesday in Harvey County.

The Cessna involved in Tuesday evening’s accident -photo courtesy KWCH

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Cessna 140 piloted by Bill V. Patton, 68, Wichita, suffered total engine failure at low altitude and low speed.

The pilot attempted an emergency landing in a field north of the runway at Newton City-County Airport.

The Cessna touched down just prior to reaching a fence. It struck the fence, a small tree, flipped over the nose and came to rest on the top.

Patton was not injured. The FAA will investigate the accident.

Convict work crew finds meth lab components in Phillips Co.

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Phillips County Sheriff photo

By KIRBY ROSS
Phillips County Review

PHILLIPSBURG — Anybody who drives along Phillips County highways on a regular basis occasionally will see orange-clad Kansas Department of Correction prisoner work crews picking up trash along ditches.

One such crew of convicts was working Highway 183 immediately north of Phillipsburg last Thursday when they came across something that didn’t fit in the category of being ordinary run-of-the-mill roadside garbage.

With some of the inmates being experts in the identification of drug manufacturing paraphernalia, they immediately recognized the unusual “trash” they came across as being components for the manufacture of methamphetamine — aka, a meth lab.

The guards overseeing the operation immediately called in Phillips County law enforcement, which secured the site a stone’s throw north of the old Groendyke truck yard not far beyond Phillipsburg city limits.

Phillips County Sheriff Charlie Radabaugh then contacted the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, which sent up a unit of its Clandestine Laboratory Response Team from Great Bend.

Phillips County Sheriff photo

With the evidence recovery operation getting underway by mid-afternoon, KBI-technicians suited in full body hazmat suits that look like something an astronaut might wear on Mars in a 1950s science fiction movie began working the area.

Soon they recovered a number of items that looked suspicious and transported them back to their own laboratories for testing.

In the meantime, Phillips County Sheriff’s deputies combed the ditches along Highway 183 further up the road and found an additional item of interest a couple miles north of the site of the original discovery.

Commenting to the Phillips County Review at the scene as the KBI investigators were working in the background, Sheriff Radabaugh stated “the prisoners immediately recognized the items for what they were and had it called in to us. Funny, some of them seemed to be experts on what they were looking at.”

For this find and for any other crimes occurring in Phillips County, the Sheriff’s Office offers a reward up to $1,000 for information which leads to an arrest. Call or text 785-251-3809 anytime. Callers can remain anonymous.

The following press release relating to the meth lab discovery was issued the same day:

This afternoon, dangerous components of a meth lab were located north of Phillipsburg.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation Clandestine Lab Response Team was contacted and responded to neutralize the hazard and collect evidence.

Sheriff Radabaugh made an exerted effort when he took office just over two years ago to rid the county of methamphetamine. This resulted in some known meth users moving from the county and 18 arrests which have all resulted in convictions. Methamphetamine has been very difficult to find in Phillips County since.

“As I publicly stated when I took office, meth is not welcome and will not be tolerated in Phillips County, I am offering a reward up to $1,000 for information which leads to the arrest of meth users and dealers in the county,” said Sheriff Radabaugh. “I will not stand around and watch this county return to what it was prior to my administration,” continued Radabaugh.

Anyone with information of illegal drug activity are encouraged to call or text 785-251-3809. This is a special number which will be answered by deputies working narcotic cases. You may remain anonymous.

Open house at FHSU nursing hall shows off renovation, new lab equipment

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(Photos courtesy Dr. Tisa Mason)

FHSU University Relations

About 200 people turned out Monday for an open house and ribbon-cutting at Stroup Hall on the Fort Hays State University campus to see new lab spaces and equipment in a rebuilt section of the building.

A $250,000 grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation funded the renovation, which was a partnership between the FHSU Department of Nursing and HaysMed.

“Today, we celebrate the opening of the Stroup Hall Simulation Center made possible by our partnership with HaysMed, part of the University of Kansas Health System, and the generous support of the Dane G. Hansen Foundation,” said FHSU President Tisa Mason.

“The Stroup Hall Simulation Lab brings together resources and community partners in order to provide an innovative education that meets the needs of students, our region, and world,” she said. “Together, we are putting learning into action to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving workforce and empowering students with the skills and experience to thrive.”

Edward Herrman, HaysMed president and chief executive officer, also praised the partnership on display at the open house.

“For us, as the only tertiary healthcare facility in western Kansas, we have a commitment and responsibility to our community to provide care at an excellent level,” said Herrman.

“For us to really do that, we know that our best resource is western Kansas kids, and the best place for them to get educated is right here at Fort Hays State. We enjoy our relationship with the university and appreciate everything that they provide our community. This project and our partnership benefits all of us. We end up with better prepared nursing staff, and more students who are exposed to looking at nursing or IT in healthcare as careers.”

Among the equipment for the simulation lab are 20 Reality Works Babies. The babies mimic infants and track how often they are fed, have their diapers changed and cry.

Other funding was for a pediatric manikin named Hal that has facial movements, cries, sweats, suffers seizures and produces heart and lung sounds. Additional equipment included a fetal heart monitor, a 24-week newborn manikin and funding to record activities in the simulation lab.

The video system will allow students to visualize themselves in practice and get feedback on ways to improve performance.

The renovation included constructing observation and control spaces with one-way windows to allow faculty to control the functions of the manikins as students are working in the examination and hospital room labs.

Kan. Farm Bureau Insight: Setting the stage

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By KIM BALDWIN
McPherson County farmer

As in life, sometimes things don’t go as planned on the farm. A prime example is when my husband and 6-year-old son recently brought home an orphaned heifer from a family friend’s herd. The calf was just a few hours old when she moved into our barn and started receiving care. It was during one of the bitter-cold weeks when farmers were working around the clock to ensure — to the best of their abilities — the health and safety of their animals. The mother didn’t make it, and without stepping in, the calf would not have survived either.

When the calf was in the barn, the boys immediately fed her, and put a heat lamp on her. Over the next few days my son, husband and I taught that calf how to drink from a bottle.

It wasn’t easy. It was cold. It required putting on extra layers and leaving the comforts of our home to trudge to the barn in the dark at times. It required waking up earlier or stepping away from a favorite cartoon or waiting to eat a meal. It required patience and strength while the calf was held and slowly, but surely, learned how to get its milk. During this time the calf was not the only one learning.

At first, my son was quite apprehensive about holding the bottle while a squirmy, hungry calf made her best efforts to fill her belly. Besides, holding four pints of milk replacer in a large bottle can be tough for a kindergartener.

Soon the calf figured out how to nurse, and my son became comfortable with feeding.

We’re at the point now that our son can take the bottle out to the barn before he leaves for school in the morning and when he gets home at night. He feeds his calf without our help. Yes, we still assist him on occasion, but our kindergartner is the one making sure the calf is fed and cared for every day. (My husband and I keep a watchful eye on him from a distance.)

When I mentioned my son’s chores and newly assigned responsibilities to a coworker recently, the response I received was, “Wow! That’s a lot for a little boy his age.”

I thought about that comment for perhaps a little too long and began to question whether our expectations of our son are set too high. In the end, I came to the same conclusion I’m sure my parents and my husband’s parents came to when we were children: it’s an appropriate age, especially for our child.

Lady Bird Johnson once said “children are apt to live up to what you believe of them.”

My son is capable of this responsibility because I know he can do it.
Even though the initial days with that little calf were trying, and tears were shed, and the “I can’t do it” statements were made, and the feedings took an extremely long time to complete, my husband and I assured our son that he was capable of handling this situation.

My husband and I are setting the stage for our son to experience grit, determination, hard work and the ability to persevere. And while living on a farm requires all of the above plus more, life in general does as well. We’re doing our part to prepare our son to face and respond to challenges in the future.

While a lot of things don’t go as planned for us on the farm, one thing will remain a constant: our children will be accountable and held responsible for tasks on our farm — even if they seem daunting for a child — because we believe our children can and will meet the expectations set for them. I have found when things don’t go as planned, we too learn new ways of doing things and find out what is possible to accomplish within the farm and within ourselves. Our son is finding this out with his calf.

Chores that once seemed daunting are now fun, he has a sense of purpose and an understanding that his calf depends on him for its wellbeing. The lessons learned in the barn on these cold mornings before school will be ones we as parents feel will help him succeed in school and life, whether he chooses to follow us on the farm or make his own path in the world.

“Insight” is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.

HPD Activity Log March 22-25

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The Hays Police Department responded to 6 animal calls and conducted 18 traffic stops Fri., March 22, 2019, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Mental Health Call–1400 block E 29th St, Hays; 4:35 AM
Traffic/Driving Complaint–200 block W 29th St, Hays; 7:36 AM
Domestic Disturbance–2300 block Vine St, Hays; 8:10 AM
Dangerous Animal–10th and Ash, Hays; 10:13 AM
Criminal Trespass–300 block W 8th St, Hays; 10:16 AM
Assist – Other (not MV)–Russell; 10:50 AM
Found/Lost Property–300 block E 5th St, Hays; 12 PM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 1/20/17  8 AM
Theft (general)–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 1:42 PM
Burglary/residence–500 block E 16th St, Hays; 1:52 PM
Animal At Large–400 block E 21st St, Hays; 2:22 PM
Animal At Large–1400 block Hall St, Hays; 2:29 PM
Mental Health Call–200 block W 29th St, Hays; 2:37 PM
Search Warrant–300 block W 10th St, Hays; 2:42 PM
Theft (general)–100 block W 5th St, Hays; 11 AM; 6:10 PM
Disturbance – Noise–300 block E 6th St, Hays; 6:15 PM
Welfare Check–100 block E 18th St, Hays; 7:46 PM
Drug Offenses–200 block W 5th St, Hays; 9:05 PM; 10:20 PM
Drug Offenses–300 block W 7th St, Hays; 11:09 PM; 11:11 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 7 animal calls and conducted 25 traffic stops Sat., March 23, 2019, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Intoxicated Subject–2900 block Canal Blvd, Hays; 1:56 AM
MV Accident /DUI–500 block W 29th St, Hays; 12 AM; 2 AM
Mental Health Call–500 block E 8th St, Hays; 9:20 AM
Traffic/Driving Complaint–I-70 and Vine St, Hays; 11:33 AM
Animal At Large–14th and Walnut St, Hays; 12:16 PM
MV Accident-Private Property-Hit and Run–2300 block E 13th St, Hays; 1:01 PM
Found/Lost Property–1500 block US 183 Alt Hwy, Hays; 1:03 PM
Animal Bite Investigation–26th and Donald, Hays; 1:12 PM
Civil Dispute–2300 block Plum St, Hays; 1:29 PM
Suspicious Activity–100 block W 17th St, Hays; 2:36 PM
Suspicious Activity–2000 block Canal Blvd, Hays; 2:41 PM
Criminal Damage to Property–200 block E 6th St, Hays; 3/22 10:30 PM; 3/23 5:45 AM
Drug Offenses–400 block W 6th St, Hays; 8:39 PM; 8:41 PM
44 – Traffic Stop–300 block W 8th St, Hays; 9:20 PM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–2700 block Ash St, Hays; 10:21 PM
Drug Offenses–300 block W 8th St, Hays; 10:56 PM; 10:58 PM
Driving Under the Influence–500 block Fort St, Hays; 11:15 PM
Disturbance – Noise–400 block W 8th St, Hays; 11:21 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 8 animal calls and conducted 15 traffic stops Sun., March 24, 2019, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Animal Bite Investigation–1300 block Anthony Dr, Hays; 12 AM; 12:32 AM
Criminal Damage to Property–700 block Main St, Hays; 12:01 AM; 12:56 AM
Theft (general)–4000 block Gen Hays Rd, Hays; 12:45 AM; 1:30 AM
Animal At Large–400 block W 8th St, Hays; 9:04 AM
Lost Animals ONLY–2700 block Ash St, Hays; 9:57 AM
Welfare Check–2300 block Walnut St, Hays; 11:48 AM
Animal At Large–400 block Walnut St, Hays; 12:09 PM
Animal At Large–2700 block Thunderbird Cir, Hays; 1:28 PM
Criminal Damage to Property–400 block E 17th St, Hays; 3/23 8:30 PM; 3/24 8:15 AM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–600 block W 8th St, Hays; 3:13 PM
Harassment (All Other)–1000 block Reservation Rd, Hays; 6:30 PM; 7:04 PM
Suspicious Activity–500 block W 16th St, Hays; 8 PM; 8:03 PM

The Hays Police Department responded to 9 animal calls and conducted 15 traffic stops Mon., March 25, 2019, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Welfare Check–2000 block Hall St, Hays; 9:03 AM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley, Hays; 10:40 AM
Harassment, Telephone/FAX–2700 block Vine St, Hays; 12:19 PM
Harassment, Telephone/FAX–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 12:25 PM
Assist – Other (not MV)–2300 block E 13th St, Hays; 2:09 PM
Search Warrant–300 block W 10th St, Hays; 3/22 2:42 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–2700 block Vine St, Hays; 3:21 PM
Dead Animal Call–400 block W 7th St, Hays; 3:57 PM
Welfare Check–3900 block E 8th St, Hays; 4:24 PM
Traffic/Driving Complaint–2300 block E 13th St, Hays; 5:29 PM
Suspicious Activity–500 block W 16th St, Hays; 5:54 PM
Criminal Damage to Property–2500 block Virginia Dr, Hays; 5:58 PM
Animal Call–200 block Northridge Dr, Hays; 7:38 PM
Burglary/residence–400 block E 13th St, Hays; 3/24 9 PM; 3/25 7 AM
Shoplifting–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 9:14 PM; 10:08 PM
Driving Under the Influence–100 block W 8th St, Hays; 10:20 PM; 10:26 PM
Aggravated Assault–1000 block E 41st St, Hays; 11:09 PM; 11:14 PM

Schneider earns All-State honors

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Hay High senior Savannah Schneider was named to the 5A Kansas Basketball Coaches Association All-State team on Tuesday.

Schneider, an honorable mention selection, averaged a team-high 13 points per game this past season helping the Indians to a 14-8 record.

Suspect wanted for man’s death in Kansas captured in California

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CHEROKEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of a homeless man in Kansas and have a suspect in custody.

Diana Marie and Ty Bohlander-photo Cherokee County

According to the Cherokee County Sheriff, on April 30, 2017, the body of 64-year-old James McFarland of Tulsa was discovered alongside a rural Cherokee County Kansas road.

Detectives  identified Ty Bohlander and his mother Diana Bohlander, as suspects, leading to First Degree Murder charges being filed against both of them and arrest warrants issued, according to Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves.

During the search for the Bohlander’s, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Investigators obtained information leading them to believe they traveled to Aurora Colorado, Cheyenne Wyoming, and eventually to Southern California after killing McFarland.

Detectives have been working closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Marshal’s Office in an effort to locate and apprehend the suspects,” continued Sheriff Groves.

Ty Bohlander was located and was placed under arrest last week by the Santa Monica Police Department in California.  He is currently being held without bond in the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles where he is awaiting extradition back to Kansas. He is scheduled for a Southern California court appearance on April 9.

Authorities believe Diana Bohlander is still in the Santa Monica area and law enforcement there continue to search for her, according to Sheriff Groves.

 

 

2019 KBCA All-State Teams announced

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After claiming their first state championship in school history the Ness City Eagles had two players named to the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association 2A All-State team on Tuesday.

Ness City’s John Pfannenstiel earned his second straight All-state Selection after earning a first team selection. His teammate Andres Rios was a second team selection.

After leading the Midcontinent League in scoring at 21 points per game, Plainville Junior Jared Casey was named to the honorable mention team. Fellow Junior Zachary Eck was also an honorable mention selection.

For a second year in-a-row Plainville Junior Aubree Dewey also earned 2A All-State honors.

Dewey, who led the MCL in scoring, averaging 28 points per game, was named to the first team. She was an honorable mention selection last year.

Trego’s Lili Shubert also earned all-state honors earning an honorable mention selection.

In class 1A Quinter senior Connor Havlas earned third team honors on Tuesday.

Osborne’s Darnell Holloway was an honorable mention.

The Thunder Ridge girls had a pair of All-State selections. Senior Layne Pettijohn was a third team selection and junior Brennan Kirchoff was named to the honorable mention team.

Otis-Bison junior Maddie Wiltse was named to the second team.

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