Salina Post

SALINA — A squirrel, a trash fire and roasting marshmallows kept Saline County firefighters busy this weekend.

 

At approximately 5:30 p.m. Friday, firefighters were sent to 4533 S. Burma Road where a grass fire damaged an unoccupied farm house, and destroyed two pickups and a wagon and car. The fire apparently was started by a squirrel that had been electrocuted on a power line and fell to the ground, catching the grass of fire. No damage estimate was available.

At 10:30 a.m. Saturday, crews were sent to 2752 W. Pleasant Hill Road to a report of Morton building on fire. Embers from from a trash barrel got away and set the grass on fire and caught the 30-by-40-foot building on fire. Lawnmowers, a log splitter and a trailer also were destroyed. Loss was estimated at $10,000.

Just after 10 a.m. Sunday, two children trying to roast marshmallows in a hay loft caused about $1,000 in damage to a barn at 9520 E. Assaria Road. The youngsters tried to set hay on fire and then could not put out the fire. No one was injured.

MANHATTAN – Preventing wildfires in Kansas has become a higher priority because of recent drought and high temperatures.

To help students and firefighters prepare for a wildfire, the Kansas Forest Service will host the 10th annual Mitigation Project scheduled for March 23 to 29.

The Mitigation Project is a six-day hands-on internship and training event focused on reducing the hazard of starting a wildfire and vegetation that could serve as fuel for a wildfire. The exercise is conducted by an Incident Management Team to simulate a large wildland fire incident and provide students and firefighters with off-season training in a safe, learning environment.

This year’s project will be reducing fuel loads around Toronto State Park and Kansas Forest Service’s Jackman Demonstration Forest near Leon. Students and fire personnel will use fire engines, chain saws, hand tools and prescribed fire as tools to mitigate wildfire hazards.

“To support the size and complexity of this incident we’ve brought in equipment and enlisted the expertise from a diverse group of cooperating agencies,” said Rodney Redinger, Kansas Forest Service training specialist.

Assisting Kansas Forest Service with the event this year will be more than 30 Hutchison Community College fire science students, multiple fire departments from Kansas and 40 wildland firefighters from 19 agencies and eight states.  The firefighters are all nationally certified and will be in both trainee and trainer positions.

Kansas Forest Service Fire Management funds this project with grants from the U.S. Forest Service.  The grant is designed to cover the cost of fuels reduction in areas where life or property could be harmed by wildfire.

For more information, contact the Kansas Forest Service at (785) 532-3300 or visit www.kansasforest.org.

Salina Post

SALINA — The arrival of an employee at Westar Energy early Saturday morning prevented the theft of 11 spools of copper and aluminum wire.

Salina Police Capt. Chris Trocheck said the wire had been taken off trucks parked in a fenced area at the Westar offices, located at Ohio and Edison.

A male suspect had placed the wire on the dock of the building, when the theft was interrupted. It appears the suspect gained entry inside the fence by cutting a couple of sections of chain link fence.

The value of the wire is placed at $2,000. Police were called about 5:45 a.m.

By Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and and Tourism

No one really knows why deer evolved to shed their antlers every year, but for hunters looking for a way to connect with the world of big game outside of hunting season, knowing “why” isn’t nearly as important as “where” deer shed their antlers.

“We know the mechanisms of the process, but can only speculate on the why. Why would a species spend so much effort and energy to produce these large antlers and then give them up and go through the same process again each year?” says Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) big game program coordinator, Lloyd Fox. “One reason might be because antlers get broken each year and the males want to have their most impressive rack, a new set, prior to the rut. Otherwise the old bucks would have busted remnants within a few years. Another speculation is that carrying around those large antlers is an energy drain and deer without antlers will spend less energy (thus have higher survival) as they go through the wintertime with its reduced food availability. Nobody really knows.”

Commonly referred to as “sheds,” deer antlers that have disconnected from a deer’s skull can provide hunters with valuable information about the buck that was carrying it. Most importantly, a shed antler tells a hunter that a particular buck survived the hunting seasons. A shed may also tell us whether the deer was a whitetail or mule deer, it’s approximate age, whether it was part of a “typical” or “non-typical” rack, and  it can provide information on a past location of the deer.

The bulk of Kansas whitetail bucks,shed their antlers in February. Just like with any biological process, not every deer is the same. Some bucks have been known to shed as early as November/early December, while others have kept their antlers well into mid-April.

“Bucks will shed antlers over a wide time period, but each individual sheds about the same time each year,” said Fox. “In fact, some data has shown bucks to shed their antlers within a week of the same day each year of their life. It just depends.”

When in search of these left-behind treasures, hunters are encouraged to keep the following things in mind:

-Familiarize yourself with department procedures and the distinction between a shed and a skull with antlers. (Possession of a skull with antlers attached requires a salvage tag.)

-Shed hunting is allowed on KDWPT- managed lands except WIHA, but it’s a good idea to check ahead of time because it’s not allowed on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national wildlife refuges. Landowner permission is required on all private land.

-During the spring, ticks can be widespread, so the use of an insect-repellent made with DEET can be a good defense.

For a list of public lands where you can shed hunt, visit ksoutdoors.com and click “KDWPT Info / Locations / Wildlife Areas.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), a Senate Appropriations Committee Member, on Thursday questioned U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx about the future of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Control Tower Program.

Sec. Foxx expressed his interest in keeping rural communities connected to a 21st century economy, and confirmed the contract towers are included in the president’s FY2015 budget.

The airport control towers at six small Kansas airports are on the list of 149 control towers that had been targeted for closure last year because of budget cuts:

FOE Forbes Field Topeka KS
GCK Garden City Regional Garden City KS
HUT Hutchinson Municipal Hutchinson KS
IXD New Century AirCenter Olathe KS
MHK Manhattan Regional Manhattan KS
OJC Johnson County Executive Olathe KS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today, along with U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.), introduced the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act, which requires the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to reform general aviation medical standards to maintain safety while supporting capable pilots and sustaining economic growth in the industry.

“Expanding this common sense exemption to other GA aircraft operating for recreational purposes makes sense from both a practical and safety standpoint,” Sen. Roberts said in a news release. “The FAA has had two years to review this request for an exemption. Let’s get this thing moving.”

“For many communities in Kansas, and other rural areas of the country, general aviation pilots are the only reliable access to the outside world,” Sen. Moran said. “These pilots are also integral to agriculture, forestry, disaster relief, rescue and medical evacuation operations, and countless other fields. Six thousand pilots are already leaving the general aviation industry every year – the FAA should not be making it any more difficult for capable pilots to stay. The General Aviation Pilot Protection Act will help the FAA retain and attract pilots to this vital industry, while preserving important standards of safety in our nation’s skies.”

Current law requires pilots flying certain aircraft to have a third class medical certificate. Over the last decade, 60,000 pilots left the industry, many due to the costly and time consuming process of obtaining a third class medical certificate. This bill builds on the success of FAA’s Sport Pilot rule that was adopted in 2004 and allows pilots to fly many types of small, light aircraft without a third class medical certificate, but requires that all pilots undergo a flight review by a certified flight instructor every two years. During these biennial flight reviews, instructors will continue to evaluate each pilot’s physical and cognitive condition, as well as his or her ability to safely operate an aircraft. Small aircraft pilots would be required to maintain a valid driver’s license.

This legislation is supported by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). Similar legislation, H.R. 3708, was introduced in the House by Rep. Todd Rokita (R-Ind.).

“On behalf of our hundreds of thousands of AOPA members, we thank Sens. Boozman, Roberts, and Moran for introducing this legislation which will do so much to support general aviation and keep pilots in the air,” AOPA President Mark Baker said. “By making it easier and more affordable to start flying and keep flying, this measure addresses the number one concern of our members.”

SALINA (AP) — A central Kansas man is accused of enlisting an unusual accomplice in a home burglary: his 7-year-old son.

KSAL-AM reported the break-in happened Friday afternoon at a home in Salina.

Police responding to a report of a burglary in progress arrested the 32-year-old father as he emerged from the house with an electronic cable in his hand and his son by his side.

Investigators allege the father helped the little boy enter the home through a basement window so the child could unlock a door and let him in.

The boy was released to his mother. Charges against the father were pending Monday.

By KHI News Service

TOPEKA — Officials for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, the state’s largest private health insurer, said they would continue to offer individual and small-group plans that originally were slated to come off the market because they didn’t meet the coverage standards of the federal Affordable Care Act.

The announcement came after federal health officials said last week that they were extending another Obamacare deadline so that the plans could continue to be renewed for plan years starting through October 2016.

Blue Cross officials said about 10,000 of the company’s individual policyholders would again be allowed the option of continuing with the plans, if they already have them. About 1,400 small-group customers also will be allowed to extend their policies.

“We must continue to be flexible for our members and do the best that we can to adjust to changes made by regulators,” said Mary Beth Chambers, a company spokesperson. “This change is actually a slight bit easier to administer – the initial extension required system changes to reinstate 10,000 individual contracts while informing those members as quickly as possible. With this change, individual policyholders in these plans are set until the end of the year.”

Last week’s announcement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was the second time that the agency extended the deadline for having the plans off the market.

The first delay or extension was announced in November.

“Our biggest task” as a result of the latest extension, “is to reach out to the more than 1,400 small groups with renewals in April, May and June to let them know that they can keep their current plan, something that we had previously told them we could not,” Chambers said.

The company also offers plans that meet the ACA’s coverage standards both on and off the new insurance marketplace.

By KAITLYN KLEIN
KU Statehouse Wire Service

TOPEKA — After a tornado touched down 2 miles west of Goessel on prom night 2012, and another tornado took the life of a woman, the community realized it might not have adequate protection from severe weather.

If a tornado were to hit during the day, the 125 children attending Goessel Elementary School would have to kneel in the hallways with little protection.

That image didn’t sit well with superintendent John Fast. For six years he pursued every Federal Emergency Management Agency opportunity he could find to help fund a safe room. After coming back empty-handed countless times, the school board finally approved a $3.3 million bond project last spring in part to build a storm shelter for Goessel Elementary School.

“Our community discussed this and decided we could not stand around waiting for the government to come help build us one,” he said in an email, noting that FEMA guidelines were prohibitive.

The community felt strongly enough to pass the project with a 92 percent approval rating, Fast said. He also said that without state aid on building projects, they would not have been able to afford it.

Goessel is one of many Kansas communities taking action to protect students from severe weather by adding storm shelters to school buildings. Since 2001, 168 Kansas schools, or about 11 percent, have built safe rooms through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which provides FEMA funding.

However, one bill being discussed in the state Legislature this session suggests that not all Kansas’ schools are taking the measures needed to provide a storm shelter or safe room for their schoolchildren.

HB2326 was tabled after two days of committee discussion, but it would have required storm shelters to be built for any new or heavily renovated school buildings that house students.
The bill is not dead, however, because it was also introduced in the Senate (SB264), and the Federal and State Affairs committee recommended the bill to be passed. It has yet to reach the Senate floor for an official vote.

The goal of the bill is to “provide life-saving protection to all Kansas children in the event of extreme wind.”

To do that school districts would have to consult the Kansas Adjutant General’s Office on the specifications that would properly provide storm shelter protection.

Angee Morgan, deputy director for the Kansas Division of Emergency Management, supported the bill.

Morgan said in testimony submitted to the House Committee on Education Budget that many schools in Kansas were built with inherent structural weaknesses.

She said that adequate storm shelters are necessary to prevent causalities that could result from flying debris in severe weather.
“When built to nationally recognized standards, reinforced storm shelters are designed to provide near absolute protection,” Morgan said in her written testimony.

Kansas’ schools are not currently required by law to build storm shelters, but schools have been protecting their students by working with the Kansas Division of Emergency Management to provide shelters or safe rooms.

FEMA defines a safe room as a structure that is designed to meet its guidelines and provide “near-absolute protection” from severe weather including tornados and hurricanes.

Schools that use their own funding to build shelters are not included in the data kept by the Kansas Adjutant General’s Office, according to Sharon Watson, public affairs director.

With projects like the one in Goessel being considered in other communities, a bill requiring storm shelters might not change much for Kansas schools today, but it will impact all future building projects taken on by schools in Kansas.

Kaitlyn Klein is a University of Kansas junior from Bellevue, Neb., studying journalism and public policy.

OLATHE (AP) — A northeast Kansas man has been found guilty of setting a house fire and trying to kill emergency personnel who pulled him from the burning building.

The Kansas City Star reported a Johnson County jury on Friday convicted 59-year-old William J. Outhet Jr. of arson and attempted first-degree murder.

Police and firefighters reported hearing several loud booming sounds when they arrived at Outhet’s Olathe home on Feb. 1, 2013. Prosecutors later charged Outhet with firing shots as the responders arrived.

No emergency responders were injured, but firefighters found Outhet unconscious inside the home with a shotgun across his chest. Investigators also said the fire had been intentionally set and that other firearms were positioned around the house.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 1.