The Ashland High School Bluejays are playing in the state tournament tonight as their community recovers from the largest fire in Kansas history.
OFFICE OF THE GOV.
CLARK COUNTY – Kansas Governor Sam Brownback today signed Executive Order 17-01 to assist fire relief efforts throughout the state. Governor Brownback declared a state of emergency on Sun., March 5, and fires have now burned more than 626,000 acres. This ranks as the largest fire event in state history.
“Together as a state, we stand with those who lost their homes, their livestock, and their barns,” said Governor Brownback. “As fires continue to sweep across our state, Kansans are standing shoulder to shoulder with their neighbors to deliver relief and support. Even as we continue the fight to contain and defeat these fires, this executive order assists and expedites the arrival of recovery supplies as our communities begin to rebuild in the wake of these wildfires.”
Executive order 17-01 facilitates the immediate delivery of large quantities of hay, feed, fencing materials, and other relief supplies by waiving certain motor carrier regulations. The full text of the executive order can be found here.
Governor Brownback signed the executive order in the Clark County Command Center Thursday.
Eight-five percent of the county’s land mass has been burned.
While there, he visited the local Command Center, conducted a land assessment tour, and attended the Ashland High School pep rally.
Wednesday, Governor Brownback visited the Hutchinson Command Center, conducted both an aerial and land assessment tour, and visited with the Red Cross providing shelter to displaced families.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A judge says a Kansas man accused of plotting to attack Somali immigrants poses “a grave danger” to the community if released.
U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren on Thursday denied Patrick Stein’s request for release. Prosecutors say Stein was the leader of a militia group called The Crusaders.
Melgren says Stein is a flight risk and the evidence against him is significant. The judge also says Stein has expressed extreme hatred and threatened violence against Muslims, and sought to obtain weapons and explosives.
Prosecutors allege Stein and co-defendants Gavin Wright and Curtis Allen conspired to detonate truck bombs at a 100-unit apartment complex where Somali immigrants live in Garden City, Kansas.
The three have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction.
Rep. John Barker is Chair of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gun rights advocates in the Kansas Legislature are pushing back against efforts to repeal a law that will allow concealed carry on college campuses starting July 1.
A bill in a House committee would not only retain campus carry but also strip colleges of the right to make policies about how and where guns could be carried on campus.
The Federal and State Affairs Committee heard the bill Thursday. It’s not clear when the committee might vote on it.
Gun rights advocates argue that university policies, such as requiring gun owners to carry their weapons on their person at all times and to carry with the chamber empty and the safety on are too restrictive.
University officials argue they are in the best position to draft campus policy.
TOPEKA, Kan. – Fifty-six mumps cases have been reported in Kansas across multiple counties as of March 4, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).
The State affected local health departments are working closely together to identify cases and implement appropriate isolation and exclusions policies to prevent further spread of mumps. Mumps cases have been reported in Atchison, Barton, Crawford, Douglas, Ellis, Finney, Franklin, Johnson, Marshall, Riley, Rooks and Thomas counties.
“As we continue to see mumps cases throughout the state and region, I encourage Kansans to take precautions to prevent the spread of the disease,” said KDHE Secretary Susan Mosier, MD, MBA, FACS. “Please make sure that you and your family are up-to-date on vaccines, and stay home if you do get mumps.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 4,000 mumps cases were reported in the U.S. in 2016, and mumps outbreaks are ongoing in the nearby states of Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Mumps is a contagious disease caused by a virus. Mumps typically starts with a few days of fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness and loss of appetite, followed by swollen salivary glands. Mumps can occasionally cause complications, including inflammation of the testicles or ovaries, meningitis or encephalitis. Most people with mumps recover completely in a few weeks.
Anybody with symptoms of mumps should isolate themselves and call their healthcare providers. Anybody who suspects they may have mumps should stay home from work, school and any social activities.
People with mumps can spread the disease before the salivary glands begin to swell and up to five days after the swelling begins. Mumps spreads through saliva or mucus from the mouth, nose or throat. An infected person can spread the virus through the following:
Coughing, sneezing or talking.
Sharing items, such as cups or eating utensils, with others.
Touching objects or surfaces with unwashed hands that are then touched by others.
to staying isolated when you have mumps, you can help prevent the virus from spreading by:
Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and putting your used tissue in the trash can. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands.
Washing your hands often with soap and water.
Avoiding sharing drinks or eating utensils.
Disinfecting frequently touched surfaces, such as toys, doorknobs, tables and counters.
After the introduction of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine, mumps became less common in the United States. MMR vaccine prevents most, but not all, cases of mumps and complications caused by the disease. Some people who receive two doses of MMR can still get mumps, especially if they have prolonged, close contact with someone who has the disease. If a vaccinated person does get mumps, they will likely have less severe illness than an unvaccinated person. Therefore the best way to reduce your chance of getting the disease is by being vaccinated with the MMR vaccine.
For updated case counts and more information about mumps, please go here.
Thursday morning semi crash in McPherson Co. -photo KHP
MCPHERSON COUNTY – A driver avoided serious injuries in an accident just after 7 a.m. on Thursday in McPherson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a semi hauling cattle and driven by Brandon Peterson, 25, of Nebraska rolled on Kansas 61 Highway at the Interstate 135 Junction.
Three animals on board died in the crash.
Two others animals were injured. They were transported to a McPherson County meat processor and euthanized according to Ben Gardner of the Kansas Highway Patrol.
The meat will be donated to a local food bank and to feed volunteers fighting the wildfires, according to Gardner.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback isn’t committing to staying in that job through the end of the legislative session this spring.
Brownback wouldn’t comment Thursday on Kansas Public Radio reports that he will be named the U.S. ambassador for three food and agriculture organizations in Rome. He told reporters he’s focused on fixing the state’s budget problems and writing a new education funding formula. When asked whether he was committing to staying through the legislature’s session, he declined to comment.
Kansas is facing a budget crisis and Brownback is trying to stave off income tax increases supported by many fellow Republicans. The state Supreme Court also ruled that the state must spend more on schools.
If Brownback steps down, Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer will become governor. Colyer also had no comment.
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By STEPHEN KORANDA & J. SCHAFER
Governor Sam Brownback speaking at an event in November. STEPHEN KORANDA / KPR
At a time when Kansas is facing a serious budget deficit and a court order saying school funding is inadequate, Gov. Sam Brownback may be leaving the state for a job in Italy. A former high-ranking government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, tells Kansas Public Radio that Brownback will be named the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations agencies for food and agriculture in Rome.
The governor’s office did not confirm or deny the appointment, but a source tells Kansas Public Radio that the appointment is “a done deal.” If Brownback leaves his post, Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer would become governor.
“Gov. Brownback is focused on working with the Kansas Legislature to balance the budget and pass a modern school funding system,” said communications director Melika Willoughby when asked for comment.
If appointed and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Brownback would become the leader of the U.S. Mission to the U.N. Agencies in Rome. That organization is the link between the U.S. government and several international organizations based in Rome, including the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
David Lane held the job as ambassador to the U.N. agencies in Rome from 2012 to 2016. In an interview with KPR, he confirms that around a week ago, he also heard Brownback may be selected for the position. Lane says the U.S. is a major funder for the international organizations and the ambassador leads the U.S. team working with those groups.
“Provides strategic direction to the boards of those agencies … holds them accountable for the U.S. contribution and looks for results,” said Lane.
Lane said he met then-Sen. Brownback while they were both working on efforts related to malaria. He says the governor’s agriculture background and humanitarian work make him a good fit for the ambassador job.
“His humanitarian work, his work on malaria and some of the other things he was associated with as a senator, would be as valuable or even more than his experience with agriculture,” Lane said.
Lane said high-profile global refugee crises add extra importance to the services offered by international food organizations.
“It is a hugely important role right now,” Lane said.
There has been widespread talk since the election that Brownback could take a job in the administration of President Donald Trump, but Brownback has deflected such questions.
“I’m just making no comments about anything regarding the Trump administration,” Brownback said in November.
Clay Barker, executive director of the Kansas Republican Party, said after the election that the Trump administration is open to hiring Brownback.
“Someone on the Trump team told me that there are positions – I have no idea which ones – that if Gov. Brownback wanted them, he could have them,” Barker said.
The question so far has been whether Brownback wants to stay and work on his Kansas policies or move to the national stage.
Brownback would be leaving the state when Kansas is struggling to fill a budget hole of hundreds of millions of dollars. At the same time, the Kansas Supreme Court has said the state isn’t adequately funding schools, potentially requiring hundreds of millions of dollars in additional spending.
Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter and J. Schafer is News Director for Kansas Public Radio, a partner with kcur.org in the Kansas News Service
GEARY COUNTY – A Thursday morning fire at a home in Junction City is being blamed on improperly disposed of smoking material.
Just before 2:30 a.m., the fire crews responded to report of a fire in a home at 2706 Oakwood Drive in Junction City, according to a social media report.
Firefighters were advised that the fire was at the rear of the residence with a propane bottle on the deck and all occupants were out of the house.
The fire spread to the attic area of the home from the outside deck. Firefighters opened the roof and interior crews opened the ceiling up in the involved area and extinguished fire extension in the attic.
Ventilation of the structure was completed to remove smoke.
The damage estimates were $75,000 to the contents and structure, according to JCFD Chief Terry Johnson.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Fire crews are expecting slower winds as they work to extinguish blazes that have scorched hundreds of square miles of land in four states and killed six people.
Most of the burned land is in Kansas, where more than 1,000 square miles has been consumed in a series of fires. One that spans two counties along Kansas’ southern border with Oklahoma is the largest in the state’s recorded history.
Emergency officials in the two counties said Thursday morning that the fire is largely contained, with crews working to monitor hot spots.
Comanche County Emergency Manager John Lehman says the ground is “extremely dry,” so it’s possible the fire could re-ignite.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have won the first round in their fight to dismantle “Obamacare.” After nearly 18 hours of debate, Republicans in the House Ways and Means Committee pushed through legislation to abolish the tax penalty the Affordable Health Care Act imposes on people who don’t purchase insurance.
We’ve just passed historic legislation that will help Americans finally have access to affordable health care.https://t.co/2ZgN8l1bDV
SALINE COUNTY- Two Kansas women died in an accident just before 4p.m. on Wednesday in Saline County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Freightliner semi driven by Kirk N. Simms, 41, Lakewod, NJ., was northbound on Interstate 135 just north of Magnolia Road.
The semi left the roadway and crossed the median where it struck a southbound 2013 Kia Soul driven by
Marilyn R. Mayo, 63, Salina, in the driver’s side, causing it to strike the guardrail which impaled the rear of the vehicle.
A KDOT truck driven by Michael K. McDaniel, 23, Salina, took evasive action and the vehicle was struck on the rear driver’s side.
Mayo and a passenger Emma L. Thomas, 96, Marquette, were transported to Salina Regional Medical Center where they died.
McDaniel was also transported to Salina Regional Medical Center.
Simms and a passenger in the semi were not injured.
Mayo was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
Security camera image of shooting on 10th street in Great Bend -courtesy Great Bend Police
PAWNEE COUNTY – A Kansas woman made a first court appearance Wednesday in Pawnee County court in connection with a series of reported vandalism using a gun.
Michele Cresci, 48 of Pawnee Rock, faces a five-count complaint: four counts of Criminal Damage to Property of at least $1,000, but less than $25,000, and one count of Criminal Damage to Property of less than $1,000, a Class B nonperson misdemeanor.
The Complaint alleges that three tractors and two structures were damaged in separate incidents in rural Pawnee County between July 31 and September 19 of 2016.
The felony charges carry prison sentences between 5 and 17 months with the Kansas Department of Correction depending on the defendant’s criminal history.
A Preliminary Hearing has been scheduled for March 22, 2017.
Police say Cresci also confessed that she was the person shooting a gun in a security camera video at the Yoga Central Studio, 6003 10th Street in Great Bend.
She is being held in the Pawnee County Jail on a $5,000 bond.
MANHATTAN — The Neighbor to Neighbor statewide food drive kicked off Kansas Agriculture Month in support of our neighbors in need and to reduce hunger in Kansas communities.
Harvesters–The Community Food Bank in Topeka, Kansas, hosted state leaders, including Governor Sam Brownback, representatives of the food banks of Kansas, Dillons Food Stores employees and members of the Kansas agriculture community.
The food drive is a collaborative effort by the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Dillons Food Stores, Harvesters–The Community Food Network, Kansas Food Bank, Second Harvest Community Food Bank and the Kansas agriculture community. The goal is to raise 85,000 meals for Kansas families during the food drive throughout the month of March.
Kansans can contribute to the campaign at Dillons Food Stores statewide, at other community locations across the state or through the virtual donation portal, https://ksn2n.harvestersvfd.org.
Governor Brownback signed a proclamation declaring March as Kansas Agriculture Month and March 21 as Kansas Agriculture Day. He also stressed the importance of serving our neighbors in need as well as educating all Kansans about how the food they eat transitions from farm to fork.
Governor Brownback recognized the value of agriculture to the state of Kansas and thanked the food banks for their service to our state. Staff from the three food banks, representatives from Dillons Food Stores, Kansas FFA officers and representatives from the Kansas Department of Agriculture and other state agencies and agriculture organizations then joined together to pack boxes of food to be distributed to Kansans in need.
“It is important for all of us to work together to feed those in our Kansas communities who are food insecure, because when families and children have enough to eat, our communities are stronger and our state is stronger,” said Brian Walker, CEO of Kansas Food Bank. “We greatly appreciate our partners in the Neighbor to Neighbor food drive and we encourage Kansans to join us in this statewide effort.”
Representatives from area food banks, Dillons Food Stores, Kansas FFA and the Kansas Department of Agriculture pack boxes of food at Harvesters in Topeka to kick off the Neighbor to Neighbor statewide food drive.
Dillons Food Stores made an initial donation of several thousand pounds of non-perishable food items at the kickoff event, where the participants packed 287 boxes of food to be distributed to low-income seniors in Kansas.
To learn more about the Neighbor to Neighbor statewide food drive and ways to participate in Kansas Agriculture Month, visit www.agriculture.ks.gov/ksagday.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers are unlikely to advance a bill to toughen the punishment for hate crimes two weeks after a gunman killed a man and wounded two more in an Olathe shooting that may have been racially-motivated.
The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony Wednesday. The bill would double the sentences for hate crimes and require the state attorney general’s office to collect data on them.
The hearing comes two weeks after one man from India was killed and another injured in a shooting the FBI is investigating as a possible hate crime.
The hearing was scheduled before the shooting happened. A third man was also injured when he intervened. Adam Purinton is jailed on murder and attempted murder charges in the case.
The proposed hate crimes law isn’t new but sponsor Sen. David Haley says Kansas is being portrayed as intolerant since the shooting.
