TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach says he has talked to President Donald Trump by phone since losing the governor’s race but is declining to provide further details.
Kobach told reporters Friday that he’s not “out looking for random federal jobs” but said if Trump offered him a position, “That’s a different matter.”
Fellow Republicans in Kansas have speculated since the election that Kobach could receive a high-profile job in Trump’s administration. Kobach lost the governor’s race to Democratic state Sen. Laura Kelly.
Kobach built a national profile as an advocate of tough immigration and voter identification policies before informally advising Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign and afterward. Kobach also served as vice chairman of a short-lived presidential commission on voter fraud.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Attorney General has asked a judge to dismiss two criminal charges against a former employee at a Kansas water park where a 10-year-old boy died.
Miles-photo Wyandotte Co.
A motion filed Thursday asks a Wyandotte County judge to dismiss charges against Tyler Miles. He was director of operations at Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City, Kansas, when Caleb Schwab was decapitated on a water slide in August 2016.
The charges accused Miles of lying to authorities and concealing evidence from investigators. Miles is still charged with involuntary manslaughter, aggravated child endangerment and aggravated battery.
The motion doesn’t give a reason why the Attorney General decided to drop the charges. A spokeswoman for the office didn’t return a message seeking comment.
Miles was among five employees indicted after the boy’s death.
James M. “Jim” Baker, 72, died Thursday, November 29, 2018 at his home in Garden City. He was born February 15, 1946 in Garden City, Kansas the son of Melvie Ivan & Thelma Alberta (Hill) Baker.
Jim lived most of his life in Garden City, living a short time in Liberal and Great Bend. He attended Garden City schools and graduated from Pierceville High School. He then attended Denver Automotive school. He worked at Dillons, later working as a truck driver. Jim then worked and retired from the maintenance department at USD #457. He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church. Jim enjoyed motorcycles, drinking coffee, and feeding stray cats in his neighborhood.
On July 29, 1967, he married Joyce Ehmke in Dighton, Kansas. She survives. Other survivors include two children Kim Hamilton of Garden City and Mike Baker of Kansas City, Kansas; a brother Jim Gass of Edmund, Oklahoma; four grandchildren Devin & wife Michala Hamilton, Allyson Hamilton, Kyla Davis, & Dacoda Hamilton; and two great-grandchildren Alexstrasza Hamilton and Ysera Hamilton. Jim is preceded in death by his parents and a sister Ramona Berning.
Funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 4, 2018 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Garden City with Rev. Michael Hageman officiating. Graveside service will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 4, 2018 at the Dudley Township Cemetery in Satanta, Kansas. Friends may call from Noon to 8:00 p.m. on Monday at Garnand Funeral Home in Garden City.
The family suggests memorials given to Friends of Lee Richardson Zoo in care of the funeral home.
A winter storm system is forecast to hit portions of northwest and north-central Kansas overnight Friday, with the most intense part of the storm beginning approximately 3 a.m. Saturday morning through mid-day with snow and extreme blowing snow that will limit visibility on affected Kansas roadways.
The greatest area of concern will be along the Kansas/Colorado/Nebraska border south to Sherman County and east to Rooks County. Snow accumulations of 2-5 inches are possible with northerly winds of 20-35 mph gusting to 45 mph, causing brief blizzard-like conditions.
Gov. Jeff Colyer has issued a State of Disaster Emergency proclamation which authorizes the use of state resources and personnel to assist with response and recovery operations in affected counties.
“Winter storms in Kansas can be very dangerous, as we have seen from the recent storm system that just moved through our state,” said Colyer. “Please exercise extreme caution when considering whether to travel during a winter event like this one, and if at all possible postpone travel until road and weather conditions become safe again.”
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management will activate the State Emergency Operations Center in Topeka to a partial level to monitor weather conditions and stand by to receive any requests for state assistance. KDEM staff are working with the Kansas National Guard’s Joint Operations Center to deploy Stranded Motorist Assistance Response Teams to Colby, Hays, Norton, St. Francis, and Smith Center.
Kansans are urged to change or delay their travel plans in these areas until the storm moves through. Winter road conditions are accessible by dialing 5-1-1 from your mobile phone anywhere in Kansas; outside Kansas call 1-866-511-5368 (KDOT). Road conditions many also be viewed on the Kansas Department of Transportation web site at https://kandrive.org.
If you must travel, be sure your car’s gas tank is full and you have an emergency kit. Vehicle emergency kits should include blankets, flashlights, batteries, a cell phone charger, hand-warmers, high-energy food snacks, bottled water, necessary medications, a snow shovel, flares and other emergency supplies. Make sure your cell phone is charged and someone is aware of your itinerary, including expected time of arrival.
Information on winter driving tips is available from the Kansas Highway Patrol at https://www.kansashighwaypatrol.org/259/Winter-Driving-Tips. You can also follow the Kansas Highway Patrol on Facebook and Twitter at www.kansashighwaypatrol.org.
Outdoor pets are especially vulnerable to bitter cold and extreme wind chills. Bring outdoor pets inside if possible or ensure that they have a draft-free enclosure with straw-type bedding that is large enough for your pets to lie down, but small enough to hold in body heat if they must remain outside. Always make sure that your pets have access to food and non-frozen water.
For additional pet safety information, go to www.avma.org or https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/cold-weather-safety-tips.
For a complete list of items for an emergency kit, go to www.ready.gov.
Nicholas J. “Nick” Schmitt, 74, passed away November 29, 2018, at Hays Medical Center, Hays. He was born May 29, 1944 at Hays, to Victor & Irene (Herman) Schmitt. He married Rose Oberle, May 4, 1965 at Holy Name Catholic Church, Bushton.
Coming from Kansas City in 1968, Nicholas was a Great Bend resident. He was an auto mechanic. He loved woodworking, collecting antiques and John Wayne.
Survivors include, wife, Rose Schmitt of the home; two sons, Tony Schmitt and wife Karen of Ellinwood and Bill Schmitt and wife Amy of Burdett; one daughter, Cindy Funk of Great Bend; five grandchildren, Savannah Schmitt, Sara Schmitt, Justin Schmitt, William Funk and Raymond Funk; two great-grandchildren, Hayden Gatewood and Lily Funk; and two sisters, Shirley Harris and Betty Bender, both of Great Bend. He was preceded in death by his parents, Victor and Irene Schmitt; two grandchildren, Amber Schmitt and Brandon Funk; and a sister, Virginia Stroud.
Visitation will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Sunday, December 2, 2018, at Bryant Funeral Home, with Vigil Service at 7:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 a.m., Monday, December 3, 2018, at Bryant Funeral Home, with Father Ted Stoecklein presiding. Interment will be at 2:30 p.m. at the Holy Name Catholic Cemetery, Bushton. Memorials are suggested to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Back-to-back earthquakes measuring 7.0 and 5.8 rocked buildings and shattered roads Friday morning in Anchorage, sending people running into the streets and briefly triggering a warning to residents in Kodiak to flee to higher ground for fear of a tsunami.
APD is operational after massive earthquake; Call 911 for emergencies only; Many roads & bridges closed; Click link https://t.co/pOeOywBnO9
The tsunami warning was lifted without incident a short time later. There were no immediate reports of any deaths or serious injuries.
USGS image
The U.S. Geological Survey said the first and more powerful quake was centered about 7 miles (12 kilometers) north of Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, with a population of about 300,000. People ran from their offices or took cover under desks.
Cracks could be seen in a two-story downtown Anchorage building, and photographs posted to social media showed fractured roads, as well as fallen ceiling tiles at an Anchorage high school. A large section of an overpass near the Anchorage airport collapsed, marooning a car on a narrow island of pavement next to where the road gave way.
The quake also disrupted electrical service and knocked out traffic lights in Anchorage, snarling traffic.
Cereal boxes and packages of batteries littered the floor of a grocery store, and picture frames and mirrors were knocked from living room walls.
People went back inside after the first earthquake struck, but the 5.8 aftershock about five minutes later sent them running back into the streets.
A tsunami warning was issued for the southern Alaska coastal areas of Cook’s Inlet and part of the Kenai peninsula. Kodiak police on Kodiak Island warned people in the city of 6,100 to “evacuate to higher ground immediately” because of “wave estimated 10 minutes.”
Michael Burgy, a senior technician with the National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, said the tsunami warning was automatically generated based on the quake’s size and proximity to shore. Scientists monitored gauges to see if the quake generated big waves. Because there were none, they canceled the warning.
In Kenai, southwest of Anchorage, Brandon Slaton was alone at home and soaking in the bathtub when the earthquake struck. Slaton, who weighs 209 pounds, said it created a powerful back-and-forth sloshing in the bath, and before he knew it, he was thrown out of the tub by the waves.
His 120-pound mastiff panicked and tried to run down the stairs, but the house was swaying so much that the dog was thrown off its feet and into a wall and tumbled to the base of the stairs, Slaton said.
Slaton ran into his son’s room after the shaking stopped and found his fish tank shattered and the fish on the floor, gasping for breath. He grabbed it and put it in another bowl.
“It was anarchy,” he said. “There’s no pictures left on the walls, there’s no power, there’s no fish tank left. Everything that’s not tied down is broke.”
Alaska averages 40,000 earthquakes per year, with more large quakes than the 49 other states combined. Southern Alaska has a high risk of earthquakes because of tectonic plates sliding past each other under the region.
Alaska has been hit by a number of powerful quakes over 7.0 magnitude in recent decades, including a 7.9 that hit last January southeast of Kodiak Island. But it is rare for a quake this big to strike so close such a heavily populated area.
David Harper was getting some coffee at a store when the low rumble began and intensified into something that sounded “like the building was just going to fall apart.” Harper ran to the exit with other patrons there.
“The main thought that was going through my head as I was trying to get out the door was, ‘I want this to stop,'” he said. Harper said the quake was “significant enough that the people who were outside were actively hugging each other. You could tell that it was a bad one.”
On March 27, 1964, Alaska was hit by a 9.2 earthquake, the strongest recorded in U.S. history, centered about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Anchorage. The quake, which lasted about 4½ minutes, and the tsunami it triggered claimed about 130 lives.
Gabriel M. “Gabe” Lawrence Jr., age 71, passed away on Wednesday, November 28, 2018 at the Park Lane Nursing Home in Scott City, Kansas. He was born on August 8, 1947 in Scott City, Kansas, the son of Gabe and Mary Alice Ross Lawrence, Sr. A lifetime resident of Scott City, Kansas, he was a farmer & custom harvester.
Memberships include the First United Methodist Church and the William Carpenter Foundation of Scott City, Kansas and was an active 4H Leader.
On April 3, 1976 he married Katherine A. Kirk in Scott City, Kansas. She passed away on October 26, 2006 in Wichita, Kansas.
Survivors include his One Son & Family – Chris & Jill Lawrence and Connor, Aubrey & Hannah of Scott City, Kansas, One Brother – Shorty & Deb Lawrence of Scott City, Kansas, One Brother In Law – Chuck & Barbara Kirk of Scott City, Kansas, One Sister In Law – Judy Gordon of The Colony, Texas.
He was preceded in death by his Parents, Wife, and One Daughter – Mindy A. Lawrence.
Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 4, 2018 at the First United Methodist Church in Scott City, Kansas with Rev. John Lewis presiding.
Burial will be in the Scott County Cemetery in Scott City, Kansas.
Memorials in Lieu of Flowers may be given to the Gabe Lawrence Memorial Fund (for scholarships) in care of Price & Sons Funeral Homes.
Visitation will be from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m Sunday and 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Monday at Price & Sons Funeral Home in Scott City, Kansas.
Burns -photo Ellis CountyA Hays woman pleaded guilty yesterday to charges of mistreatment of a dependent adult and a drug crime, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said in a news release Friday.
Nichole Denee Burns, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of mistreatment of a dependent adult and one count of possession of an opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant. Both counts were felonies.
The charges stemmed from an investigation by the Hays Police Department and the attorney general’s Fraud and Abuse Litigation Division. The attorney general alleged that while Burns was caring for her father, who was prescribed fentanyl patches to manage his pain, she would remove the patches, use them herself, and then reapply the used patch to her father.
The defendant’s father was later admitted to the emergency room in severe pain because he was not receiving his prescribed medication from the used patch. The crimes occurred between November 2016 and January 2017.
Magistrate Judge Richard Flax accepted the plea in Ellis County District Court. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Paul Brothers of Schmidt’s office.
This year Brown’s Shoe Fit wants to see all of you sporting your best ugly Christmas sweater! What more fun can you have than chugging eggnog at an ugly Christmas sweater party? So, why not snap a quick pic of yourself in your ugly sweater, and submit here to enter for your chance to win a $100 gift card from Brown’s Shoe Fit! Good luck and happy holidays!
DIGHTON — Richard Allen Hemel, 65, died on Wednesday, November 28, 2018 at his home in Dighton. He was born on March 13, 1953 at Garden City the son of Clifford & Dorothy (Hull) Hemel. He married Linda Spencer on March 2, 1973. He later married Theresa Venters Townsend on June 5, 1986.
Richard grew up in Dighton where he was an Eagle Scout and graduated from Dighton High School with the Class of 1972. He was a auto mechanic all of his life and worked at J & B Conoco, Hemel Repair, Haynes Repair in Chapman, Scheib’s Repair and was the Manager of Bumper To Bumper Auto Parts in Dighton. He enjoyed golfing at Cat House Recreation, hunting, fishing, country music concerts, John Wayne Western movies, car races, restoring his old Mustangs and especially his family activities. He was preceded in death by his Parents and Step-Parents- Jay Doris and Jean Doris.
Survivors include his Children- Mark Hemel of Scott City, Heather Hemel of Salina, Sherri Doris of Dighton, Randy Townsend of Salina & Shelly Townsend of Tulsa, Oklahoma, 2 Brothers- Dale Hemel and Craig Doris both of Dighton, 3 Sisters- Denise Lamb of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, Jacque Hodge of Greenwood, Missouri and Mitzi Ciesielski of Goddard & 15 Grandchildren- Christopher, Skyler, Blake, Emma, Dakota, Brooke, Jillian, Makenzie, Ireland, Macy, Christian, Jordan, Genevia, Mason & Katrina.
In keeping with Richard’s wishes no services will be held. Memorials are suggested to Boy Scouts of America in care of Boomhower Funeral Home. Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com
Mark A. Cowell will be consecrated Saturday as the sixth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Kansas. Photos courtesy the diocese
Episcopalians and invited guests from across the United States will gather in Salina’s Christ Cathedral Saturday for the ordination and consecration of the Diocese of Western Kansas’ sixth bishop.
The Right Reverend Mark A. Cowell succeeds The Right Reverend Michael Milliken, who served the diocese for nearly seven years.
Elected on May 5, Cowell will lead Episcopalians in a largely rural diocese covering the western counties of Kansas. Like many of the clergy within the diocese as well as his predecessor, Cowell will be a bi-vocational bishop.
A lawyer who once prosecuted gang members in Dodge City, the new bishop will continue to serve as vicar of Sts. Mary and Martha of Bethany in Larned and of Holy Nativity in Kinsley. He also works part-time as Dodge City’s municipal prosecutor and is currently in his second term as Hodgeman County attorney.
The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, is scheduled to lead the ceremony as chief consecrator. Curry leads the two million-member denomination, the American branch of the 85 million-member global Anglican Communion.
The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church.
Some will recognize Curry as the spirited bishop who delivered the sermon at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom.
About the new bishop
Raised in the Episcopal Church, Cowell fell in love with Anglican liturgy while living in England as a child. After returning to the United States, he served as an acolyte at St. Peter’s Church in Essex Fells, New Jersey, until he left home for college.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Drew University in 1990, and his Juris Doctorate from Washburn University Law School in 1994. Shortly after admission to the Kansas Bar in 1994, he felt the call to ministry. Trained locally, he was ordained a transitional deacon in October 2003 and a priest in June 2004.
Cowell, his wife Julie, and their three children, Gabriel, Cathleen, and Gryffin, reside in Larned.
