Great Bend Post

PRATT ­– The Playa Lakes Joint Venture recognized Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s Joe Kramer, Director of Fisheries and Wildlife Division, as one of two recipients of the 2014 North American Migratory Bird Joint Venture Conservation Champion Award. Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory was the other 2014 recipient.

Each year, the award is given to partners and partnerships that have demonstrated a long-term commitment and dedication to the important work of the Joint Ventures, and Kramer is no exception.

“For his 34 years of contributions to the people and places so vital to the wildlife and wetlands we want to sustain, we are honored to present the Conservation Champion Award for an Individual to Joe Kramer,” said PLJV Coordinator Mike Carter. “Joe has been with us from the beginning, as a founding member of the management board, and is still just as involved today.”

Raised in Great Bend, Kramer developed a passion for waterfowl at Cheyenne Bottoms. After completing his degree in wildlife biologiy at Kansas State Univeristy, hee began his professional career as a wildlife area technician with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. In just 11 years, Joe rose to Chief of Wildlife and Fisheries Division, where he remains an important leader 27 years later.

For more information on Kramer’s contributions, visit www.pljv.org/news/playa-post/march-2014.

TOPEKA- The winter of 2014 was the most costly since 2008 for the Kansas Department of Transportation.

KDOT spent an estimated $22 million on materials, labor and equipment usage to keep state highways clear and open for travel. That amount compares to $23.7 million in 2008. This year’s winter costs break down to $8.50 per registered vehicle.

“I want to thank our crews for their dedication and hard work to keep Kansas roads open in some very difficult conditions. Winter maintenance takes a substantial amount of effort and money, but the cost to the state would be much greater if the crews didn’t maintain the system as well as they did,” said Transportation Secretary Mike King in a news release.

This season KDOT crews worked 550,000 hours, used 591 dump trucks and treated/plowed some 2.7 million lane miles.

KDOT maintenance experts said the broad scope of this year’s storms, along with frigid temperatures, combined to make this an expensive winter season.

The least amount KDOT has spent on winter maintenance in the past seven years was $6.8 million in 2012.

The 2014 figures are estimates. The numbers typically aren’t finalized until the end of the fiscal year on June 30.  

 

Winter 2014 by the numbers

591                        Dump trucks

2.7 million              Miles treated/plowed

550,000                 Labor hours

125,000                 Tons of salt

90,000                   Tons of sand

5.2 million              Gallons of brine

33,500                   Gallons of magnesium chloride

 

Annual winter expenses

2008                       $23.7 million          $9.10 per registered vehicle

2009                       $11.3 million          $4.30

2010                       $20 million             $7.70

2011                       $17.9 million          $6.90

2012                       $6.9 million            $2.70

2013                       $18.6 million          $7.20

2014                       $22 million*            $8.50*

 

*Estimated costs

           

 

TOPEKA–Kansas Department of Administration (KDOA) Secretary Jim Clark announced Wednesday in a news release  that the agency has unveiled its new website, www.admin.ks.gov.

With the new website, which was designed for easy access across mobile and desktop devices, the agency offers a digital platform for access to its many services, including procurement and contracts, state surplus, job opportunities and resources for state employees.

“It’s our goal to be the most user-friendly and effective agency we can be,” said Clark. “We are excited for the new design of the site because we believe it will be much more intuitive and easier to navigate than our site has been in the past.”

The new KDOA site offers quick and easy access to essential information and features that are utilized by Kansans by placing them in three comprehensive groupings – “For Citizens,” “For State Employees,” and “For State Agencies.”

The Municipal Services section of the website offers easy access to budget and audit information. Schools, libraries and recreation commissions rely upon the section for official services. The Surplus Property section permits users to view federal and state surplus items, and to learn about public auctions.

“All the other state agencies, as well as many private citizens, depend upon the functions of the Department of Administration to enable them to do their jobs and to receive services,” said Clark. “We want to ensure that our website helps them accomplish their tasks in the most simple, straightforward way possible.”

Salina Post

SALINA — A burglar was caught in the act early Wednesday morning but eluded capture.

Salina Police Capt. Mike Sweeney said a maintenance man at All Star Lanes bowling alley, 624 S. Broadway, discovered the break-in just before 5 a.m.

The employee confronted the burglar as he was coming out of the office through a broken window in the door. The suspect ran out of the business through the rear door of the building.

Police said it appears nothing was taken, but the burglar caused approximately $1,000 in damage, including to an office safe.

The suspect was described as a 5 foot, 10 inch white male weighing between 180 and 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, black pants and camouflage mask.

TOPEKA – Kansas Governor Sam Brownback and Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Phyllis Gilmore were joined by dozens of children today, to kick off Child Abuse Prevention Month. The event in Topeka involved the Pinwheels for Prevention campaign to call attention to child abuse prevention.

“Child abuse is a persistent problem and no child should have to live in fear,” Governor Brownback said. “We can all do something to help, watch for the signs and report suspected abuse.”

Governor Brownback signed a proclamation on March 20, designating April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Kansas. This year’s theme is Making Meaningful Connections.

“We need to connect with our communities and other families so that when we are struggling to cope, we know we’re not alone,” Secretary Gilmore said. “DCF offers many services to support families in crisis so children can stay in their home, as long as that is a safe option.”

During Tuesday’s event, DCF Social Worker Alecia Rivera spoke to those in attendance. She described her work as an investigator of abuse and neglect as both challenging and rewarding.

“It can be so rewarding to walk alongside families to help them see that child abuse is never the answer to a problem,” Rivera said. “When families can grow and thrive in a loving environment, everyone wins.”

During the last decade, the Kansas has seen a 48 percent increase in the number of reports alleging child abuse or neglect.

“While that demonstrates that child abuse is still a serious issue in our communities, it also demonstrates that we as a state are doing a better job raising awareness and protecting children from further abuse,” Secretary Gilmore said.

As part of Tuesday’s event, children from the Topeka area and Governor Brownback planted pinwheels in a flower garden on the south side of the State Capitol Building. The planting ceremony is part of the Pinwheels for Prevention campaign—an effort to change the way our nation thinks about prevention and how we can deliver on our commitment to Kansas children. The pinwheel serves as an uplifting reminder of childhood and the bright futures all children deserve.

Suspected child abuse and neglect can be reported by calling the Kansas Protection Center at 1-800-922-5330.

Salina Post

SALINA — A 28-year-old Salina woman has been arrested on a charge of aggravated battery in connection with a shooting Thursday that put a 34-year-old man in the hospital.

Tiffany Goheen was booked into the Saline County jail late Friday morning for allegedly shooting John Daniels at 864 Sherman. Police were notified of the shooting Thursday night at approximately 10:30 p.m. by emergency room staff at Salina Regional Health Center.

Both Daniels and Goheen list the Sherman Street address as their residence.

No other information about the case has been released.

TOPEKA — Gov. Sam Brownback signed eight bills into law Monday. Today’s signings bring the total number of bills signed by the governor during the 2014 legislative session to 14.

Bills signed into law include:

• HB 2591 – Requires municipal audit reports to be filed electronically with the Secretary of Administration.

• HB 2544 – Authorizes certain postsecondary educational institutions to enter into the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement to provide distance education to out-of-state students.

• HB 2470 – Removes requirements that all Regents universities purchase insurance of any kind or nature, except employee health insurance, only from an insurance company authorized to do business in Kansas.

• HB 2715 – Changes regulations regarding the transportation of farm implements by implement dealers on Kansas highways.

• HB 2597 – Allows municipalities that already provide solid waste collection services to immediately offer recycling collection services.

• HB 2611 – Reduces the amount of time a licensed dentist would be required to be present in a dental office for which the licensed dentist is a full or partial owner, advertises the dentist’s name, or associates together for the practice of dentistry, or with persons licensed to practice medicine and surgery.

• SB 278 – Transfers all duties, powers, employees, and funding of the Board of Veterinary Examiners into the Division of Animal Health in the Kansas Department of Agriculture for a two year period, beginning on July 1, 2014.

• SB 371 – Revises provisions of employment security laws, commonly referred to as Unemployment Insurance, pertaining to the disposition of penalties collected and the disclosure of information in certain circumstances.

By law, the Kansas governor has 10 calendar days to sign the bill into law, veto the bill or allow the bill to become law without his or her signature.

WICHITA (AP) — The dance is over for the Kansas chapter of Polka Lovers Klub of America.

President Angie Kaiser announced in the group’s March newsletter that the club disbanded because of a lack of new members. She says about $16,000 in the club’s treasury has been given to charitable organizations.

The club was formed in June 1983 and had about 250 dancers. But most of the members are elderly and it also had trouble finding people to serve as officers.

The Wichita Eagle reported the club’s photo albums were donated to the Barton County Historical Society in Great Bend.

Polka is alive and well on Eagle Radio of Hays. Check out Polka on the Plains from 11 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday on KAYS-1400 AM, hosted by Theresa Trapp.

Salina Post

SALINA — Police are investigating a reported stabbing Sunday night in Salina.

Capt. Sean Morton of the Salina Police Department said officers responded to Kwik Shop, 2003 S. Ohio, at approximately 10 p.m. to reports of a man saying he had been stabbed.

Officers found a 36-year-old Salina man with a puncture wound to his left thigh, a bump above his right eye and dried blood under his nose.

The man was taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries, and the investigation of the incident continues.

Wednesday is the final day to register for the annual Rural Opportunities Conference, which will be April 9 and 10 in Dodge City.

The conference will highlight rural business and community development topics. Breakout sessions will discuss funding diversity and collaboration for community and entrepreneurial development; closing the workforce housing gap; the economic impact of water in Kansas; and attracting residents, workers and entrepreneurs to rural Kansas. A new breakout session will focus on topics proposed by conference attendees.

Cost is $75 per person, which includes all sessions and meals. For a complete schedule and registration information, visit KansasCommerce.com/RuralOpportunitiesConference.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A suburban Pittsburgh teenager has published a study suggesting the federal government could save millions of dollars a year in printing costs by switching to a thinner typeface that uses less ink.

Fourteen-year-old O’Hara township resident Suvir Mirchandani says there was plenty of talk at school about saving paper and he wondered about saving ink.

He said Friday the amount of ink the government might use “was really surprising” to him. He says he hopes to make people aware choosing certain fonts for printing can save ink and money.

His research began as a school project but was published in the Journal of Emerging Investigators, created for promising middle and high school students. He suggests printing in the 12-point Garamond font.

The Government Printing Office praises his work and says it will review the printing suggestion.