Preliminary estimates reported by the Kansas Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.4 percent in June. This was unchanged from May and down from 3.6 percent in June 2017.
“Current trends in the Kansas labor market are strong,” said Secretary Lana Gordon. “Job growth has exceeded the national average and the number of people receiving unemployment benefits is the lowest in ten years.”
Jobless rates across northwest Kansas showed an uptick, but the unemployment rate remains extremely low across the region. Ellis County unemployment rose from 2.3 percent in May to 2.7 percent in June, while Russell County saw a 0.7 percent increase to 3.2 percent.
Rooks County had the highest unemployment in the region at 3.3 percent. Click the map above for a county-by-county breakdown.
Seasonally adjusted job estimates indicate total Kansas nonfarm jobs increased by 1,900 from May. Private sector jobs, a subset of total nonfarm jobs, increased by 1,600 from the previous month.
“Private sector job growth in Kansas has accelerated throughout 2018,” said Labor Economist, Emilie Doerksen. “June was the 10th consecutive month of private sector job gains in the state, including consistent growth in professional and business services and recent increases in manufacturing and trade, transportation and utilities.”
Since June 2017, Kansas gained 24,800 seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs and 22,200 private sector jobs.
Longtime western Kansas broadcaster Kay Melia, Goodland, died Thursday in Parker, Colo., at the age of 88.
Melia was the former general manager of KAYS Radio in Hays. He was inducted into the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1981 and was the recipient of the KAB’s Distinguished Service Award.
Boise State Office of Communications and Marketing
Mark Bannister has been named interim dean of the College of Business and Economics, effective Aug. 1.
Bannister currently serves as dean of the Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship at Fort Hays State University (FHSU), where he has led a rapidly growing college.
“Mark’s strong vision and leadership style make him an outstanding choice for the college at this time. He brings a wealth of experience from Fort Hays State, and I know that he’ll respond very well to the many exciting initiatives in COBE. It’s a great fit,” said Interim Provost Tony Roark.
“We wish outgoing Dean Ken Petersen the very best in his new role as the Helen Robson Walton Endowed Chair in Marketing Strategy and Professor of Marketing and Supply Chain Management at the University of Oklahoma.”
The search for a permanent Dean of COBE will commence in the 2019-20 academic year with guidance from the incoming university president.
Bannister was a finalist for the COBE dean position four years ago. Based on his experience and his familiarity with Boise State’s programs, the university initiated discussions with him in May. Bannister visited Boise twice in June to meet with COBE leadership, faculty and staff.
“I am very pleased and excited to join an outstanding group of faculty, staff, alumni and other supporters who are dedicated to providing students with a high quality education. I am also impressed with the research, thought leadership and service of the faculty,” Bannister said. “Boise State’s growth and innovation are important factors in drawing me to the college and university. I look forward to building on an outstanding base and working together to continue to build a truly notable college of business.”
The Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship has significant traditional on-campus instruction, domestic distance-learning programs and on-the-ground international programs in China.
Bannister has received Fort Hays State University’s Pilot Award, its highest teaching honor, and has been recognized repeatedly for his teaching by FHSU student groups. He initiated the “Entrepreneur Direct” speaker series that has brought a series of entrepreneurs to campus to present and to interact with faculty and students, and also has worked with the FHSU Foundation to increase private giving to the college and its departments.
He is a Senior Policy Fellow of the Docking Institute of Public Affairs and a principal in Bannister Capital. He teaches course work on legal issues and management of information technologies, as well as supervises and participates in research and programming on entrepreneurship, telecommunications, strategic planning and community development.
Bannister holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas as well as a Master of Science in Communications Studies.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), has issued public health warnings for Atchison County Park Lake, Carbondale West Lake, Frazier Lake, Jerry Ivey Pond, Lake Afton, Lake Wabaunsee, Melvern Outlet Pond and Melvern Outlet Swim Pond, Rooks County State Fishing Lake, South Park Lake and Webster Lake for the upcoming weekend and week.
The warning has been lifted for Clarion Woods Lake in Shawnee County and the warning has been downgraded to a watch for Topeka’s Central Park Lake (Pond).
If a lake is under a public health warning for blue-green algae, activities such as boating and fishing may be safe. However, direct contact with water (i.e., wading, skiing and swimming) is strongly discouraged for people, pets and livestock. The lakes currently under a public health advisory:
Warning: Atchison County Park Lake, Atchison County
Warning: Carbondale West Lake, Osage County
Warning: Frazier Lake, Grant County
Warning: Jerry Ivey Pond, Saline County
Warning: Lake Afton, Sedgwick County
Warning: Lake Wabaunsee, Wabaunsee County
Warning: Melvern Outlet Pond, Osage County
Warning: Melvern Outlet Swim Pond, Osage County
Warning: Rooks County State Fishing Lake, Rooks County
Warning: South Park Lake, Johnson County
Warning and Beach Closed: Webster Lake, Rooks County
Watch: Central Park Lake (Pond), Shawnee County
Watch: Mary’s Lake, Douglas County
The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers has stated swimming is not allowed at the Melvern Outlet Swim Pond Beach and all wading and contact with algae is highly discouraged. Melvern Lake Visitors can utilize Coeur d’Alene Swim Beach which sets on the main body of the lake, located west of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project Office. The present algae bloom is isolated to the Outlet Pond and Outlet Swim Pond, Melvern Lake is not affected.
Lakes under a warning are not closed. Marinas, lakeside businesses and park camping facilities are open for business. If swim beaches are closed, it will be specifically noted. Drinking water and showers at parks are safe and not affected by algae blooms. Boating and fishing are safe on lakes under a warning but contact with the water should be avoided. Hands should also be washed with clean water after handling fish taken from an affected lake. Zoned lakes may have portions fully open for all recreation even if other portions are under a warning.
Kansans should be aware that blooms are unpredictable. They can develop rapidly and may float around the lake, requiring visitors to exercise their best judgment. If there is scum, a paint-like surface or the water is bright green, avoid contact and keep pets away. These are indications that a harmful
bloom may be present. Pet owners should be aware that animals that swim in or drink water affected by a harmful algal bloom or eat dried algae along the shore may become seriously ill or die.
When a warning is issued, KDHE recommends the following precautions be taken:
Lake water is not safe to drink for pets or livestock.
Lake water, regardless of blue-green algae status, should never be consumed by humans.
Water contact should be avoided.
Fish may be eaten if they are rinsed with clean water and only the fillet portion is consumed, while all other parts are discarded.
Do not allow pets to eat dried algae.
If lake water contacts skin, wash with clean water as soon as possible.
Avoid areas of visible algae accumulation.
KDHE samples publicly-accessible bodies of water for blue-green algae when the agency receives reports of potential algae blooms in Kansas lakes. Based on sampling results, KDHE reports on potentially harmful conditions.
For information on blue-green algae and reporting potential harmful algal blooms, please visit https://www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/index.htm. Human and animal illnesses potentially related to harmful algal blooms can also be reported through this website or by calling the KDHE Epidemiology Hotline at 1-877-427-7317.
By ALEXIS SCHABEN FHSU University Relations and Marketing
A novel by a Fort Hays State University instructor is the story of a Chinese character attempting to live an American dream.
Cathy Adams, instructor of English, is an American dreamer now living in Chinese culture.
“A Body’s Just as Dead” depicts the 21st-century frustration of small-town families who feel the American dream is in shreds and who resent having to share its remnants with people who “aren’t like us.”
“America exists for me now through a new lens that wasn’t there before I left the country,” said Adams. “’A Body’s Just as Dead’ is one of my first experiences melding those cultures together in a significant way.”
Adams lives in Shenyang, China, where she teaches English at Shenyang Normal University as part of Fort Hays State’s dual program.
The novel, to be released August 2018 by SFK Press, Atlanta, shows a Chinese character becoming a part of an Alabama family. Their life stories intertwine, resulting in a skewed American dream.
“Now I see the American dream damaged deeply by loss and fear – loss of the promise, whether real or imagined, that life was going to give you certain things like security or success, and then fear when you realize that life is not going to be easy and that control is an illusion,” said Adams.
Set in fictional Drayton, Ala., her novel tells the story of a town where manufacturing jobs are replaced by nail salons, bail bonds and pawn shops. Adams created Drayton to reflect her northeastern Alabama hometown, Gadsden.
“I needed a setting that reflected that general area, so I created Drayton as a kind of conglomeration of several places that had ultimately the same geographical and cultural feel as the area I grew up in,” she said.
The Gadsden Times is specifically mentioned more than once in the story. “It is a bit of a running joke among the characters that various family members get mentioned in that newspaper each time they either kill someone or die,” said Adams.
The words “a body’s just as dead” originally comes from a character who is commenting, after someone is killed in the story, on the variety of ways a person can be killed, concluding that it just doesn’t matter because in the end, “a body’s just as dead.”
“When those words came, they jumped at me,” said Adams. “I knew that was the title.”
Her novel was initially inspired by a news story years ago about a shooting in Walmart.
“When I read it I wondered, how does something like this even happen? What kind of person ends up shooting somebody out of rage at a Walmart when all they set out to do was buy some double-A batteries and toilet paper? What has changed in America from when I was growing up?”
“A Body’s Just as Dead” isn’t her first story motivated by Walmart shootings.
“I wrote a short story about a Walmart shooting called ‘Daryl and Pete-O Go to Walmart,’ and after it was published the characters stuck with me. I kept wondering what was happening to average American people that is driving them to so much violence, so I created an entire family around Pete-O and it became the novel ‘A Body’s Just as Dead.’”
Adams wrote her novel in the pre-Trump era, not knowing where it would lead.
“What I could not possibly know at that time was that the growing cultural divide in that era was leading us to where we are now,” she said. “I think this is why ‘A Body’s Just as Dead’ is so timely because it examines a single dysfunctional family (which, by the way, I think all families are in their own ways) at a time before our Trump culture war threw a spotlight on them.”
Adams has also written “This is What It Smells Like,” a story about a man who is diagnosed with cancer and returns to the family he abandoned 25 years earlier to find forgiveness and die in peace. It was published by New Libri Press, Mercer Island, Wash., in 2012.
“I teach writing, so it’s important to me that my students see me as a working writer,” said Adams. “I want them to see that I immerse myself on a daily basis in what I am teaching them to do, and I’m always working to improve my own writing just the way I push them to do with their writing.”
“I love writing and I love to teach writing,” she said.
Before teaching in China for FHSU, Adams lived in Asheville, N.C., for 10 years, teaching at Montreat College, Asheville-Buncombe Community College and the University of North Carolina. She spent 20 years in America writing stories almost exclusively about the south.
Her novel will be available online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
The Kansas Constitution requires all gubernatorial nominees to run on a ticket with their lieutenant governor nominees. Much more fanfare has surrounded the process this year than it has in the past. Why?
The state Constitution and recent history do make one thing clear: the next lieutenant governor may become governor someday. Current Governor Jeff Colyer was elected as lieutenant governor on a ticket with Sam Brownback, then became governor when Brownback resigned for his new ambassador job. Former Governor Mark Parkinson took over when Kathleen Sebelius resigned to join the Obama Administration. In neighboring Missouri, Governor Mike Parson was elected lieutenant governor on a separate ticket, then became governor when Eric Greitens resigned due to scandals.
Michael A. Smith is a Professor of Political Science at Emporia State University.
Parkinson made critical policy decisions during the Great Recession, and also brokered a compromise on the Sunflower Electric Plant which included renewable energy portfolios—quite a record for a two-year governorship. Colyer and Parson are now providing calm hands at the tiller, following tumultuous times under their very different predecessors.
Does all this matter politically, though? This year’s candidates seem to think it does. Political scientists are not buying it.
The most popular trend is to balance the ticket with a running mate from a different part of the state. Consider these candidate pairings:
Jeff Colyer- Johnson County, Tracey Mann- Gove County
Kris Kobach- Douglas County, Wink Hartman- Wichita
Ken Selzer- Johnson County, Jenifer Sanderson- Goodland
Laura Kelly- Topeka, Lynn Rogers- Wichita
Carl Brewer- Wichita, Chris Morrow- Johnson County
Greg Orman- Johnson County, John Doll- Garden City
Two candidates do not fit this region-balancing pattern. Under fire for his anti-abortion votes, Democrat Josh Svaty chose Katrina Lewison of Manhattan, who is pro-choice. Republican Jim Barnett chose his own wife, former foreign service officer Rosie Hansen.
There are other factors, too. A wealthy businessman, Hartman is helping Kobach raise money. Sanderson and Lewison are business professionals who have never before sought nor held elected office. Morrow is a Democratic mayor from a heavily-Republican suburb. Doll switched his affiliation from Republican to Independent for the run, while Lewison went from Independent to Democrat. Lewison is also a decorated Army combat veteran.
Alas, if U.S. vice-presidential politics is any guide, none of this is likely to matter.
Political scientists cannot find any significant relationship in our data, between vice presidential picks and presidential election outcomes. Presidential elections come down to factors like incumbent popularity and the state of the economy—unless the country is also in an unpopular war like Korea or Vietnam.
For example, Hillary Clinton’s VP nominee, U.S. Senator from Virginia Tom Kaine, touted his Kansas-Missouri roots during the campaign. Kaine grew up in Overland Park, attending high school in Kansas City, MO. His campaign stops and trips home did not help–Kansas and Missouri both went for Trump-Pence.
Another example occurred in 1988, when George H.W. Bush nominated the gaffe-prone Dan Quayle for VP. Quayle’s Democratic opponent, U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas, had a double-digit lead in the polls. In the end, however, the Bush-Quayle ticket defeated Dukakis-Bentsen decisively, giving Quayle four years to keep late-night comedians busy.
Back at the state level, the lieutenant governor is usually eclipsed not only by the governor, but also by other elected state executives like the Attorney General and the Secretary of State. In fact, some states do not even have lieutenant governors, while others elect them separately from the governor.
These lieutenant governor nominees will probably not sway the election— but take heed: the winner may indeed become governor someday.
Michael A. Smith is a Professor of Political Science at Emporia State University.
Sometimes, telling a story can save a person’s life. That’s what motivates internationally known speaker and mental health advocate Kevin Hines to tour the nation, telling audiences of the bleak day in September of 2000 when he catapulted himself over the side of the Golden Gate Bridge in an attempted suicide.
He describes the “instant regret” he immediately felt, and how in the seconds as he was free-falling, all he wanted to do was live. Hines brings a message of healing and hope to his audiences, and soon will be sharing his story with northwest Kansas.
Hines will speak at 7 p.m. Aug. 1 at Hays Middle School, 201 W. 29th, in Hays. The event is free and open to the public; no need to obtain tickets or RSVP. A book signing of Hines’ personal memoir, “Cracked, Not Broken,” will follow the presentation. Books will be available to purchase on-site.
The event is sponsored by High Plains Mental Health Center and Heartland Community Foundation, with sup- port from Hays USD 489, Fort Hays State University’s Kelly Center, NAMI Hays, The Center for Life Experiences and Breathe Coffee House.
“Suicide prevention is a critically important topic, and these are the kinds of conversations our communities need to begin having. Kevin will address this difficult subject in a way that sheds light on the struggles of mental illness but also brings hope to those who need it,” said Walt Hill, executive director of High Plains Mental Health Center. “We are thrilled to bring Kevin to northwest Kansas. We believe his story will benefit people in all walks of life and encourage you all to join us for this exciting opportunity.”
This presentation is timely and relevant, given Kansas’ suicide rate is up 45 percent since 1999 — one of the high- est increases nationwide. Rural Kansas has been particularly affected, with the least populated counties having the highest rates of suicide deaths in 2016. Data indicates agricultural workers are particularly at risk for mental illness, perhaps partly due to high stress and economic difficulties.
One of only 34 people to survive a jump off the iconic bridge, Hines is the only one who regained full physical mo- bility. Hines, diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a teenager, will share his remarkable story of survival and recovery.
Today, Kevin dedicates his life to saving others by spreading his message of hope and sharing his journey toward mental wellness. Thousands of people have told him his story helped save their lives.
Hines is one of the most respected and admired voices of lived experience. His story is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and a reminder for us to love the life we have. His personal mantra is, “Life is a gift, that is why they call it the present. Cherish it always.”
Hines also is a filmmaker and is featured in a full-length documentary produced this year, “Suicide: The Ripple Effect.”
He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Council of Behavioral Health. Kevin also has been awarded by SAMSHA as a Voice Awards Fellow and Award Winner, an Achievement Winner by the U.S. Veterans Affairs and is a recipient of several military medals.
The event is intended to help break the stigma surrounding mental illness and to provide hope for those who might currently be struggling. Hines’ presentation also can offer hope and help for family members and friends to help iden- tify and support loved ones experiencing mental illness.
High Plains Mental Health Center is a licensed community mental health center dedicated to the aggressive pursuit of providing a comprehensive mental health program to residents of northwest Kansas. Embodied in this pursuit are fundamental principles of establishing quality services as close to home as possible, at an affordable fee and delivered in the least disruptive manner available. High Plains offers 24/7 emergency services to all residents within 20 north- west Kansas counties. Call toll free anytime at (800) 432-0333 for crisis support or to schedule an appointment with a qualified mental health professional.
The main office is located at 208 E. Seventh in Hays, with branch offices in Colby, Goodland, Norton, Osborne and Phillipsburg. Community outreach services are available in Atwood, Hoxie, Oberlin, Quinter, Russell, Smith Center, WaKeeney, Hill City, Plainville, La Crosse, St. Francis, Sharon Springs and Oakley.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on arrests of three carnival workers in the deaths of a Kansas couple at a county fair. (all times local):
4 p.m.
Michael Fowler – photo Crawford Co.
A probable cause affidavit says a carnival worker admitted to killing a Kansas couple at a county fair.
The suspect, Michael Fowler, told investigators that he shot Sonny and Pauline Carpenter of Wichita at the Barton County fair in Great Bend.
Investigators believe they were killed Friday. Their bodies were found Monday in a forest near Van Buren, Arkansas. The three suspects were arrested Tuesday in Van Buren
According to the affidavit released Thursday, Fowler told Van Buren police that Rusty Frazier and Kimberly Younger, also known as Myrna Khan, were with him when the couple was killed.
No charges have been filed in the Carpenters’ deaths. The affidavit does not discuss a motive for the killings.
_____
CRAWFORD COUNTY, AR — Authorities have arrested three carnival workers in the deaths of two vendors who disappeared from the Barton County Fair and were found in a shallow grave in an Arkansas forest.
Police Cpl. Jonathan Wear says the three Kimberly Frazier (Aka Myrna Khan) , Rusty Frazier and Michael Fowler are jailed without bond in Van Buren, Arkansas, on suspicion of abuse of a corpse, felony theft and tampering with physical evidence in the deaths of Sonny and Pauline Carpenter of Wichita, Kansas.
No charges have been filed. The bodies were found Wednesday in the Ozark National Forest.
Kimberly Younger -photo Crawford Co.Rusty Frazier -photo Crawford County
Wear says authorities believe the couple was killed Friday after meeting the carnival workers at the fair in Great Bend.
He says the suspects on Saturday drove the bodies 320 miles to Arkansas in the couple’s recreational vehicle.
-The Associate Press contributed to this report
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GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say the bodies of a couple who recently disappeared from a Kansas fairground have been found in a shallow grave in northwest Arkansas.
Investigators on the scene in rural Crawford County Arkansas -photo courtesy KFSM TV
Van Buren, Arkansas, police spokesman Jonathan Ware says the bodies were found early Wednesday near Natural Dam in Crawford County.
Police identified the victims as Alfred “Sonny” and Pauline Carpenter
Van Buren police took three people identified as Kimberly Frazier (AkaMyrna Khan) , Rusty Frazier and Michael Fowler. into custody after the bodies were found.
Barton County Attorney Amy Mellow said the victims disappeared from the county fairgrounds west of Great Bend in the last few days.
A former para-education professional at Hays High School has been bound over for trial for attempted unlawful sexual relations with a student.
Taylor Rogers, who is over the age of 18, is accused of sending explicit images and offering to perform a sexual act on the 17-year-old victim over a social media app.
After hearing testimony Thursday in Ellis County District Court, Magistrate Judge Richard Flax found there was enough evidence to move forward with the trial against Rogers.
She began serving as a para at Hays High in the fall of 2017 while attending college, according to testimony Thursday from Hays Middle School Principal Tom Albers. Albers served as assistant principal at Hays High School at the time of the incident.
Albers said the administration was made aware in January of inappropriate images being shared between Rogers and a 17-year-old Hays High student in November and December of 2017 while Rogers worked at Hays High.
Rogers served as a para in charge of one of the Guided Personal Study classes at Hays High during the first semester of the school year. Her employment was terminated in January after the incident came to light.
Albers said he and Principal Martin Straub talked with Rogers on Jan. 17 about the incident and said she was very cooperative, apologetic and said she had an error in judgement.
He also said she acknowledged the incident saying, “I know” and “I’m sorry,” several times during their conversation.
Albers, as an educator, is required to report suspected abuse, so he reached out to the Hays Police Department.
Investigator Jeff Ridgway responded to the school to begin the investigation.
Ridgway testified Thursday he interviewed Rogers and read her her Miranda warning but did not place Rogers under arrest.
Rogers, according to Ridgway, acknowledged she sent nude photos and offered to perform the act. She also allowed Ridgway to exam her phone at the Law Enforcement Center.
Ridgway said a nude photo was discovered on the phone, but it was not the picture allegedly sent to the victim. The photo was not located, he testified.
Albers said the paras of the GPS program are in charge of the classroom during that period and have the ability to discipline a student just like a teacher in the district. Albers said the paras do not have official training, but they did talk about social and relationships with students with the lead para.
He said they did not have any issue with Rogers until the incident was reported.
The victim testified Thursday that he and another student at Hays High School were in the GPS period that Rogers oversaw.
They asked Rogers for her Snapchat ID in an effort to start a streak. The victim said at first Rogers as hesitant but did give them the ID.
A Snapstreak, according to Snapchat, occurs when a user and a friend have “snapped (not chatted) each other within 24 hours for more than three consecutive days.”
The victim also testified that he had a friendly relationship with Rogers and thought of her as a friend but said he believed she could discipline him in the classroom.
The victim said he received a topless photo of Rogers and a picture of her naked buttock on separate dates in November and December. He also received video messages from Rogers, over the Christmas break asking him to meet her at a park where she would perform the act.
He said at first he didn’t take the offer seriously and said he never asked her to have sexual contact with him.
The victim did have class with Rogers after she allegedly sent the photos and they continued communicating through Snapchat. But he cut all contact with Rogers after receiving the video messages.
The victim testified he did not tell any adults or school staff members about the messages he received from Rogers and that he didn’t know who told school staff.
Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees said in his closing arguments that his office believes it showed there was an attempt to commit a crime and that Rogers, who was a paid employee of the school district, attempted to solicit the victim.
Judge Flax agreed with Drees and bound Rogers over for trial on the charge of attempted unlawful sexual relations.
In Kansas, it is illegal for a teacher or a person of authority to engage in any consensual sexual relations with a student even if the student is old enough to consent.
A formal arraignment will be scheduled for a later date.
