MANHATTAN — The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s trademark program, From the Land of Kansas, was recognized in July 2019 with a national marketing award for its holiday gift box program.
KDA marketing program leaders attended the 99th North American Agricultural Marketing Officials (NAAMO) annual meeting in Philadelphia, where they were selected by their peers as the 2019 Marketing of Excellence winner for the From the Land of Kansas Holiday Gift Box program.
The holiday gift box program was launched in 2017, featuring high-quality products from multiple From the Land of Kansas trademark members packaged into gift boxes to celebrate the unique items available from Kansas businesses. The opportunity was welcomed by From the Land of Kansas members, and the gift boxes were a hit with customers, as the total sales far exceeded the estimates for both years of the program. Holiday gift boxes will be available again this fall at shop.fromthelandofkansas.com.
“We were pleased and honored to be chosen by our peers for this award and to join past recipients who we have long admired and respected,” said Janelle Dobbins, From the Land of Kansas marketing manager. “We have worked hard to build a From the Land of Kansas Holiday Gift Box program that celebrates our members and the wonderful products that Kansas has to offer.”
NAAMO is an international organization of the state and provincial government agricultural marketing officials who provide both domestic and international services to the agriculture and food industries in their states and provinces. An affiliate of NASDA (National Association of State Departments of Agriculture), the purpose of NAAMO is to provide its members with a forum to network, collaborate and share insights to enhance the development, marketing and promotion of North American food and agricultural products.
WICHITA —A Kansas man was sentenced Friday for the shooting death of another man in December of 2017 in Wichita.
Mork photo Sedgwick Co.
District Judge Jeffrey Syrios sentenced Jeremiah Mork, 23, Wichita, to 322 months on convictions of voluntary manslaughter, two counts of aggravated battery, and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
The judge added 17 months because Mork violated his parole on an earlier case, resulting in a total sentence of 339 months.
On December 9, 2017, Randy Gibson, 45 of Wichita, was moving his belongings from a home in the 2200 block of S. Parkridge in Wichita when Mork shot him.
An autopsy showed Mr. Gibson had 15 bullet wounds. Mork also fired at and wounded two men who were helping Mr. Gibson move. A jury convicted Mork on June 12.
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly appointed Amy Elliott and reappointed Barry Bedene to the Kansas Board of Mortuary Arts.
“Barry and Amy are dedicated individuals, and we are fortunate to have them on our mortuary board,” Kelly said. “I know they will work hard to ensure safe and ethical practices among our state’s licensed embalmers.”
Barry Bedene, Arma, is a licensed embalmer and funeral director, and the owner of Bedene Funeral Home. He is a past president of District Three of the Kansas Funeral Directors Association; a member of the National Funeral Directors Association; served as a board member of the Crawford County Fire District Number Two for more than 20 years; served as a city council member in Arma for four years; and has served on several other boards and commissions. Bedene also served as a member of the Mortuary Arts Board for many years.
Amy Elliott, Lenexa, currently works as a lawyer in her firm, the Law Office of Amy E. Elliott. Previously, she worked as a legal assistant for the law firm Cohen, McNeile & Pappas, P.C. Elliott received a juris doctor, a bachelor’s degree in English and an associate degree in paralegal studies, all from Washburn University.
The board ensures that licensees who work in the practice of embalming perform their services in a manner that provides maximum protection of the health, safety and welfare of Kansans.
Three members of the board must hold an embalmer’s license issued by the state board of mortuary arts, must have five consecutive years of experience in the practice of embalming and must be currently engaged in the practice of embalming in Kansas. The other two members must be a representative of the general public and without an embalming license.
The governor’s appointments to the mortuary arts board are not subject to Senate confirmation.
Location of Friday’s Reno County quakes -USGS image
RENO COUNTY —Two additional small earthquakes shook Reno County following the four quakes Friday morning.
A quake just after 8p.m. measured a magnitude 3.0 and was centered approximately one mile west of South Hutchinson, according to the USGS.
Just before 5 a.m. Saturday, a magnitude 2.8 quake centered 2 miles west of South Hutch.
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RENO COUNTY — A small earthquake shook south-central Kansas Friday morning. The quake just before 8a.m. measured a magnitude 4.2 and was centered approximately 2 miles west of South Hutchinson, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Residents in the area also reported small aftershocks a short time later. The USGS says two aftershocks were centered approximately 7 miles west of South Hutchinson and measured a magnitude 3.1 and 2.6. A third aftershock measured 2.7 and was centered closer to the original quake, approximately 2 miles west of South Hutchinson.
There were reports of some minor damage including at the Reno County Courthouse. County Administrator Gary Meagher says it appears to be mainly cosmetic, but are checking to make sure there isn’t any structural damage.
Bottles fell off shelves at Egbert Liquor in Hutchinson
The Reno County Courthouse had cracks in the walls. This was taken outside the District Court Clerks Office
Reno County Emergency Management Director Adam Weishaar talks of the some of the damage.
“We have had any reports of any major structural damage,” said Weishaar. “Dillons at 5th and Adams had closed because they had a lot of items knocked off their shelves.
Hutchinson Regional Medical Center also has some minor damage and Egbert Liquor at 5th and Monroe also has bottles of liquor broken during the quake knocking them off the shelf.
Although we’ve had earthquakes before, this one was unusual. “This was weird, at least since I’ve been here, this is the biggest one we’ve had,” said Weishaar. “The aftershocks that came with this were fairly big compared to normal.
Many residents reported pictures coming off their wall and other issues with their homes. Businesses are also assessing damage.
TOPEKA — One of the United States’ largest and oldest private prison companies will house up to 600 Kansas inmates in a facility in Eloy, Arizona.
Formerly known as the Corrections Corporation of America, CoreCivic owns and operates 129 prisons, immigration detention centers and other facilities in more than 20 states, including the Leavenworth Detention Center.
Core Civic’s revenues total more than $1 billion a year, but the company has been subject to several federal and state government audits and state investigations. Here’s a look at a few of those controversies.
Staffing issues
In 2012, a group of inmates at the Idaho Correctional Center sued CoreCivic, arguing the company intentionally understaffed the prison and allowed a prison gang to attack them. A federal jury ruled the company wasn’t adequately staffed, but did not owe the inmates damages. Two years later, the state took over the facility, citing that lawsuit and others against CoreCivic.
In Tennessee, a 2017 audit of the state’s Department of Correction found three CoreCivic prisons kept incomplete or false staff records or did not hire enough people to manage inmates or comply with the state’s contract. Tennessee inmates had sued CoreCivic earlier that year, alleging that the lack of staff resulted in inadequate medical care for diabetics.
The same year in Kansas, the federal government audited CoreCivic’s maximum security prison in Leavenworth — the same prison where the company allegedly violated attorney-client privilege by secretly taping conversations between inmates and their lawyers. The audit found the prison struggled to hire enough guards. At one point, the vacancy rate was 23 percent. Despite this, CoreCivic transferred guards from Leavenworth to another prison in Louisiana.
Violence and sexual abuse
A Tennessee man reported being raped and sexually harassed by his cellmate at a CoreCivic prison in 2018. In a lawsuit, he alleged that even though he reported the harassment several times, the guards did nothing, a violation of prison policy and the U.S. Constitution. A CoreCivic representative told a Nashville TV station that only one report was made, which the prison investigated but couldn’t substantiate.
Also in Tennessee, a recent report found CoreCivic prisons had higher rates of homicide than those run by the state.
In 2009, Hawaii removed 168 women from a CoreCivic-run Kentucky prison after reports of guards sexually assaulting inmates. The incident was one reason Kentucky stopped using private prisons entirely in 2013. However, citing concerns about inmate crowding, the state signed another CoreCivic contract in 2017.
Cancelled contracts
Amid growing opposition to private prisons, several cities and states have declined to renew their contracts with CoreCivic in recent years.
In 2013, Mississippi ended its contract for the Wilkinson Correctional Facility after reports showed the prison was the most violent in the state.
Denver voted to let its agreements with CoreCivic expire this summer, although the city council recently extended the contracts while it figures out what to do with the people living in halfway houses run by the company.
Other places like Tuscon, Arizona and Nevada have banned or ended contracts with private prisons entirely, citing concerns about safety and prisoners’ rights.
Treatment of detained immigrants
CoreCivic also has come under fire for running detention centers for federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Fourteen people detained at the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona died between 2003 and 2015, five due to suicide. At the time, it was the highest number of suicides at any detention center in the country. Many people at Eloy complained that medical staff didn’t treat them and told them to drink water for ailments.
Last year, migrants detained at La Palma Correctional Center, also located in Eloy, went on hunger strike, saying they were abused and harassed by guards, given only one meal a day and had limited access to showers and bathrooms.
In July, Yasmin Juarez sued CoreCivic, arguing the company neglected to provide medical treatment for her daughter when the two were detained in the South Texas Family Residential Center. The lawsuit alleges 1-year-old Mariee Juarez had a high fever and was coughing and vomiting shortly after being admitted to the facility, but staff didn’t provide proper medical treatment. The girl was admitted to the emergency room one day after leaving the facility and died six weeks after she was released.
CoreCivic response
In emailed statements, CoreCivic spokeswoman Amanda Gilchrist told the Kansas News Service that it will offer Kansas inmates services that are just as good or better than what they’d receive at state-run prisons.
Tennessee-based private prison company CoreCivic has been subject to many lawsuits and investigations over its 30-year history. NOMIN UJIYEDIIN / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
“CoreCivic cares deeply about every person in our care,” she said. “We work hard to ensure those in our facilities are treated respectfully and humanely.”
The employee vacancy rate at Saguaro Correctional Center, where Kansas inmates will be sent, is 3%. Hawaii also has a contract to send inmates to Saguaro, and Gilchrist pointed to recent audits from the Hawaii Department of Public Safety that show the facility to be compliant with all of the state’s requirements.
“All of our correctional facilities are monitored very closely by our government partners,” Gilchrist said. “Each and every one is required to undergo regular review and audit processes to ensure contract compliance and appropriate standard of care for all inmates.”
In an email, Gov. Laura Kelly said Kansas has a legal obligation to provide safe conditions for prisoners and prison employees.
“It’s a constitutional right, not an option,” she said. “My administration takes this very seriously.”
She emphasized the contract with CoreCivic will allow a Kansas state employee on site to monitor conditions and report back. Other Kansas officials are also allowed to visit and inspect Saguaro at any time.
“The decision to send some of our inmates to a private prison wasn’t made lightly,” Kelly said. “I share a number of concerns that have been raised by anti-private prison advocates.”
The Kansas Department of Corrections declined to comment.
Nomin Ujiyediin reports on criminal justice and social welfare for the Kansas News Service. Follow her on Twitter @NominUJ or email nomin (at) kcur (dot) org.
This year’s event addresses the timely and relevant topic of climate change and will look at how the current model of annual agriculture negatively contributes to the emission of greenhouse gasses. We seek to answer through our research and educational efforts, how we effect positive change to a perennial landscape.
Other presenters include: Eliza Gilkyson, twice Grammy-nominated musician; Ana Porzecanski, director of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History; Carolyn Finney, storyteller and author; Amory Lovins, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute; and Francesca Cotrufo, associate head of the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Colorado State University.
The Festival offers a unique opportunity to interact with some of the world’s most compelling authors, thinkers, artists, and advocates focused on agriculture, food, the environment, science, sustainability, and social and environmental justice.
The Institute’s science staff provides research plot tours and an in-depth update on current plant breeding efforts, ecology work, and partnerships.
There will be food trucks, live music, a Friday night barn dance, sunrise yoga, and more. Come to the event that The New York Times called an “intellectual hootenanny” and what has become a remarkable can’t-miss event on the prairie.
HOUSTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday cleared the way for the U.S. government to forbid Central American immigrants from seeking asylum at the two busiest stretches of the southern border in a partial legal victory for the Trump administration.
In June, migrants who crossed the Rio Grande near McAllen, TX, surrender to U.S. Border Patrol agents. From here, they will be transported to a processing center.- photo courtesy U.S. Customs and Border Patrol
The ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allows President Donald Trump to enforce the policy in New Mexico and Texas, rejecting asylum seekers who cross from Mexico into either state. Under Friday’s ruling, U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar’s July 24 order stopping the policy would apply only in California and Arizona, which are covered by the 9th Circuit.
The two busiest areas for unauthorized border crossings are in South Texas’ Rio Grande Valley and the region around El Paso, Texas, which includes New Mexico. Nearly 50,000 people in July crossed the U.S. border without permission in those two regions, according to the U.S. Border Patrol.
The policy would deny asylum to anyone who passes through another country on the way to the U.S. without seeking protection there. Most crossing the southern border are Central Americans fleeing violence and poverty, who would largely be ineligible. The policy would also apply to people from Africa, Asia, and South America who come to the southern border to request asylum.
If the policy is implemented, ineligible migrants who cross in New Mexico and Texas could be detained and more quickly deported. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
Under American law, people can request asylum when they arrive in the U.S. regardless of how they enter. The law makes an exception for those who have come through a country considered to be “safe” pursuant to an agreement between the U.S. and that country.
Canada and the U.S. have a “safe third country” agreement. But the U.S. doesn’t have one with Mexico or countries in Central America. The Trump administration has tried to sign one with Guatemala, but the country’s incoming president said this weekthat Guatemala would not be able to uphold a tentative deal reached by his predecessor.
The U.S. government is already turning away many asylum seekers at the southern border.
About 30,000 people have been returned to Mexico to await asylum hearings under the government’s Migrant Protection Protocols program. Tens of thousands of others are waiting in shelters and camps to present themselves to U.S. border agents at official ports of entry that have strict daily limits on asylum seekers.
Mexico’s asylum system is itself overwhelmed, and there are widespread reports of migrants being attacked and extorted . Border cities across from New Mexico and Texas include Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, and Reynosa, all of which are well-known for their violence and gang presence.
Tigar had ruled the policy could expose migrants to violence and abuse, deny their rights under international law, and return them to countries they were fleeing.
The appeals court ruled that Tigar’s order hadn’t considered whether a nationwide order was necessary and that there wasn’t enough evidence presented yet to conclude that it was. The court instructed Tigar to “further develop the record in support of a preliminary injunction” extending nationwide.
Judges Mark Bennett and Milan Smith voted to limit Tigar’s order. Judge A. Wallace Tashima dissented.
Tigar is a nominee of former President Barack Obama. Trump previously derided Tigar as an “Obama judge” after Tigar ruled against another set of asylum restrictions last year. That comment led to an unusual rebuke from Chief Justice John Roberts, who said the judiciary did not have “Obama judges or Clinton judges.”
Trump nominated Bennett, while Smith was nominated by former President George W. Bush. Tashima was nominated by former President Bill Clinton.
The American Civil Liberties Union and other legal groups sued the Trump administration after it announced the restrictions last month.
“We will continue fighting to end the ban entirely and permanently,” said Lee Gelernt, a lawyer for the ACLU.
Coffey County Sheriff Randy Rogers says a fourth person suffered severe burns Friday morning while escaping from the home in Burlington. The survivor was flown to an area burn center.
Rogers didn’t identify any of the victims, pending notification of their relatives. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The first Catholic priest in the U.S. to be labeled sexually violent when he was convicted in Illinois was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for abusing two boys in Missouri in the 1990s.
75-year-old Fred Lenczycki photo courtesy child Sex Offender of Illinois
Fred Lenczycki, 75, pleaded guilty in May to two counts of sodomy for crimes that occurred from 1991 to 1994, when he served a parish in north St. Louis County. He was sentenced to 10-year sentences for each count, to run concurrently.
Lenczycki admitted grabbing the genitals of one boy and trying to force the other to expose himself. Though the crimes occurred more than 25 years ago, Lenczycki wasn’t charged until February.
Lenczycki apologized in a brief statement in court. His attorney, Matthew Radefeld, called the sentence “disappointing” because Lenczycki has been undergoing counseling and “made great strides.”
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, in a statement, called Lenczycki a “monster whose actions have affected countless victims and stolen the lives of countless children.”
One of the victims, Charlie Gensler III, now 37, called the sentence “a great step toward our healing and exposing the sexual abuse that occurs within the Catholic Church.” But, he said, the pain will never go away.
“Even though I’m happy with the sentence, it is basically all of us who are condemned to a life sentence of pain, grief and suffering,” Gensler said.
Lenczycki was removed from the ministry in 2002, when he was charged with sexually abusing three boys in the 1980s at a church in Hinsdale, Illinois. Those victims told authorities “Father Fred” repeatedly molested them, often using the pretense of swaddling them in “Baby Jesus” costumes for pageants that never took place.
Lenczycki pleaded guilty in 2004 and was sentenced to five years in prison. In 2008, a year before his release, he became the first U.S. priest to be labeled sexually violent when he was committed under Illinois’ Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act.
Church and court files show that Lenczycki admitted abusing up to 30 boys in Illinois, Missouri and California over 25 years. He now lives in suburban Chicago.
Victims of clergy sexual abuse have demanded more accountability and transparency from the Catholic church since last year, when a Pennsylvania report detailed seven decades of child sexual abuse by predator priests. The Vatican convened a sexual abuse summit in February to hear the testimony of several victims.
In addition to the criminal cases, Lenczycki is named in several lawsuits.
Location of Friday’s Reno County quake -USGS image
RENO COUNTY — A small earthquake shook south-central Kansas Friday morning. The quake just before 8a.m. measured a magnitude 4.2 and was centered approximately 2 miles west of South Hutchinson, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Residents in the area also reported small aftershocks a short time later. The USGS says two aftershocks were centered approximately 7 miles west of South Hutchinson and measured a magnitude 3.1 and 2.6. A third aftershock measured 2.7 and was centered closer to the original quake, approximately 2 miles west of South Hutchinson.
There were reports of some minor damage including at the Reno County Courthouse. County Administrator Gary Meagher says it appears to be mainly cosmetic, but are checking to make sure there isn’t any structural damage.
Bottles fell off shelves at Egbert Liquor in HutchinsonThe Reno County Courthouse had cracks in the walls. This was taken outside the District Court Clerks Office
Reno County Emergency Management Director Adam Weishaar talks of the some of the damage.
“We have had any reports of any major structural damage,” said Weishaar. “Dillons at 5th and Adams had closed because they had a lot of items knocked off their shelves.
Hutchinson Regional Medical Center also has some minor damage and Egbert Liquor at 5th and Monroe also has bottles of liquor broken during the quake knocking them off the shelf.
Although we’ve had earthquakes before, this one was unusual. “This was weird, at least since I’ve been here, this is the biggest one we’ve had,” said Weishaar. “The aftershocks that came with this were fairly big compared to normal.
Many residents reported pictures coming off their wall and other issues with their homes. Businesses are also assessing damage.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The state of Kansas is canceling a grant for an early literacy program for public school children after an audit found the company that administers the course received millions of dollars it wasn’t entitled to during former Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration.
The Kansas Department for Children and Families announced Friday it was ending the contract with Hysell & Wagner, which operated the Kansas Reading Roadmap program.
An audit that began under Brownback’s administration but was never finalized or released found that Hysell & Wagner claimed nearly $2.3 million in 2014 and 2015 that it shouldn’t have, the agency said in a news release. In a typical year, the grant is worth about $9 million.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration has found other problems with Hysell & Wagner’s grant, including excessive payments for executive salaries and expenses from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds, which are designated for needy families. Those expenses included 38 trips between Kansas and CEO residences in Washington, D.C., and San Diego.
“The Department for Children and Families is committed to ensuring that recipients of federal and state funds are spending those funds efficiently,” agency Secretary Laura Howard said. “After reviewing the results of a DCF audit and despite heightened oversight during the first six months of 2019, it’s clear that Hysell & Wagner is falling short of this basic standard.”
The Reading Roadmap program, which is designed to improve literacy and achievement gaps for young elementary students, will continue. The state plans to directly fund the schools planning to offer the program for this academic year.
The director of the Reading Roadmap program, Andrew Hysell, said the company was confident it had properly operated the program, The Wichita Eagle reported .
“We’ll stand behind our administration of this grant. We’ll go before the Legislature. If we need to, to save our reputation, we’ll go before a court,” Hysell said. “We are very 100 percent behind our work.”
The company’s owners received $216,000 in direct expenses, and more than $607,000 was designated in the grant as guaranteed payments for the owners to cover indirect expenses. The expenses charged to the Reading Roadmap grant exceeded a limit of 15 percent of grant costs.
Howard said her agency tried “in good faith” to work with Hysell & Wagner to correct the issues but the company “continues to struggle with the heightened monitoring requirements and has rejected revisions in their FY 2020 contract addressing indirect costs.”
“I’ve always been concerned about the use of no-bid contracts and lack of accountability under the previous administration,” Kelly said in a statement. “It’s clear that the State of Kansas cannot continue to support Hysell & Wagner’s administration of the Kansas Reading Roadmap program.”
Statement from the Salina Police Department concerning the body found in west Salina
On August 16, at 9:19 a.m., a bicyclist was riding on the flood control levee located in the area of Crawford and Centennial in Salina. The bicyclist observed what they believed to be a person lying in the grassy area south and west of this intersection.
The Salina Police Department responded and located a deceased male. The subject has since been identified as Allegro Edwards Jr., a 32-year-old male from Salina. The next of kin have been notified.
At this time, the cause of death is unknown, and the investigation is ongoing.
We are asking the public for any information they may have regarding this individual.
The public is encouraged to contact the Salina Police Department at 785-826-7210 or Crimestoppers at 825-TIPS(8477) or text SATIPS to CRIMES (274637).
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SALINE COUNTY —Crime scene investigators and other Salina Police Department personnel are working on and along the flood control dike near the intersection of Crawford Street and Centennial Road after a body was found there.
Crime scene investigators and other Salina Police personnel are investigating a case in which a body was found Friday morning along the flood control dike on the west side of Salina. photo by Salina Post
Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester said that police personnel were dispatched to the location at 9:19 a.m. Friday. He said no other information would be released at this time because the investigation is in the preliminary stages.
Check the post for additional details as they become available.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Four Midwestern farmers who cheated organic food customers are scheduled to be sentenced for the largest fraud scheme of its kind in U.S. history.
Federal prosecutors say the farmers are responsible for a seven-year scheme that tricked thousands of customers into paying premium prices for products that were marketed as organic but were not.
Prosecutors are seeking prison sentences for the alleged leader of the scheme, Missouri farmer Randy Constant, and three Nebraska farmers who worked with Constant. All four have pleaded guilty to fraud charges.
They admitted that they grew non-organic corn and soybeans, and a small amount of certified organic grains, and falsely marketed them all as organic. Most of the grains were sold as animal feed to companies that marketed organic meat and meat products.
