HARPER COUNTY- A Kansas man died in an accident just before 4p.m. on Wednesday in Harper County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2011 International Truck driven by Daniel G. Clouse, 56, Stafford, was westbound on southeast 70th Avenue thirteen miles southeast of Anthony.
The driver attempted to pass an excavator moving down the road The truck traveled into the ditch and overturned.
Clouse was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Prairie Rose Funeral home in Anthony and then to Minnis Chapel in St. John.
He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a suspect for child sex crimes.
On Monday Police in Salina received information from a third party of a possible sexual abuse case involving a female victim under the age of 16, according to a media release.
Through the course of the investigation, police determined that 47-year-old Ernest James Ortega, 47, Salina, sexually abused the girl at a residence in Salina.
Ortega was booked into the Saline County Jail on the following charges: 2 counts of Rape, 6 counts of Aggravated Criminal Sodomy, 2 counts of Sodomy, 6 counts of Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child, 7 counts of Indecent Liberties with a Child, and 4 counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child.
PRATT – Tuttle Creek State Park near Manhattan was recently chosen to receive a $2,500 BlueCHIP Award by BlueCross BlueShield of Kansas (BCBSKS) and the Kansas Recreation and Parks Association (KRPA). BlueCHIP Awards are issued through a community health improvement program created seven years ago by KRPA and BCBSKS to recognize and reward Kansas communities that encourage and support healthy lifestyles through programs, initiatives, policies and/or community-wide events.
In addition to Tuttle Creek State Park, communities recognized this year include Baldwin City, Derby, City of Lindsborg, Shawnee County – Topeka, and Wellington. Each received $2,500 to assist with continued efforts to improve the health of their communities. The awards were presented at the 2017 KRPA Annual Conference and Trade Show in Manhattan.
According to Tuttle Creek State Park manager Todd Lovin, the BlueChip award will be used to purchase additional canoes, kayaks and paddling equipment. The state park sponsors several floats on the Kansas River each year, and boats and equipment are made available to those who don’t have their own.
Tuttle Creek State Park includes four units (River Pond, Fancy Creek, Cedar Ridge and Randolph) around Tuttle Creek Reservoir. In addition to a swimming beach, boat ramps, courtesy docks and dump stations, the park offers 159 water/electric campsites, eight electric/water/sewer campsites, 24 electric-only campsites, 500 primitive campsites and 11 rental cabins. Activities offered include hiking, biking and equestrian trails; disc golf; volleyball; horseshoes; a state-of-the-art shooting range; and archery range. Learn more about Tuttle Creek State Park at www.ksoutdoors.com or call the park office at (785) 539-7941.
TOPEKA–This infographic depicts insurance coverage in Kansas for 2015, the second full year following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This is the latest-available data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2015) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The infographic also breaks down the uninsured population in Kansas, including eligibility for public insurance programs, such as Medicaid and CHIP, as well as potential eligibility for Medicaid if the state expanded its program.
Detailed information about insurance coverage in 2015 will be presented in KHI’s Annual Insurance Update, which will be published in late spring, 2017.
For questions about this infographic, or for more information, please Connect with Us.
About KHI
The Kansas Health Institute delivers credible information and research enabling policy leaders to make informed health policy decisions that enhance their effectiveness as champions for a healthier Kansas. The Kansas Health Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan health policy and research organization based in Topeka, established in 1995 with a multiyear grant from the Kansas Health Foundation.
TOPEKA — Floyd Bledsoe, a man who was wrongfully convicted of the murder and sexual assault of his sister-in-law in 1999, said Tuesday that a proposed new bill in the Kansas Senate would have prevented his conviction.
“Anything less than adopting this bill would be an injustice to all,” Bledsoe said.
Bledsoe testified in favor of SB92 that would require Kansas law enforcement agencies to audio or audio visually record custodial investigations concerning homicides or felony sexual offenses.
Bledsoe said if there were audio recordings of all of the interrogations during his case, he might have not been convicted.
“I am a product of what happens when people get the choice whether they record or not,” Bledsoe said. “16 years is what it cost me.”
After nearly 16 years Bledsoe was released from prison in December 2015 when his brother confessed to the crime in a suicide note.
Bledsoe’s attorney, Alice Craig, also testified in favor of SB92, urging that the recording of these interrogations is crucial to ensuring a full understanding of law enforcement’s investigations.
Speaking on behalf of the Innocence Project, State Policy Advocate Michelle Feldman supported both Bledsoe and Craig’s testimonies, explaining that false confessions and statements made during police interrogations are a leading factor to wrongful convictions, including Bledsoe’s.
“Recording interrogations provides a complete and irrefutable account of what occurred during the interrogation and provides transparency and accuracy,” Feldman said.
While no opponents contested the intent of the bill, Amanda Stanley, legal counsel for The League of Kansas Municipalities, said she was concerned with the language of the bill. Stanley suggested a slight amendment to a section addressing what crimes audio or audio visual recordings would apply to. Proponents of the bill agreed to the suggested amendment.
Sen. Julia Lynn (R- Olathe) and Sen. Steve Fitzgerald (R- Leavenworth) expressed concerns about the cost of technology to record interrogations and its maintenance in the future, although each of the proponent’s testimony stressed that costs would be minimal.
According the bill’s fiscal note, the Kansas Highway Patrol estimates the purchase of seven sets of recording equipment and licensing would be $13,000. There would also be additional costs in labor, materials and supplies for the seven KHP locations, but it could not estimate those costs at this time.
Of the 21 states that have laws similar to this, Feldman said many save money when relying more on electronic recording policies.
“The officers are spending less time piecing together notes and are protected from lawsuits concerning allegations of misconduct and wrongful convictions,” Feldman said. “They’re saving money in the long run.”
Mallory Houser is a University of Kansas junior journalism major from Dallas.
K-9 Pickels with the Meth. Tucker and Belcher-photo Canadian Co.
CANADIAN COUNTY, OK- Law enforcement authorities in Oklahoma are investigating a Kansas couple on drug charges.
Deputies jailed David Jean Tucker, 59, Haysville, Kansas and Cynthia Ann Belcher, 63, Wichita, Kansas January 3, after Canadian County Sheriff’s Deputies found more than 30 pounds of methamphetamines hidden inside the rental car they were driving, according to a media release.
The pair was stopped on Interstate 40 eastbound near the 123-mile marker after the driver changed lanes without signaling, and then veered off the road, onto the outside shoulder.
According to deputies, the pair had rented the 2016 Toyota Camry they were traveling in three days prior in Wichita, and had traveled to Phoenix, Arizona. According to their statements to deputies, that’s where they picked up the large load of meth. Both Tucker and Belcher confessed they were recruited to be drug smugglers while receiving services at a faith based mission in Wichita, Kansas and were in the process of making their second trip.
“It’s mindboggling to learn this pair was recruited by the drug cartel over a free meal at a local church in Wichita, Kansas. I guess the cartel will stoop to any level to lure people to haul drugs for them,” said Chris West, Canadian County Sheriff.
Deputies knew something wasn’t right when they clearly observed the two talking before the stop, and then the female played possum (acting as if she was asleep) when they walked up to the vehicle. The driver, identified as David Tucker, told authorities he had rented the vehicle to take Belcher to the Cancer Centers of America, located inside the Veteran’s Hospital in Amarillo, Texas. A quick check by deputies resulted in there not being any such facility at the VA center.
Deputies determined both Tucker and Belcher possessed lengthy criminal histories, with Belcher’s being drug related. Deputies believed the pair to be involved in criminal activity, and a free-air sniff of the space around the rental vehicle was conducted using drug detector canine Pickles. The free air-sniff resulted in a positive alert to the presence of illegal narcotics.
Once inside the vehicle, deputies located thirty-one packages of methamphetamines inside natural voids of the Toyota Camry; inside the doors and trunk of the vehicle. Both subjects were taken into custody, and transported to the Canadian County Jail where they were booked in. Both Tucker and Belcher were booked on charges of Aggravated Trafficking of Methamphetamines After a Former Conviction of a Felony. Their bond was established at two hundred thousand dollars, and they both remain in custody.
“I’m very happy we were able to intercept this load, keeping it out of the hands of the cartel, and those whose lives it ruining,” West said.
The Sheriff’s Office estimates the street value of the drugs to be over two hundred thousand dollars.
Chad Austin, right, vice president of government relations for the Kansas Hospital Association, told legislators Monday that the Medicaid cuts have hurt medical providers. ANDY MARSO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Kansas legislators are weighing plans to restore cuts to Medicaid, but health care providers may not see the extra boost until 2018 or even 2019.
The Senate’s budget committee heard testimony Monday on Senate Bill 94, which would increase a fee on HMO insurance plans to draw down federal funds and replace the cuts made to KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program.
The bill as written would enact the fee increase as soon as possible — even making it retroactive to the beginning of the year. But the money wouldn’t make its way to Medicaid providers until 2018.
“We can’t fix anything for this year,” said Sen. Carolyn McGinn, a Republican from Sedgwick who chairs the committee. “We can only try to fix things for the years out.”
Chad Austin, the Kansas Hospital Association’s vice president of government relations, said the bill would at least provide assurance that the cuts are temporary and maybe convince providers who are on the fence about staying in Medicaid to stick it out for another year.
“This legislation would provide some stability in the Medicaid program,” said Austin, whose association requested the bill.
Austin said the cuts — made last year to help fill a hole in the state’s budget — have cost providers more than $100 million so far, including $46.5 million in state funding.
Medicaid is a public health insurance program partially funded by the federal government but administered by the states with federal oversight.
An industry in ‘turmoil’
The fee increase would apply to the three private insurance companies that manage KanCare, but they would not take a financial hit because increased federal funds would cover the difference. The fee increase also would apply to private-sector HMO plans, but there are few of them left in Kansas because the Legislature passed a bill last year allowing insurers to avoid the fee by selling HMO-like exclusive provider organization, or EPO, plans.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City still sell plans that would be affected, though, and they opposed SB94 Monday.
Both companies said that if legislators pass the fee increase, they should not make it retroactive. Instead, they requested that it take effect Jan. 1, 2018, to let private insurers exit the HMO market or adjust plan rates accordingly.
Clark Shultz, deputy commissioner of the Kansas Insurance Department, backed up the insurers, saying it was a difficult time for them given losses incurred on the federal Affordable Care Act marketplaces and uncertainty about what will happen to the health reform law under President Donald Trump.
“The health insurance industry is in turmoil right now,” Shultz said.
Delaying implementation of the tax until 2018 would mean the money wouldn’t flow to health care providers until 2019.
Providers leaving Medicaid
Doctors, hospitals, pharmacists and other providers lined up Monday to tell senators on the Ways and Means Committee how the cuts Gov. Sam Brownback made last year to temporarily balance the state budget have affected them.
Several said it was hampering what services they could offer to Kansans in Medicaid. Some said they were capping the number of new KanCare patients they see and considering dropping out of the program.
“Providers are starting to say ‘I’m not really interested in providing care to people on Medicaid,’” said Denise Cyzman, who represents 44 safety net clinics as executive director of the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved.
Dentists also have said their ranks have further thinned within KanCare since the cuts.
Another piece of legislation, House Bill 2065, would fill the Medicaid cuts with money from the HMO fee and a tax on hospitals, which also would draw down federal funds.
McGinn said she prefers the Senate bill. The HMO tax is not the ideal solution, she said, but it’s the best option until the state can get its larger fiscal house in order and stop spending more each year than it receives in tax revenue.
“We have to stop moving money around and shifting and borrowing from other entities and get back to proper budgeting,” McGinn said. “If we have a budget for Medicaid and other areas, we need to quit robbing from that and use those dollars for what they were intended to do.”
Andy Marso is a reporter for kcur.org‘s Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics in Kansas. You can reach him on Twitter @andymarso.
PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — Authorities are investigating a Kansas restaurant robbery that netted $2.
The Pittsburg Morning Sun reports that two men are accused of forcing three Jimmy John’s employees to the floor Monday night. Night manager Seth Cheney says that after told the masked suspects he couldn’t open the safe or register, they demanded cash from the Pittsburg sandwich shop’s employees.
But Cheney says two of them had empty wallets and a third had $3. The suspects also are accused of demanding a sandwich and fleeing as the food was being prepared.
A responding officer spotted two men riding away from the area on bicycles. Arresting officers recovered an airsoft pistol, baseball bat and $2.
Police Major Brent Narges says the suspects apparently dropped a dollar bill.
James-photo Lyon Co.
Bond for for suspects Anthony R. Reed Jr., 20 and Nathaniel T. James, 19, both of Pittsburg, set at $50,000.
RENO COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Reno County are investigating a case of vandalism and need help identifying suspect.
He is a person of interest in a case at First National Bank.
If you know his identity please call Crime Stoppers of Reno County at 1-800-222-TIPS or the Hutchinson Police Department at 620-694-28256. Please associate this tip with case #2017-2936.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Bureau of Family Health, the March of Dimes and the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative (KHC) have joined together to encourage continued progress towards eliminating early elective deliveries (EED) in Kansas. Together, the organizations support Kansas birthing hospitals in adopting the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) guidelines that highlight the importance of allowing babies to reach 39 weeks gestation through the elimination of elective labor inductions and cesarean sections.
More than 30 years ago, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) published guidelines on the importance of allowing babies to reach 39 weeks gestation to optimize brain and organ development and improve neonatal outcomes. Unfortunately, even as recently as 2012, some providers still were inducing labor or performing cesarean sections prior to 39 weeks gestation without medical necessity. Kansas hospitals and providers have taken the lead in reversing that trend.
In recent years, Kansas hospitals have moved to adopt best practices in line with the ACOG guidelines. The collaborative efforts and hard work of hospitals have resulted in a rapid and significant reduction in the statewide EED rate from eight percent in 2013 to two percent in 2015.
The March of Dimes’ national Hospital Banner Recognition Program is designed to recognize hospitals that have achieved EED rates below five percent, and Kansas hospitals are invited to participate. Hospitals that complete a simple checklist and meet the criteria will receive a customized banner that commends the hospital for commitment to improving the quality of care for moms and babies. Each hospital also will receive a press kit from the March of Dimes so that patients, families, community leaders and donors are aware of the hospital’s commitment to the health of the community.
“This laudable achievement deserves recognition, and KDHE is proud to supply banners at no cost to qualifying hospitals,” said Susan Mosier, KDHE Secretary and State Health Officer.
About Early Elective Delivery (EED)
Babies born preterm, before 37 completed weeks of gestation, are at increased risk of immediate life-threatening health problems, as well as long-term complications and developmental delays. Among preterm infants, complications that can occur during the newborn period include respiratory distress, jaundice, anemia and infection, while long-term complications can include learning and behavioral problems, cerebral palsy, lung problems and vision and hearing loss. As a result of these risks, preterm birth is a leading cause of infant death and childhood disability. Although the risk of complications is greatest among those babies who are born the earliest, even those babies born “late preterm” (34 to 36 weeks’ gestation) and “early term” (37 and 38 weeks’ gestation) are more likely than full-term babies to experience morbidity and mortality. In 2015, 66 Kansas births per week were preterm (8.8 percent of all births), and 179 were early elective deliveries.
About the March of Dimes
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. For more than 75 years, moms and babies have benefited from March of Dimes research, education, vaccines and breakthroughs. To participate in our annual signature fundraising event, visit marchforbabies.org. For the latest resources and health information, visit our websites marchofdimes.org and nacersano.org. You can also find us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter. About the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative
KHC is a nonprofit organization with a mission dedicated to transforming health care through patient-centered initiatives that improve quality, safety and value. KHC was formed in 2008 by the Kansas Hospital Association and the Kansas Medical Society as a resource to enhance health care provided to Kansans. With the support of the Kansas Medical Society and the Kansas Hospital Association, KHC is seen as the lead organization in Kansas for health care quality improvement education, evaluation and measurement. The KHC mission is to engage and align providers in delivering quality health care and outcomes.
About the Kansas Department of Health & Environment, Bureau of Family Health
The KDHE Bureau of Family Health is responsible for administering the Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant for the State of Kansas. The Title V MCH program plays a key role in the provision of maternal and child health services in Kansas and targets activities to improve the health of all women and infants. Find more information at kansasmch.org or kdheks.gov/bfh. You can also find us on Facebook (Kansas Maternal & Child Health).
CLAY COUNTY – A woman died in an accident just before 7a.m. on Wednesday in Clay County
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Pontiac Montana driven by Audrey J. Kalivoda, 62, Fairview, TN., was southbound on Frontier Road and failed to stop at the stop sign at U.S. 24.
The Pontiac collided with a 1999 Kenworth semi driven by Michael Wayne Broeckelman, 50, Beloit, that was eastbound on U.S. 24.
The collision pushed the Pontiac into a 2013 Chevy Malibu driven by Lane Patrick Koster, 24, Jewell, that was westbound on U.S. 24.
Kalivoda was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Neill-Schwensen-Rook Mortuary.
Broeckelman was not transported for treatment.
Koster was not injured.
All three were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Shawnee County are investigating an attempted robbery and have a suspect in custody.
Just after 11:50 a.m. Wednesday, police responded to the 600 Block of SW 10th in Topeka after a report of a robbery attempt at a credit union, according to a media release.
Employees reported a man displayed a weapon and demanded money.
Topeka Police arrived within minutes and took the suspect into custody without incident.
Isaac Austin Jr., 63, Topeka was booked into the Department of Corrections on charges related to the attempted armed robbery.
