KANSAS CITY, KAN. – Federal charges have been filed against three people after investigators seized 20 pounds of methamphetamine from a house in Kansas City, Kan., according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.
The following defendants were charged in federal court Thursday with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine:
Sheila M. Best, 53, Basehor, Kan.
Karen Ortega, 40, Kansas City, Kan.
Marlon Gutierrez, 38, Kansas City, Kan.
A search warrant served at a house in the 3000 block of North 34th Street in Kansas City, Kan., turned up 20 pounds of methamphetamine, more than a pound of heroin and more than $23,000 in cash.
Best -photo Wyandotte Co.
If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead is prosecuting.
The massive hurricanes Harvey and Irma have people talking about how much, if at all, climate change adds to such storms’ destructiveness.
In a blog post authored by Paul Driessen, the conservative Heartland Institute disputes that global warming is worsening the weather or that it’s human-caused. And, Driessen writes, fossil fuels “bring rescue boats.”
Drew Ising, who teaches biology and environmental science at Baldwin City High School, says the Heartland Institute book and video on climate change are slick and professional — and may misinform others. credit SAM ZEFF
The Chicago-based think tank, which is now led by former Kansas congressman Tim Huelskamp and has received funding from Koch family foundations, is trying to persuade teachers across the country to call global warming into question as well.
Jim Lakely, Heartland’s director of communications, says the Charles Koch Foundation made a single $25,000 contribution in 2011 to fund work on healthcare issues. However, environmental activists with Greenpeace and DeSmog have said internal documents obtained in 2012 show the foundation also made substantial contributions that they said supported the institute’s work on climate change.
A few months ago, Heartland started sending teachers a book and DVD in the mail.
The book, “Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming,” is a 110-page paperback compiling alternatives to Al Gore’s theory of climate change.
“We knew the other side, the alarmist side, was already being discussed so our goal was to try to get both sides discussed by having something from more of the realist side in the discussion,” says Lennie Jarratt, who manages the distribution for the Heartland Institute.
It’s a massive effort.
“I believe it ended up being a little over 250,000 that went out to teachers,” according to Jarratt.
One copy landed in the mailbox of Drew Ising, who teaches biology and environmental science at Baldwin High School in Douglas County. He’s also the president of the Kansas Association of Biology Teachers.
Ising teaches his students that climate change is man-made, mostly from carbon dioxide emissions. In the view of the Heartland Institute, that makes him one of those alarmists.
“They think that teachers are being persuaded or tricked by science and government and media to teach climate change in one way. And they think that way is disingenuous and flawed,” Ising says.
He says he carefully read the Heartland Institute’s book, even highlighted some portions, and watched the DVD that came with it. Both, he says, are slick and professional. “I think it’s going to, in some places, do its job of misinforming others,” Ising says.
The DVD opens with a red-headed teen on a beach. “As a student we learn to ask questions about everything. Today an important question is, what’s really causing global warming?” she says, looking into the camera. “We’re told it’s CO2. But I was surprised to learn it could be something else. We certainly need to find out the truth.”
he truth, according to the Heartland Institute, is that nobody knows for sure what’s causing the climate to change. Jarratt says it might be human activity, but it might not.
He maintains that many teachers agree that the science isn’t settled.
“A lot of people don’t follow the science, they’re following an agenda and pushing an agenda into the schools and into this politically,” he says.
The Chicago-based Heartland Institute recently sent 250,000 copies of the book “Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming” and DVD to teachers across the United States. CREDIT SAM ZEFF
Heartland too has an agenda. “Well, our agenda is just free market ideas,” Jarratt says.
Michael Ralph teaches at the Center for STEM Learning at the University of Kansas that helps train science teachers. He says not only is climate change science settled, but he’s offended by Heartland’s intrusion.
“We have our science expertise. We have our familiarity with sound teaching,” Ralph says. “And so it’s really frustrating to think that there’s a group of people out there investing time and money to try and create discord in our profession, because by and large science teachers know better than this.”
In fact, the state standards are quite clear, saying humans are mostly responsible for global warming. “Human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in the current rise in Earth’s mean surface temperature (global warming),” according to Earth and Human Activity standards published by the Kansas State Department of Education.
Heartland, so far, hasn’t targeted boards of education or teachers colleges.
But it is such standards that spurred the organization to print a quarter-million books and send them to teachers nationwide.
“The next-generation science standards push that global warming is man-made, is the main driving cause, and I think there are many, many teachers that were looking for an alternative and this provided them information on the other side so they could give a more balanced approach,” says Jarratt.
Ralph, who taught biology in Olathe for eight years before going to KU, says part of what he does is instruct teachers how to talk with parents who believe climate change is a fraud, something made up by liberals and the media.
“One of the hardest things parents who feel very strongly that this is a fraud or this is misleading is how personal it came become and how emotionally charged it is,” Ralph says.
Knocking on wood in his classroom at Baldwin High, Ising says he has yet to have that kind of confrontation with a parent or student.
“I haven’t had in my 10 years of doing this now, I haven’t really had a student that said humans have no part to play in this,” Ising says.
He hasn’t heard of many confrontations from his biology colleagues across Kansas either.
But in the end, while Ising clearly disagrees with the Heartland Institute, he says having the book gives him a tool to explain the controversy.
“Now I’ve got a new way to reach my students. I’ve got more information that I can give them to help them. Because that’s my job.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify the past contributions from Koch family foundations to the Heartland Institute, and to link to the Charles Koch Foundation’s explanation of its support.
Sam Zeff covers education for KCUR and the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @samzeff.
TOPEKA – Through the work done in a dental lab at Topeka Correctional Facility (TCF) in conjunction with Kansas Safety Net Clinics, medically underserved Kansans are having their dental prosthesis needs met at a price they can afford.
Kansans without insurance or the financial means to meet their need for dentures are finding that through medical “safety net clinics” around the state, they have access to high quality products that Kansas Correctional Industries (KCI) is producing in the TCF Dental Lab at the women’s facility in Topeka at a reduced cost.
KCI, a subsidiary of the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC), teaches offenders new skills, and allows them to earn wages in preparation for life outside of a correctional facility. Among the programs overseen by KCI are some service enterprises such as the Wild Mustang Project, Inmate Canteen, Print Shop and the dental lab.
The KCI dental lab at TCF produces all the dentures and partials needed by offenders in KDOC facilities – several hundred per year. Additionally, the lab turns out about 150 dentures for needy Kansans as part of the mission of the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved (KAMU).
Dr. Tomas Co spoke in Salina Thursday.
Dr. Tomas Co, the supervisor/instructor of the KCI/TCF Dental Lab since 2012, spoke Thursday at the Oral Health and the Safety Net dental directors training in Salina sponsored by KAMU. Dr. Co told the dental directors, clinic managers, executive directors, and dental and clinical staff from Kansas and Nebraska gathered for the training about the impact the lab is having on the medically underserved population in Kansas.
“If you are compassionate and you care, you can make a difference.” Dr. Co said. “In the work you are doing to help those in need in your clinics, you can know you are also making a difference in the lives of the women in the dental lab at TCF. You are contributing to these women having a sense of worth.”
People who visit one of the many Safety Net Clinics around Kansas and are identified as needing a dental prosthesis will have x-rays taken and impressions made of their mouths. Then the clinics will send the impression to the KCI/TCF Dental Lab which then will make a wax version of the denture. They will then send it back to the clinic for the patient to try in and to see if any adjustments need to be made. The wax set up is then sent back to the dental lab, where the final product is made and shipped back to the clinic.
The impact of these dentures on the recipients is often expressed to the women in the lab via thank you cards and photos.
“One of them even cried with joy,” one dentist wrote to the women in the lab. “Thought you’d like to know what a difference your work is making!”
Melody Martin, Director of Development and Training for KAMU, said she wanted safety net providers in Kansas and Nebraska to have a chance to meet Dr. Co and to hear from him about the service provided by the KCI/TCF dental lab.
“For a lot of the people who are treated in the clinics, they haven’t had access to oral health services for years,” Martin said. “For many of them, having access to high quality, affordable dentures can be life changing.”
Women at TCF who qualify for the dental lab program begin with classroom work and hands-on training before they begin working on products for actual use. The program, which takes about five years to complete, equips the participants to become competent dental technicians – a trade in high demand currently in Kansas and across the U.S.
“The lab is giving me the skills I need so that after my release, I can take apply for jobs at dental labs,” said one participant in the program. “They will help me make contacts and get placements to transition successfully. I will be able to develop a career and have a productive life.
“We do a good job and are needed by the people we are helping,” she added. “It makes me feel so much better about myself that I’m providing something to the community that I’ve taken so much from before.”
SEWARD COUNTY — A Kansas teen died in an accident just after 3p.m. Saturday in Seward County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Saturn Vue driven by Clayton Klein, 19, Jetmore, was eastbound on U.S. 54 at Delaware Street in Kismet. The driver failed yield and rear-ended a 2009 Ford F150 driven by Donald Ward, 55, Kismet, that slowing down to turn left onto Delaware into Kismet.
After the impact, the Saturn spun across the center lane and was struck by a westbound semi
The Saturn came to rest in the Westbound ditch and the semi traveled into a field east of U.S. 54.
Klein was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Brenneman Funeral Home.
Ward and the semi driver Javier Ramirez, 46, Murieta, CA., were not injured. All three were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
KANSAS CITY, MO – On Tuesday afternoon, Women’s Foundation celebrated 25 years at its We Work For Change annual event, attracting more than 1,300 people from across the political spectrum with the common goal of improving the lives of women of all ages in Missouri and Kansas. Central to this year’s event was promoting women’s civic engagement and promoting more women into positions of public leadership.
Keynoting the annual event was former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power who spoke about the importance of women’s civic engagement at all levels.
“For all of the bad news out there, women in 2017 are a major bright spot — we are stepping up more than ever,” said former U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power.
Missouri’s First Lady Sheena Greitens and Kansas City Mayor Sly James were also featured speakers who had special announcements related to women in leadership.
Mayor James announced Allison Pericich as the 50th appointment of the Women’s Foundation Appointments Project. Pericich will serve on the Kansas City Historic Preservation Commission.
Mayor James also shared that women’s representation on Kansas City boards and commissions has increased from approximately 33% to 42% since the Appointments Project launched three years ago.
First Lady Greitens announced that Governor Eric Greitens has committed to appoint 25 more women to Missouri state boards and commissions in 25 days, in honor of Women’s Foundation’s 25th anniversary.
Women’s Foundation President & CEO Wendy Doyle reinforced the importance of the Appointments Project during her remarks.
“The Appointments Project is at the heart of Women’s Foundation,” said Wendy Doyle, President and CEO of Women’s Foundation. “Perhaps more than any other work or project we do, the Appointments Project is getting results — moving the needle towards more women representation on public boards and commissions where decisions are made.”
The Appointments Project is an initiative that aims to increase the number of women serving on local and statewide boards and commissions in Kansas and Missouri. After only three years, the Appointments Project has had more than 700 applicants and successfully placed 50 women on boards and commissions in Missouri and Kansas. The Appointments Project is statewide in Missouri and Kansas and in Kansas City, Springfield, St. Louis, St. Louis County and Jackson County, Missouri as well as Olathe and Topeka, Kansas.
Women’s Foundation’s annual event was co-chaired by Christy and Bill Gautreaux and Yvette and UMKC Chancellor Emeritus Leo Morton. Proceeds from the event will sustain the work of the non-profit Foundation and advance its efforts to promote equity and opportunity for women of all ages, using research, philanthropy and policy solutions to make meaningful change.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Election-year politics will hinder efforts by Kansas officials to comply with a state Supreme Court mandate on school funding.
The court has ordered lawmakers to enact a new, fairer education funding law that also significantly boosts spending on public schools.
Finding a solution that satisfies the court next year will force the Republican-controlled Legislature and soon-to-be GOP Gov. Jeff Colyer to consider a second big tax increase in as many years.
An alternative would be big spending cuts in other parts of state government, which many lawmakers find equally distasteful.
Colyer is now lieutenant governor and waiting for Republican Gov. Sam Brownback to depart for an ambassador’s post. He’s already running for a full four-year term next year, and all 125 members of the House face re-election.
BARBER COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating an officer involved shooting which occurred Friday evening in Barber County.
The Barber County Sheriff’s Office requested KBI assistance at approximately 7:35 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6 following an officer involved shooting which occurred in Sun City, Kan. KBI agents and the Crime Scene Response Team responded to investigate the incident, according to a media release.
Preliminary information indicates that at approximately 6:30 p.m. Friday, the Barber County Sheriff’s Office received a call reporting a male subject threatening individuals with a gun outside a bar on Main St. in Sun City. When they arrived, bystanders indicated the subject had left the area.
Deputies searched several locations and properties looking for the male subject until they located him at 201 W. Main St., in a shed approximately 15 feet south of the residence. At that time three members of the Barber County Sheriff’s Office were present on the property. When the subject exited the shed, he did not comply with all verbal commands given by deputies. One deputy fired a less-lethal bean bag round toward the subject, hitting him. Law enforcement officers and EMS provided medical treatment to the subject, however, despite those efforts he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The deceased man was identified as 42-year-old Steven P. Myers of Sun City. No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.
The KBI will complete a thorough and independent investigation into this matter. Once completed, the findings will be turned over to the Barber County Attorney for review.
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an armed robbery and have a teen suspect in custody.
Just after 10:3p.m. Friday, officers responded to a call of an Aggravated Robbery that had just occurred in the 1400 block of SW Byron Lane in Topeka, according to a media release.
As officers were receiving information on the call, proactive officers saw a suspicious car traveling north on SW Lane commit a traffic infraction and attempted to stop it.
The white Hyundai matched the description of a car taken from an Aggravated Burglary on October 5th. The driver attempted to flee on foot but was quickly taken into custody without further incident.
The officers quickly learned the driver was the suspect in the Aggravated Robbery at SW Byron and that he had tried to force the victim into the trunk of the car.
Police booked the driver, Isaac King, 19, Topeka, was booked into the Shawnee County Dept. of Corrections for Aggravated Robbery, Attempted Aggravated Kidnapping, Aggravated Burglary, and several other charges.
GRAY COUNTY — A Kansas girl died in an accident just before 8a.m. Saturday in Gray County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Olds Intrigue driven by Irian V. Filatova, 48, Lakin, was southbound on Kansas 23 five miles east of Montezuma.
The driver failed to stop at the stop sign, entered the intersection, and was struck by 2008 Nissan Xterra driven by Jesus M. Millan-Pena, 66, Elkhart, that was eastbound on U.S.56.
Both vehicles came to rest in the southeast ditch.
A passenger in the Olds Zarina Butler, 11, Lakin, was transported to the hospital in Dodge City where she died.
EMS also transported Filatova, Millan-Pena and a passenger in the Nissan Rosa Millan, 61, Elkhart, to the hospital in Dodge City.
Butler and Millan were wearing seat belts, according to the KHP. CORRECTED: 10/11/17 to clarify Butler and Millan were wearing seat belts.
FINNEY COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating an officer involved shooting which occurred Thursday afternoon in rural Finney County and have identified the man killed as Cristino Umana-Garcia, 29, originally from Garden City, according to the media release.
Just before 1:30 p.m. Thursday, the Finney County Sheriff’s Office and the Garden City Police Department contacted the KBI to request assistance following an officer involved shooting. KBI agents and the Crime Scene Response Team responded to the scene to investigate the incident.
Preliminary information indicates that deputies from the Finney County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a citizen just before 11:30 a.m. reporting a male subject who was behaving erratically, and whose vehicle had become stuck on an unmaintained road approximately 15 miles southwest of Garden City.
A deputy from the Sheriff’s Office arrived in the area just before 12 p.m. and located the subject later identified as Cristino Umana-Garcia armed with a knife, and holding it to his own throat.
Shortly after, the subject retreated to his vehicle and locked the doors. A second sheriff’s deputy and an officer from the Garden City Police Department arrived on the scene, and attempts were made to speak with the subject until he emerged from his vehicle and charged toward them. At that time two law enforcement officers, one from each agency, fired at the subject, fatally injuring him.
Umana-Garcia was pronounced dead at the scene. He had previous convictions for identify theft and forgery, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
No law enforcement officers were injured during this incident.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A suspect in the surprise-attack shooting deaths of two men in Kansas City, Missouri, is now charged in a woman’s killing.
Prosecutors on Friday charged 22-year-old Fredrick Demond Scott of Kansas City with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the shooting death of 64-year-old Karen Harmeyer of Grandview.
The indictment didn’t include details of the death but KCTV reports an officer was called in July to investigate a dead body. Once the officer arrived, witnesses told him about Harmeyer, who lived in woods behind a church.
The officer entered the campsite and found her decomposed body inside a tent.
Scott previously was charged in two killings and is a person of interest in three others. All those victims were older white men. Scott is black.
The men were shot in surprise attacks, some near recreation trails.
PRATT – If you’ve dreamed of working as a game warden for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) the first step is completing testing and assessment, which will occur on Saturday, November 18, 2017 at the Crisis City Training Complex, 8 miles southwest of Salina. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources, or a bachelor’s degree with at least 24 semester hours of natural resources coursework. Accepted applicants will be screened, tested, and assessed for entry into the pool of qualified individuals who may receive offers for employment as a Natural Resource Officer I. Application packets must be postmarked no later than Friday, October 27, 2017 to be considered.
To apply for the upcoming testing and assessment, applicants must first register with the State of Kansas by completing the personal information registration form at www.da.ks.gov/ps/aaa/recruitment/. A State of Kansas Applicant ID Number will then be provided.
Next, applicants must submit an application packet containing each of the following items:
1) Letter of interest (include your State of Kansas ID Number)
2) Detailed resume
3) College transcript(s) (unofficial copies are acceptable as long as the degree is conferred)
5) Authorization to release information form found at ksoutdoors.com/KDWPTInfo/Jobs (This must be witnessed and signed by a KDWPT employee or signed in front of and notarized by a notary public.
6) Kansas Tax Clearance Certificate located at www.ksrevenue.org/taxclearance.html (A Tax Clearance is a comprehensive tax account review to determine and ensure that an individual’s account is compliant with all primary Kansas Tax Laws.)
Application packets should be e-mailed to [email protected] or mailed to Human Resources, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, 512 SE 25th Ave., Pratt, Kansas 67124. Applicants will be notified whether or not they have been selected to participate in the initial testing and assessment.
KDWPT reserves the right to conduct a background check on all qualified applicants.
For more information, contact the KDWPT Law Enforcement Division at (620) 672-5911.
Reeny Botros, 17, of Wichita is one of 10 Girl Scouts in the nation to be selected as a 2017 National Young Woman of Distinction by Girl Scouts of the USA. (Courtesy photo)
GSKH
WICHITA – Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland is proud to announce that Maureen “Reeny” Botros, 17, of Wichita, has been named by Girl Scouts of the USA as a National Young Woman of Distinction, the organization’s most prestigious honor. GSUSA selects 10 National Young Women of Distinction annually among Girl Scouts across the country who have earned their Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouts.
Botros is in Columbus, Ohio, this week, where GSUSA will be honoring the National Young Women of Distinction Oct. 6 through 8 during G.I.R.L. 2017, the Girl Scout National Convention and largest girl-led event in the world. Approximately 5 percent of all Girl Scouts in grades 9 through 12 go on to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, with only 10 girls in this high-achieving group receiving the National Young Women of Distinction honor.
For her Gold Award project, Botros invented “Illumi-cize” fashion accessories to promote physical activity among youth, attract more girls to STEM careers, and address negative stereotypes about women in technology. She designed the accessories to monitor heart rate and light up to incentivize exercise. But that was just the beginning – Botros went on to host a series of free “Catwalk Coding” camps teaching girls electrical and coding skills they could use to make their own light-up fashion accessories. During fashion runway shows, girls wore accessories they created.
Botros presented her invention to President Barack Obama during the White House Science Fair in 2015, and she received grants from the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) to host her free Catwalk Coding camps for local girls over the past year. Recently selected as a HerLEAD Fellow, she will conduct a Catwalk Coding camp for more than 100 girls over Thanksgiving weekend in Mexico City, where she will use repurposed shirt samples donated by Ann Inc.
“By taking an innovative approach to all-girl STEM education, I hope to contribute to closing the gender gap in STEM fields,” Botros said. “Too often, girls are led to believe that to pursue STEM requires that they adapt to the male-dominated field. The message of Catwalk Coding and G.I.R.L. is that STEM is already compatible with their interests.”
Her extraordinary leadership as a Gold Award Girl Scout and now, as a National Young Woman of Distinction, exemplifies how Girl Scouts take the lead like a G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader) to make a difference in their communities and the world.
The daughter of Dr. Maged S. and Maureen Botros, Reeny is a homeschooled senior in high school who is also enrolled in coursework at Friends University. A proud Girl Scout since Daisies, she earned the Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Awards before earning the Girl Scout Gold Award. She has been an active member of the Wichita Mayor’s Youth Council throughout high school, has competed in Lego Mindstorms and BEST Robotics, and was a NCWIT national runner-up three times. In the summer of 2016, she was selected to travel to Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California, for seven weeks of Apple Engineering Technology Camp.
Sylvia Acevedo, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of the USA, sits with Wichita Girl Scout Reeny Botros during a National Young Women of Distinction interview on Sept. 5 at the corporate office of Facebook in New York City. (Courtesy photo)
“All of us at Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland are extremely proud of Reeny’s selection as one of the 10 National Young Women of Distinction for 2017,” said Liz Workman, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland. “Her Catwalk Coding Gold Award project focuses on narrowing the gender gap in technology in a very innovative way – capitalizing on girls’ desire to add bling to their clothing as a way to engage them in technology. And now, Catwalk Coding is going global! Thanks to a HerLEAD grant, Reeny will bring the program this November to 100 girls in the community center, Centro Comunitario Santa Fe, in Mexico City.”
To honor Girl Scouts’ National Young Women of Distinction, the Kappa Delta Foundation grants the 10 girls a combined $50,000 in college scholarships, reflecting Kappa Delta’s commitment to girls’ leadership and their pursuit of education. This includes a $5,000 scholarship for Reeny. She will also receive a $10,000 scholarship from the Susan Bulkeley Butler Institute for the Development of Women Leaders, which is providing a total of $100,000 to the 10 National Young Women of Distinction.
Being named a National Young Woman of Distinction, earning the Girl Scout Gold Award, and receiving these generous scholarships are just a few of the countless experiences girls can have through Girl Scouts. To join or to learn more about volunteering, go to kansasgirlscouts.org.
