WICHITA— Wichita State University President John Bardo responded to questions about his health on social media Tuesday morning.
I’m in good spirits and continuing to work with members of the Executive Team on university issues. I’m looking forward to being back on campus and seeing you in the new year. Best, John (2 of 2)
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A man is claiming self-defense after he was charged with wounding a 17-year-old whose friends were shooting fireworks at a Lawrence apartment building.
20-year-old Rashan Gill is scheduled to be tried in January on one count of criminal discharge of a firearm. His attorney is citing the state’s “stand your ground” law.
An affidavit in the case says the girl waited in a car on July 5 while her friends shot Roman candles at the apartment. The friends said that at one point a man ran out of the building toward them, so they shot a Roman candle at him. The victim told police she was shot in the torso and arm as they started driving away.
Darrell John Leiker, age 66, of Hays, KS, passed away on Wednesday, November 14, 2018 at his home in Hays. He was born on September 25, 1952 in Hays, KS to Christian and Helen (Dinkel) Leiker. On November 4, 1983, Darrell married Linnea Johnson in Charleston, South Carolina. Together, they shared 35 years of marriage.
Darrell served and retired from the United States Navy. He was a Rural Mail Carrier in Ellis County for over 20 years. He was a longtime member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Hays and served as Secretary. His family and friends will remember him as a handyman that could fix anything.
Survivors include his wife of the home, Linnea Leiker; two sons, John Christopher “Chris” Leiker and his wife Kielin of Kansas City, MO, Alexander Christian Leiker and his wife Holly of Hays; one daughter, Antoinette “Tanya” Leiker of Kansas City, KS; mother, Helen Leiker of Antonino, KS; two sisters, Sharon Staab and her husband Gerald and Paullette Leiker all of Hays.
He was preceded in death by his father and sister, Ivorgene Pelz.
Cremation has taken place. A graveside memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 1, 2018 at 11:00 a.m., at the St. Francis of Assisi Cemetery in Munjor, KS.
Condolences may be left by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or by email at [email protected].
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A roadside bomb killed three American soldiers in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, the U.S. military said, in what appeared to be the deadliest attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in the last 17 months.
The military said that three other service members were wounded when the bomb went off near the city of Ghazni. An American contractor was also wounded, it said. The military did not immediately identify any of the casualties.
Lt. Ubon Mendie, a military spokesman, said the wounded were evacuated and are receiving medical care.
The Taliban claimed the attack, saying a U.S. tank was completely destroyed.
It appeared to be the deadliest attack on American forces since June 2017, when an Afghan army soldier shot and killed three U.S. soldiers in an insider attack in the Achin district of the eastern Nangarhar province. The Taliban claimed that attack.
The Taliban carry out near-daily attacks on Afghan forces, and in August the insurgents overran parts of Ghazni, leading to days of intense fighting before they were driven out. Ghazni was the only one of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces where parliamentary elections could not be held in October. Voting there has been postponed for a year.
The U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014, but still provide close support to Afghan forces and carry out counterterrorism operations. Some 15,000 American forces are currently serving in Afghanistan.
In a separate incident on Tuesday, the Taliban abducted 21 passengers from two vans that were traveling through the northern Sari Pul province, according to Habibullah Mujahidzada, a district police chief. It was not immediately clear what motivated the abduction, and there was no immediate comment from the Taliban.
Larned – Robert (Bob) Ledel Bixby, 80, passed away November 25, 2018 at University of Kansas Health Systems Great Bend Campus, Great Bend.
He was born August 21, 1938, in Great Bend, the son of Delbert and Ethelene Dyer Bixby. A longtime area resident he was a retired postal worker.
He was a member of First Christian Church in Great Bend where he sang in the choir. He was in the United States Army and also a member of the Fort Larned Road Runners, and loved to ride motorcycles.
On June 5, 1967, he married Alicia Jane Cunningham at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Larned, she survives.
Other survivors include; a daughter, Susan Lynn Bixby, Seattle, Washington; a son, Dale Lee (Suzanne) Bixby, Dexter, Michigan; a sister Sandra Hawk, Wichita; two grandchildren, Zachary and Carter Bixby, both of Dexter, Michigan.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Norval Bixby.
Funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at First Christian Church, Great Bend with Pastor Joshua Leu presiding. Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Friday at Beckwith Mortuary, Larned. Burial will be at 1:30 p.m. in the Larned Cemetery, Larned, with military graveside rites.
Memorials may be given to First Christian Church, Great Bend in care of Beckwith Mortuary P.O. Box 477, Larned, KS 67550.
VICTORIA — The annual Cathedral Christmas Concert will be at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at St. Fidelis Basilica in Victoria.
The concert is free to the public.
The choirs of Fort Hays State University — Fort Hays Singers and Concert Choir — will be joined by the Smoky Hill Chorale and the Hays High School Chamber Singers. Although making yearly appearances at this event, this will be the first Cathedral Christmas Concert for director Alex Underwood of the Hays High choral program.
Others also will be a part of the festive concert including FHSU music faculty Ivalah Allen, Joseph Perniciaro, Kay Werth, and Brad and Renetta Dawson; FHSU Brass Choir, Brass Quartet and String Quartet; and organist Tom Meagher.
The Guidon was awarded four marks of distinction, giving an All-American award for the papers in the 2017-18 school year. Six papers, picked by instructor Bill Gasper and editor-in-chief Lacey Gregory, were judged.By ISABELLE BRAUN Hays High School Guidon
The 2017-18 Hays High School Guidon newspaper earned All-American status after being awarded four marks of distinction by the National Scholastic Press Association.
“We got marks of distinction in Coverage and Content, Text, Visuals, and Presentation,” journalism instructor Bill Gasper said. “Those are the four main areas that they judge in. They gave us a mark of distinction in each one, which took us up to All-American status.”
Gasper said a total of 500 points could be earned — 200 in Coverage and Content and 100 each in Text, Visuals and Presentation. The judge counted off only three points, making the score 497 out of 500.
“They look at your publication, six of our newspapers, and then they judge you in the different areas,” Gasper said. “We earned a 200 in Coverage and Contest and 99 out of 100 points in the other three categories.”
The judge said the writing was complete from start to finish; all art added to the message of the story; the sports coverage included recognition for all sports and athletes; and the opinion page combined seriousness and lightheartedness.
“This coverage is unique,” the judge wrote. “The Guidon staff has published a professional quality newspaper that serves the needs of the school community of Hays High School.”
The All-American rating is the highest rating at the national level, and Gasper said this is the first time he has achieved this award.
“I’m real pleased with the All-American rating,” Gasper said. “Last spring we received the highest state rating of All-Kansas, and to follow it up with the All-American is quite an honor. It is a tribute to the hard work and excellent work my newspaper staff did last year, and I could not be more pleased with their efforts. I’m proud of what they’ve done, and I’m very proud of this particular rating.”
Lacey Gregory was editor-in-chief of the publication, while Amiyah Gonzalez was assistant editor. Online editor was Isabelle Braun, and sports editors were Jacob Maska and Taylor Schiffelbein.
Other staff members were Tana Herreman, Elizabeth Lee, Allison Brooks, Anna Brull, Hanna Dannar, MacKenzie Fagan, Alicia Feyerherm, Allison Hillebrand, Scout Perryman, Rebekah Porter, Kayli Potter, Dawson Rooney, Madison Weber, Hannah Donaldson, Connor Olson and Isaiah Schindler.
Isabelle Braun is the 2018-19 editor-in-chief for the Hays High School Guidon.
Curtis David Nelson, 67, died November 25, 2018, at his home in Ellsworth. He was born August 12, 1951, in Wichita, Kansas, the son of John A. and Virginia L. (Wickert) Nelson.
Curtis graduated in 1969 from Shawnee Mission South High School and then received his Associate Degree from Barton County Community College in 1991.
A resident of Ellsworth since his retirement, Curtis worked as a correctional officer for the Department of Corrections in Ellsworth for 25 years.
He lived most of his life in Claflin, where he was the former mayor and a member of the city council. He was also a member of the Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Ellsworth.
On May 10, 1985, he married Jan R. Lupton in Great Bend, Kansas. She preceded him in death on November 12, 2016.
Survivors include; three children, Alethea Nelson of Las Vegas, Nevada, David Nelson and wife Carissa of Great Bend, and Jennifer Garcia and husband Frank of Harrison, Arkansas; brother, Mark Nelson and wife Jeanie; and sister, Julie Myers and husband Nathan all of Tiej, New Mexico; seven grandchildren, Samantha, Sara, Zander, Micah, Lauren, Macy, and Steven; and 4 great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, and a stepmother, Margaret Nelson.
Funeral service will be at 10 a.m., Wednesday, November 28, 2018, at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home Chapel, with Pastor Roger Dennis presiding. Friends may call 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, with family to greet friends from 6 to 8 p.m.. A private family inurnment will be held at a later date in Claflin Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in care of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, PO Box 146, Hoisington, KS 67544.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas hasn’t escaped the growing urban-rural political divide that is playing out nationally, especially after Democratic voters in the state’s urban centers fueled Laura Kelly’s victory over Republican Kris Kobach in the November governor’s race.
The urban-rural divide could make it easier for Democrats to control the governor’s office or hold a congressional seat and could help Republicans fortify their hold on rural areas.
Ahead of the 2018 midterm election, the percentage of Kansas Democrats registered to vote grew for the first time in years. But Kansas won’t have any Democratic state lawmakers west of Hutchinson after several rural Democrats lost their races.
The urban-rural divide has grown gradually in both Kansas and across the county over the last couple of decades, said University of Kansas political scientist Patrick Miller. The politics and size of the divide “have finally gotten to the point where they’re becoming starkly obvious on maps,” he said.
The few blue counties in central and eastern Kansas, within a sea of red, were able to push Kelly to victory by 5 percentage points, or about 46,000 votes. Kelly won nine Kansas counties but none west of Wichita.
Kelly received 86,000 more votes in the state’s 10 most-populated counties than the party’s 2014 gubernatorial candidate, Paul Davis. Kobach had just about 7,100 more votes in those counties than the 2014 Republican who was seeking re-election, Sam Brownback.
“We’ve been reaching out to urban voters for years. That’s been a big part of what we do as a party,” said Kelly Arnold, the outgoing chairman of the Kansas Republican Party. “But it has changed. It is something that as we move forward we need to make sure we’re spending enough time on the issues that are important to each district, whether that be a rural district or an urban district.”
Jason Livesay
Jason Livesay, respiratory therapist at HaysMed, part of The University of Kansas Health System, was recently named Respiratory Therapist of the Year.
Respiratory Services awards an annual Breath of Fresh Air award to recognize a respiratory therapist for their hard work and dedication.
The award winner is nominated and chosen by their peers and highlights an Associate in the respiratory therapy department who positively contributed the most teamwork and patient care during the year.
