MANHATTAN — In a news release today, the Kansas Farm Bureau said it has delivered a water vision statement to Gov. Sam Brownback in response to Brownback’s call for a 50-year vision for the Ogallala Aquifer and Kansas reservoirs. The vision was developed after statewide meetings to gather grassroots Farm Bureau member input.
The vision is: “All Kansans support adjustments to preserve and enhance the quantity and quality of the waters of the state through conservation and economic means to secure our future, recognizing the value of water and taking into consideration the diverse use and availability of the resource.”
“This is a defining moment in our state’s history,” Kansas Farm Bureau President Steve Baccus said. “We must establish a water legacy that serves agriculture and future generations of Kansans. KFB members understand if we don’t help define the vision for these precious water supplies, others, who will not be friendly to rural Kansas and agriculture, will do so for us.”
Kansas Farm Bureau represents grassroots agriculture. Established in 1919, this nonprofit advocacy organization supports farm families who earn their living in a changing industry.
By LINDSEY ELLIOTT K-State News and Editorial Services
MANHATTAN — If you’re cooking out this Memorial Weekend, plan on spending some extra money for your food, says a Kansas State University agricultural economist.
Glynn Tonsor, associate professor, says beef and pork prices are at an all-time high. Beef, which costs about $5.50 a pound, is 13 percent more compared to last year. Bacon and pork chops have increased by 15 percent.
Tonsor says several factors are contributing to the increased prices, such as the drought, the historically low number of cattle and recent animal health diseases.
“There are new animal health concerns in 2014,” Tonsor said. “We simply are producing less pork and that’s showing up as less pork on the retail shelf. Couple that with strong demand, and we have notably higher pork prices.”
Prices are steadily increasing in 2014. Meat prices in April were 3 percent higher than in March. Tonsor believes they will continue to increase for the rest of the year.
But despite the higher prices, consumers are still snatching burgers and bacon off the shelves.
“The public is willing to pay higher prices,” Tonsor said. “They value the convenience, the freshness, the qualities that are in these meat products.”
It could be awhile before beef prices come down.
“We have ongoing concerns with the drought and then a long biological lag for cattle,” Tonsor said. “Even though we’re trying to expand production, it takes multiple years. It’s probably going to be 2016 before we see more pounds on the shelf in the beef complex.”
Tonsor suggests comparing prices of meat products and consider buying alternate products, like bone-in instead of boneless, to save some money.
MANHATTAN — At approximately 3:12 p.m. on Sunday May 18, 2014, the Riley County Police Department received an emergent call stating that a small fishing boat in the Tuttle Cove Park area of Tuttle Creek had capsized. Once on scene, police found that the boat, approximately 14 feet in length, was carrying 3 passengers, who were not wearing personal flotation vests, at the time of its sinking. All three passengers were placed into the 59-degree water in an area where the depth is estimated to be 26 feet.
Two passengers, Jessica Regodos, 22, and Joshua Jacobs, 28, of Manhattan were rescued by a bystander who was able to pull them into his fishing boat. Regodos was subsequently transported to Mercy Regional for non-life threatening serious injury. Jacobs was able to drive his personal vehicle to Mercy Regional.
A search for the third passenger was started immediately and members of Riley County Emergency Management, Riley County Fire, Riley County EMS, Manhattan Fire Department, US Army Core of Engineers, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, the Mission Township Water Rescue Team from Shawnee County as well as the Riley County Police Department participated in a coordinated search of the cove’s entrance into the lake for approximately 7.5 hours.
During the course of the search and rescue effort, the decision was made to begin a search and recovery operation due to the length of time the third passenger was thought to have been underwater.
Shortly after 10 p.m., emergency crews recovered the body of Matthew Mann, 25, of Junction City. He was pronounced dead at the scene as a victim of drowning.
The Riley County Police Department would like to thank the agencies and personnel involved in this tragic emergency response and would also like to extend their deepest sympathies to the Mann’s family and friends.
WICHITA – Two Wichita men have been charged with drug trafficking after a Wichita police officer posed as a delivery driver at a meeting in which three pounds of methamphetamine were to change hands, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said in a news release Thursday.
Michael Ortega-Alvarez, 45, Wichita, and Manuel Bencomo-Rodriguez, 47, were charged Wednesday with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. It is alleged Wichita police stopped Ortega-Alvarez for a traffic violation on May 6. They found approximately 3 pounds of methamphetamine in his vehicle. When investigators learned Ortega-Alvarez was on his way to make a delivery to a man he didn’t know, an officer working undercover took his place.
Using Ortega-Alvarez’s phone, the officer received instructions to drive to a convenience store at 31st and Hillside and wait for a man in a blue car. Bencomo-Rodriguez arrived driving a blue Chevrolet Lumina. He led the officer to another location, after which they returned to the convenience store and Bencomo-Rodriguez was arrested.
If convicted, the defendants face a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million. The Wichita Police Department investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jacobs is prosecuting.
TOPEKA — Spring commencement ceremonies at Washburn University will be Saturday.
Washburn offers more than 200 programs leading to certification, associate, bachelor, master, doctor of nursing practice and juris doctor degrees through the College of Arts and Sciences and the schools of Applied Studies, Business, Law and Nursing. The University is consistently ranked as one of the best colleges in the Midwest by U.S. News and World Report.
Among the northwest Kansas students earning degrees are:
Colby: Christopher Rohr, Juris Doctor, Law
Damar: Travis Desbien, Bachelor of Arts, History
Dresden: Jay Wessel, Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement, Magna Cum Laude/Criminal Justice
Goodland: Matthew Espinoza, Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement, Magna Cum Laude / Criminal Justice
Sharon Springs: Hayley Pletcher, Associate of Science, Radiologic Technology
Kelley Van Laeys, Bach of Science in Nursing, Nursing, Cum Laude
Stockton: Michael Baxter, Juris Doctor, Law Hayley Strutt, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Magna Cum Laude/School of Nursing Scholar
Zurich: Chanelle Chard, Associate of Arts, Human Services
For more on area graduates and honors as they are submitted to Hays Post, check our ANNOUNCEMENTS section.
HUTCHINSON — Hutchinson Police working a rash of burglaries overnight Tuesday, which included several businesses.
Police said Wednesday thieves either broke windows or pried doors, and took mostly cash that was in the business. No fewer than 15 business were hit overnight.
No damage estimate is available, and no arrests have been made.
GREAT BEND — The convention of Fourth District Barton County Commission delegates have elected Ellinwood City Councilman Ken Lebbin to serve out the remaining term of Don Cates on the Barton County Commission. Cates, who was elected to the position in 2010, died in a plane crash in Pawnee County on April 22.
Ten of the 11 eligible Republican delegates in the Fourth District cast secret ballots Monday night at the convention, held at the Barton County Courthouse. Four individuals were nominated for Cates position and Lebbin had the most votes with 6.
Others nominated included former Barton County Commissioner Kirby Krier, along with Karen Sessler and Alicia Straub.
Dick Friedeman, who was elected Monday night as the permanent chairman of the Barton County Republican Committee, will now submit Lebbin’s name to Gov. Sam Brownback who has seven days to act. If he does nothing, the decision of the convention stands. Friedeman said he is confident Lebbin will be sworn in at next Monday’s commission meeting.
Lebbin, who has served on and off the Ellinwood City Council for 21 years, will join the commission at a key time as work on the 2015 budget will begin soon. He feels that his past experience in city government will help him in his new assignment.
Lebbin plans to resign his position on the Ellinwood City Council on Tuesday.
SALINA —The Salina Police Department is investigating a shooting that occurred just after 10 p.m. Sunday and sent one man to the hospital.
According to police, Darrell Carter was in his apartment when an unidentified black male kicked in his front door and shot him in the groin. The gunshot wound was not believed to be life-threatening, and police said Carter was shot for not paying services rendered. Additional details on the motive were available Monday morning.
Police said the shooting occurred at an apartment complex in the 2300 block of Chapel Ridge Place.
TOPEKA –Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Phyllis Gilmore announced Thursday afternoon in Topeka, a new effort to help foster parents.
A Foster Care and Family Services Ombudsman will begin serving foster parents who have specific issues or concerns that need to be addressed.
Niomi Burget currently serves as Director of Client Services for DCF. She will assume the new role of Ombudsman beginning July 1. Her office will be located in the Topeka DCF Service Center. A new toll free phone number will be established by that date for foster parents to call when they need help resolving a problem.
Niomi Burget, DCF Foster Care and Family Services Ombudsman
“Niomi has a heart for helping others and she will do a tremendous job serving foster families in Kansas,” Secretary Gilmore said. “Creating an Ombudsman position to help foster parents is just a starting point; we will continue to look at other ways we can let foster parents know they are needed and appreciated.”
The announcement was made during a foster care informational event at the Kansas State Capitol Building. A packed room was filled with foster families and foster care stakeholders who heard from Governor Sam Brownback, Secretary Gilmore and Topeka foster parent Tim Wilson. The Governor urged Kansans to consider foster care.
“There is a need and if we don’t step up to help, we’ll see more kids struggling,” Governor Brownback said.
The Governor commended the Wilson family who have fostered 18 children. Tim Wilson shared his story of foster care with those in attendance.
“All of the children we have fostered have been reunited with their biological families, and that’s the goal,” Wilson said. “If you have love and a home, consider foster care.”
FOSTER CARE STATISTICS:
· There are currently 6,019 children in foster care in Kansas.
· Approximately 2,500 family foster homes are licensed in Kansas.
· Approximately 380 children are available for adoption in the state.
· 96 percent of children in foster care are placed in a family-like setting.
· The average age of a foster child is eight.
· 43 percent of children in foster care are under six; 15 percent are 16 or older.
· Children who will be reunited with their parents, spend an average of eight months in foster care.
· To be a foster parent you must:
o Be at least 21
o Pass background checks
o Have sufficient income
o Participate in a family assessment
o Complete training
o Obtain sponsorship
o Complete first aid training
o Be licensed by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment
TOPEKA– Kansas Governor Sam Brownback recently launched the Happy Birthday, Kansas! student photography contest during the History and Environmental Fair at the Kansas Historical Society in Topeka.
Brownback spoke to a group of fourth graders from Jefferson North Elementary, encouraging them to join with students across the state to discover and celebrate the people and places of Kansas through photographs. “You guys can capture the moment,” he said. “Help us make a picture of what our history is in the state of Kansas as we’re going through it.”
Marearl Denning, one of the legislative spouses who envisioned the contest and a photographer herself, explained the rules.
The contest is open to Kansas students from first through 12th grade through October 31, 2014. Winners will be announced as part of the state’s 154th birthday celebration at the Kansas State Capitol on January 29, 2015. Contest is jointly sponsored by the Kansas Historical Society.
SALINA — A routine traffic stop afternoon resulted in the arrest of a 36-year-old Salina man for outstanding municipal court warrants, and the theft of a trailer carrying two all-terrain vehicles on April 22.
Just before 1 p.m. April 22, officers stopped a white Suburban in the parking lot of Braums on West Crawford that matched the description of a vehicle used to steal the trailer and ATV’s from the parking of La Quinta Inn at 201 E. Diamond Drive.
Jeremy Yohe was arrested for the outstanding warrants, as well as allegations of theft and drug posession after a small amount of marijuana and meth allegedly was found in the vehicle.
A passenger, 36-year-old Aleisha Gremmel, was arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana, meth and drug paraphernalia. The stolen trailer and ATVs have not been recovered.
Lenexa- EPA Region 7 is announcing nine new collegiate members of EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge (FRC), a national initiative aimed at encouraging businesses, organizations and institutions to actively participate in food waste prevention, surplus food donation and food waste recycling activities.
The nine new members from Region 7 include Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Luther College, Decorah, Iowa; Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, Mo.; Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, Mo.; Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kan.; St. Louis University, St. Louis, Mo.; Truman State University, Kirksville, Mo.; University of Iowa-Iowa City; and Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.
“EPA applauds this year’s new members for demonstrating how higher education institutions, large and small, can lead the way to reducing wasted food, saving energy and cutting greenhouse gas emissions,” said Karl Brooks, EPA regional administrator. “Food today makes up 21 percent of Americans’ trash, so by participating in the FRC these colleges and universities gain access to tools and assistance they will use to cut food waste, save money, help communities and protect the environment.”
The Food Recovery Challenge encourages organizations to find better alternatives to throwing food away. It helps organizations learn to practice leaner purchasing and divert surplus food away from landfills to hunger-relief organizations and onto the tables of those in need in the community. It also diverts food scraps, suitable for composting or animal consumption, to composting or animal feed.
The nine new collegiate members will join 10 other member organizations already participating in the FRC in Region 7: the Kansas City Chiefs; St. Louis Cardinals; Kansas State University; St. Louis Blues Hockey; University of Kansas; University of Missouri-Columbia; University of Missouri-Kansas City; University of Northern Iowa; Society of St. Andrew; and Harvest Café and Wine Bar.
FRC members will help recycle food waste and keep it out of landfills. Landfills are one of the largest contributors of methane gas, which affects climate change, including warmer temperatures, stronger storms and more droughts.
HOXIE — A Hoxie man was hospitalized after an accident early Friday morning in Sheridan County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Dodge pickup driven by Joshua A. Mader, 26, was westbound on U.S. 24 5 miles east of Hoxie when the truck crossed the center line, entered the south ditch, hit a culvert and then struck an embankment.
Mader was taken to Sheridan County Health Complex for treatment. The KHP said he was not wearing a seat belt.
