TOPEKA – The Kansas Water Office’s (KWO) Smoky Hill-Saline Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) will have a meeting to discuss current water issues affecting the region as well as the state.
The meeting will be Thursday, March 21 at 1 p.m., at the Hays City Hall, 1507 Main Street in Hays. The agenda includes several updates on regional issues such as the Tuttle Creek Water Injection Dredging, Kansas River Basin Study as well as the Kanopolis Access District.
The agenda and meeting materials can be found when available at www.kwo.ks.gov or you may request copies by calling (785) 296-3185 or toll-free at (888) KAN-WATER (526-9283).
Alley conditions in the city of Hays have continued to worsen as a result of the ongoing wet weather.
Due to damaged and impassable alleys, city crews will temporarily be performing CURBSIDE TRASH PICKUP FOR ALL CITY OF HAYS RESIDENTS EFFECTIVE MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2019, until further notice. No alley collection of municipal trash OR recyclables will be performed during this time.
We ask that all residents, EXCEPT THOSE WITH PAVED ALLEYS, move their polycart to the street side of their property, so crews can collect the refuse curbside. Recycling materials should also be placed curbside.
Note that this change may alter the timing of normal scheduled collections, but the day of collection should remain the same. If at all possible, attempt to place the polycart where it is not blocked by parked cars or other fixed objects.
We apologize for any inconvenience, and your cooperation and patience on this matter is truly appreciated.
Anyone needing assistance relocating a polycart should contact the Public Works Department.
If you have any questions or wish to report an issue, please contact the Public Works Department at 785-628-7350.
Please be advised that beginning Monday, March 18, 2019 the reconstruction of the intersection of 17th and Elm will begin in Hays. Both 17th and Elm Street will be closed to through traffic.
This construction is expected to last until April 12, 2019 (pending weather conditions).
Signs will be in place to direct the traveling public. Motorists should use caution in these areas.
The city of Hays regrets any inconvenience this may cause to the public. If there are any questions, please call the Office of Project Management at 628-7350 or the contractor, Morgan Brothers Construction at 432-3104 or 384-1777.
Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
“Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.” That old saying refers to a situation where lots of resources are around us but none of them are useable. In the case of water itself, this saying reminds us that water is vital to life. Today we’ll learn about a Kansas company which specializes in cutting-edge technologies for waste water treatment. This company’s systems are being used across the nation and around the globe.
Todd Steinbach is co-owner and CEO of Aero-Mod Inc., the company which is designing and providing such water treatment systems. The company began as a project of K-State civil engineering professor Larry Schmid. In 1981, Professor Schmid and some partners founded a company to work on treatment systems for waste water. They designed and installed small treatment plants and worked on housing developments as well.
The company grew and changed through the years. After Larry Schmid, John McNellis served as president of the company. He worked with a contact in Algeria to build the business overseas. Todd Steinbach joined the business in 1994. He and partner Rob Mahan own the company today.
Aero-Mod specializes in cutting-edge waste water treatment systems. “There is oxygen demand when bacteria attack waste,” Todd said. “We are essentially treating water so that oxygen isn’t consumed.” This works kind of like an aerator in a household aquarium.
“We use naturally-occurring bacteria to make the water safe for consumption,” Todd said. These systems are built to remove nitrogen cost-effectively and produce superior effluent quality.
“We’re treating this waste water and putting it back into the rivers so that it is useable again,” Todd said. “Think of the health benefits of people having clean, unpolluted drinking water world-wide.”
Aero-Mod specializes in small- to mid-size municipal type systems. Many smaller towns used lagoon water treatment systems for years, but now are needing to upgrade. Aero-Mod systems provide that opportunity in a cost-effective way.
Aero-Mod has developed and installed municipal systems from California to Vermont, and as far away as Algeria, Costa Rica, and Chile. The company’s corporate clients include Ford Motors, General Motors, Kraft Foods, Frito-Lay, Coca-Cola, Intel Corporation, and more.
The company’s headquarters is located on the east side of Manhattan, Kansas. Aero-Mod staff design, build and market the equipment at the Aero-Mod facility.
“We have a great group of employees here,” Todd said. The company has grown to 45 employees.
“We need more engineers,” Todd said. “There are great opportunities in civil engineering. It is a very broad field. You can get into things such as water, like we’re doing here, or other environmental issues, structural design such as buildings, you can get into transportation, you can get into geotechnical things, construction materials, there’s lots of opportunities.”
Todd, a Wisconsin native, studied civil engineering at Iowa State before coming to Aero-Mod. His professor at Iowa State was a friend of Larry Schmid’s and helped make the connection with Todd and the company. “We knew nothing about Kansas,” Todd said.
Todd’s business partner Rob Mahan previously served as a consulting engineer himself. Rob comes from the rural community of Rossville, population 1,151 people. Now, that’s rural.
“For the consulting engineer (on these water projects), we can be an extension of their office,” Todd said. Such support has made a big difference as projects are bid, built, installed and maintained.
“We now offer a two-day school for water system operators,” Todd said. “Our customers know we’re there to support them.”
Demand is strong for high-quality, efficient waste water treatment systems across the nation. “We had a record year,” Todd said.
For more information about the company, see www.aeromod.com.
“Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.” That old saying reminds us that we all need water but the water is no good to us if it isn’t clean and safe. We commend Todd Steinbach, Rob Mahan, John McNellis, Larry Schmid, and all those involved with Aero-Mod for making a difference by providing systems for treating water for our use. I wish those systems were in use everywhere.
TOPEKA — An employee with the Kansas Department of Transportation is no longer employed with the agency after using KDOT’s twitter account to respond to a tweet from President Trump critical of two Fox News television anchors.
Were @FoxNews weekend anchors, @ArthelNeville and @LelandVittert, trained by CNN prior to their ratings collapse? In any event, that’s where they should be working, along with their lowest rated anchor, Shepard Smith!
The KDOT Twitter account called the president a president a “delusional communist” and added “You know it’s communist countries that try to control media, right?”
Julie Lorenz, acting KDOT Secretary, also used twitter to confirm the employee was no longer working for KDOT.
Today an employee sent a tweet from @SCKansasKDOT. The tweet has been deleted as it does not reflect the views of KDOT or the Administration and was an unacceptable use of state communication tools. The person who sent the tweet is no longer an employee of KDOT.
WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas street gang member with a prior felony conviction for robbery was sentenced to 17 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.
Freeeman is being held in Harvey County
Adonis W. Freeman, also known as Ad Koli, 32, Wichita, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Freeman, a documented member of the Bloods, admitted in his plea that he had a Glock Model 27 handgun on the floor next to him when agents served a search warrant at his residence.
Evidence in support of the search warrant included a video on social media in which Freeman was seen with a gun sticking out of his pocket.
BECKHAM COUNTY (AP) — A woman was arrested after authorities say she used a T-shirt gun to launch drugs, cellphones and other contraband over a prison fence.
Hickman- photo Beckham Co. Sheriff
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections says the incident prompted a lockdown at the North Fork Correctional Unit in Sayre, about 120 miles west of Oklahoma City.
The agency says authorities arrested Kerri Jo Hickman after discovering the T-shirt gun and another package in her vehicle.
The container that was launched contained cellphones, ear buds, phone chargers, methamphetamine, digital scales, marijuana and tobacco.
Hickman remained jailed Friday in Beckham County on complaints of introducing contraband into a penal institution, conspiracy and drug trafficking. Jail records don’t list an attorney who could speak on her behalf.
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have released details on a suspect vehicle.
Police on the scene of the shooting investigation photo courtesy WIBW TV
Just before 9p.m. Saturday, police responded to the report of a shooting in the 1100 block of SW Hillsdale Street in Topeka, according to Lt. John Trimble.
Officers found a victim identified as 25-year-old Robert McKinsey James, unresponsive in the yard suffering what appeared to be several gunshot wounds.
Officers were able to secure the scene and first responders performed first aid on McKinsey. He was transported to an area hospital where he died, according to Trimble.
The suspect vehicle is described as an older, boxy, dark colored SUV that was seen fleeing from the area shortly after the shooting. The SUV had several occupants, according to Trimble.
Anyone with information regarding this crime is encouraged to contact the Topeka Police.
Beginning Monday, the reconstruction of 43rd Street south of Walmart will begin in Hays.
43rd Street will be closed west of Roth Avenue for demolition.
Areas of 43rd Street east of Roth Avenue will be accomplished under subsequent phases of construction that allow for continued access to local businesses.
This construction is expected to last approximately 3 months (pending weather conditions).
Signs will be in place to direct the traveling public. Motorists should use caution in these areas.
The city of Hays regrets any inconvenience this may cause to the public. If there are any questions, please call the Office of Project Management at 785-628-7350 or the contractor, Vogts-Parga Construction, at 316-217-1961.
ATCHISON COUNTY, Kan.(AP) — Residents in parts of southwestern Iowa were forced out of their homes Sunday as a torrent of Missouri River water flowed over and through levees.
Heavy rainfall and snowmelt forced river levels across several Midwestern states to dangerous levels. At least two deaths were blamed on flooding, and two other men have been missing for days. While river levels on Sunday were starting to level off in Nebraska, other residents in Iowa, Kansas and Missouri were bracing for worse flooding to come.
The Missouri River reached 30.2 feet (9.2 meters) Sunday in Fremont County, Iowa, in the state’s far southwestern corner, 2 feet (0.6 meter) above the record set in 2011. People in the towns of Bartlett and Thurman were being evacuated as levees were breached and overtopped.
County Emergency Management Director Mike Crecelius said it wasn’t just the amount of the water, it was the swiftness of the current that created a danger.
“This wasn’t a gradual rise,” Crecelius said. “It’s flowing fast and it’s open country — there’s nothing there to slow it down.”
Thurman has about 200 residents. About 50 people live in Bartlett.
Lucinda Parker of Iowa Homeland Security & Emergency Management said nearly 2,000 people have been evacuated at eight Iowa locations since flooding began late last week. Most were staying with friends or family. Seven shelters set up for flood victims held just a couple dozen people Saturday night.
Hundreds of people remained out of their homes in Nebraska, but rivers there were starting to recede. The National Weather Service said the Elkhorn River remained at major flood stage but was dropping. It was expected to dip back below flood stage by Tuesday. U.S. 30 reopened near Arlington on Saturday.
The flooding is blamed on at least two deaths. Aleido Rojas Galan, 52, of Norfolk, Nebraska, was swept away in floodwaters Friday night in southwestern Iowa, when the vehicle he was in went around a barricade. Two others in the vehicle survived — one by clining to a tree. On Thursday, James Wilke, 50, of Columbus, Nebraska, died when a bridge collapsed as he used a tractor to try and reach stranded motorists.
Two men remain missing. A Norfolk man was seen on top of his flooded car late Thursday before being swept away. Water also swept away a man after a dam collapse.
In St. Joseph, Missouri, home to 76,000 people, volunteers were helping to fill sandbags to help secure a levee protecting an industrial area. Calls were out for even more volunteers in hopes of filling 150,000 sandbags by Tuesday, when the Missouri River is expected to climb to 27 feet — 10 feet above technical flood stage.
The rising Mississippi River also was creating concern. The Mississippi was already at major flood level along the Iowa-Illinois border, closing roads and highways and swamping thousands of acres of farmland. Moderate Mississippi River flooding was expected at several Missouri cities, including St. Louis.
Flooding has also been reported in Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
KANSAS CITY – Three men have been sentenced in federal court this week for their roles in a drug-trafficking conspiracy that led to the kidnapping and torture of an Independence, Mo., man.
According to a media release from the United State’s Attorney, Randal G. Holmes, also known as “Peckerwood” or “Wood,” 54, of Kansas City and Michael C. Borrusch, also known as “Birdie,” 43, of Lakewood, Colo., were sentenced last week in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays. Holmes was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Borrusch was sentenced to 3 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole.
Jeremy R. Bond, 40, of Independence, was sentenced on Wednesday, March 13, 2019, to two years and six months in federal prison without parole.
On July 10, 2018, Holmes pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, one count of kidnapping, one count of conspiracy to distribute 50 kilograms or more of marijuana and one count of brandishing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Borrusch and Bond pleaded guilty to their roles in the drug-trafficking conspiracy.
Holmes’s son and co-defendant Gerald L. Holmes, also known as “Jerry” or “Joker,” 27, and co-defendant Richard M. Phoenix, also known as “Snake,” 77, both of Kansas City, Mo., have also pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
During the conspiracy, which lasted from May 1 to Sept. 13, 2016, Bond invested $10,000 into the marijuana operation. In return, he received $1,000 a week as interest and free marijuana until the entire principal investment was repaid in full. This investment allowed Gerald Holmes and a co-conspirator, identified in court documents as “C.H.” (who had made four trips to Colorado with Gerald Holmes), to purchase greater quantities of marijuana per trip. Once it reached the greater Kansas City metropolitan area, the marijuana was then resold by Gerald Holmes and C.H.
Conspirators purchased at least 120 pounds of marijuana from Borrusch, for which they made more than a dozen trips between Colorado and Kansas City. Gerald Holmes paid Borrusch between $1,600 to $2,400 per pound, depending on the type and quality of marijuana available. Randal Holmes received $100 for every pound of marijuana brought back to Kansas City because of his prior connection to Borrusch, who was previously his supplier.
On Sept. 12, 2016, Randal and Gerald Holmes agreed to kidnap C.H. because he stole money that was intended for the purchase of marijuana.
They arrived at the Independence, Mo., residence of the victim’s father, identified as “W.H.,” on Sept. 12, 2016. During their conversation, Gerald Holmes removed a firearm from his waistband and placed it on a table in front of W.H. They told W.H. to call C.H. and tell him he was being held at gunpoint and that C.H. needed to come to the residence right away. When C.H. arrived at the residence, Randal Holmes pointed a firearm at him and told him to get into his vehicle. While in the vehicle, Gerald Holmes struck, punched and choked C.H. as Randal Holmes drove away.
They took C.H. to Randal Holmes’s residence, where they were met by Phoenix. C.H. was taken to the basement, where he was assaulted with fists, a hammer and tin snips/clippers. During the assault, Holmes repeatedly demanded that C.H. disclose where the duffle bag containing the money was located. Randal and Gerald Holmes left to retrieve the duffle bag while Phoenix held C.H. at gunpoint.
Randal Holmes later drove C.H. to a rural residence near Edwards, Mo. As Randal Holmes drove them to the residence, Gerald Holmes continued to strike C.H. with fists and the butt of a firearm. When they arrived at the residence, C.H. was told to call his father and to tell him that he was okay, that he had taken a beating, that he would be home in a couple of days and that he deserved what had happened.
Law enforcement officers were able to trace the telephone call and on Sept. 13, 2016, officers were able to locate C.H. and arrest the conspirators. Officers observed that C.H. had suffered multiple, visible injuries to his face, head, hands and feet. Officers noted that C.H. had trouble walking, that his face was black and blue, as well as swollen with traces of dried blood. Upon receiving medical treatment, it was determined that C.H. had also suffered a fracture in his left hand.
Officers found a Jimenez Arms 9mm pistol in Randal Holmes’s vehicle and a Hi-Point 9mm pistol in the residence where C.H. had been held. Officers also found an FN Herstal .40-caliber pistol, a Remington .270-caliber rifle, an RG .22-caliber revolver, a Ruger .22-caliber rifle, a Mossberg .20-gauge shotgun, 36.4 grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in another residence.
