Eric Allen Daily News 9/3
KDOT Update 9/3 (Projects, Labor Day Travel Info)
Event Hopes to Help Send WWII Vets to Washington
Public Employee Pension Problems in Kansas

By the Associated Press

September 3

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas public employee pension system made investment gains last year, but still has a major funding shortfall. Glenn Deck, executive director of the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System, said Thursday that the improved investment returns cut the unfunded pension liability to $7.6 billion. In a report to a House-Senate committe, Deck said Wall Street gains last year reduced the KPERS deficit by $602 million. 

The system, which has a portfolio of $11.2 billion, covers 250,000 teachers and goverment employees. The unfunded liability doesn't jeopardize current payments to retirees. Senate President Steve Morris says one of the top priorities of next year's legislature will be to correct the long-term funding problems of the system.

 

USD 457 Update (September Activities, Adult Education)
Big Brothers, Big Sisters Talks Vital Partnerships 9/2
727 Unincorporated Areas Not on Kansas Map

By the Associated Press

September 2

CHICOPEE, Kan. (AP) - Starting next year, the official map of Kansas will finally recognize an unincorporated town in the southeast corner of the state. The community of Chicopee just west of Pittsburg will be on the map starting in 2011. One of the town's 400 residents, Jerry Lomshek, says he worked with state Rep. Julie Menghini of Pittsburg to get the Kansas Department of Transportation to put Chicopee on the map. 

Cartographer Brian Logan says Kansas currently has 727 unincorporated areas that are not on the state map. The Pittsburg Morning Sun reports that the state has criteria for putting an unincorporated town on the map. The town must be on a state highway, have at least 10 occupied dwellings, have a community building and at least one business.

 

Seat-Bucklers Getting Bucks in Several SWKS Cities

By Eric Allen

September 1

Buckling up could get you a couple of bucks in the weeks ahead. The non-profit group Safe Kids Kansas is teaming up with the Kansas Department of Transportation and local insurance agencies for a "Bucks for Buckles" campaign from August 29 to September 11. 

46 cities across Kansas will have volunteers handing out dollar bills to drivers who have all occupants buckled up in their vehicle. Participating cities in southwest Kansas include Dodge City, Garden City, Ness City, and Ulysses.

GCCC Campus Update 8/31 (Endowment Fundraiser, Mail and Phone Campaign)
Garden City Mayor Talks About Tuesday Town Hall 8/31
GCPD Talks Weekend Results, Football Patrol 8/31
Garden City Sobriety Checkpoint Results

By Eric Allen

August 31

Some weekend numbers are in from a sobriety checkpoint conducted by the police department. GCPD officials say the checkpoint was set up Saturday on the 1500 block of East Fulton...with 57 vehicles stopped inside the checkpoint. As a result, police say one person was arrested for a suspected DUI; one person was cited for being a minor drinking alcohol; one person was arrested on a city warrant.

Meet the New GCCC Interim President
Dove Season Opens Wednesday

By the Associated Press

August 30

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) - The dove hunting season begins Wednesday in Kansas, which has one of the largest dove populations in the country. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks says the dove harvest in Kansas is among the top five in the United States. Last year, about a half-million doves were bagged by hunters in Kansas. Wildlife officials also tell The Hutchinson News they hope that a continued study will give more information on the number of doves harvested. The state has banded 15,000 doves since 2003. Yet hunters have reported only 500 bands. The department says that's likely because dove hunters aren't used to looking for bands like waterfowl hunters. Officials are trying to encourage more dove hunters to check for bands on the doves they shoot and report them to the department.

Lee Richardson Zoo Update 8/27 (Finnup Addition, Reading Day Change)
2-Year-Old Dead in Apparent Accidental Drowning

UPDATE: AUTHORITIES HAVE RELEASED THE NAME OF THE VICTIM: GABRIEL RIOS OF GARDEN CITY.

By Eric Allen

August 26

A 2-year-old boy has died after being found unresponsive in a swimming pool at a Garden City home. According to a statement from the Garden City Police Department, emergency crews were called to 1603 Glenellen Drive just before 10pm Wednesday night for a possible drowning. Crews performed CPR on the unresponsive boy and took him to St. Catherine Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities have not released the name of the boy, so they can make sure all family notifications have been made.

Police have determined that the boy did not live at the home where the accident happened, but was visiting there with his mother at the time, with several children and adults in the backyard area.  It is believed he was able to get through a fence surrounding the in-ground pool without being seen, and was then discovered in the pool.

Kansas Headlines 9/3
By the Associated Press

GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) - A service to celebrate the life of a slain 14-year-old Kansas girl is planned today in Great Bend. Alicia DeBolt's body was found last month at an asphalt plant outside Great Bend. No one has been charged in her death, but a person of interest has been arrested on vehicular burglary and theft charges.
     
GARDNER, Kan. (AP) - A seven-year-old boy fatally injured after being hit by an SUV outside a Gardner elementary school was the son of a vice principal at Gardner-Edgerton High School. Police say Kade Meyer was crossing the street between two vehicles outside Madison Elementary yesterday when he was struck.
     
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says it has cleared a backlog of 6,400 requests for birth certificates and other records. The department's vital statistics office is back to normal operations after computer storage hardware crashed last month.
     
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) - A Hutchinson man convicted of molesting three young girls dating back to March 2008 has been sentenced to life in prison. Robert Miller has to serve 25 years before he can go up for possible parole. The victims were ages four, five and seven.
New Lottery Ticket, Despite Prohibition From State Founders

By the Associated Press

September 3

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The state's founders probably wouldn't have approved, but Kansas will use a new lottery game to celebrate the state's 150th birthday. The Kansas Lottery scheduled a news conference Friday to launch the new game. Lt. Gov. Troy Findley planned to participate. 

Kansas was admitted to the union on Jan. 29, 1861, becoming a new free state just weeks ahead of the Civil War. Kansas was admitted under a state constitution that said lotteries and the sale of lottery tickets were "forever prohibited." 

"Forever" ran out in 1986, when Kansas voters approved an amendment authorizing a state-owned lottery.

 

Group Seeks to Protect Lesser Prairie Chicken

By the Associated Press

September 2

DENVER (AP) - A conservation group is suing to try to win federal protection for the lesser prairie chicken, a bird about the same size as domestic chickens found in the grasslands of Colorado and neighboring states. A lawsuit filed by WildEarth Guardians Wednesday in federal court in Denver is challenging the Interior Department's decision last year that the bird's listing on the endangered species list is warranted but is a lower priority than other species. The group says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office responsible for the region where the prairie chicken is found hasn't listed any species since 2005.

Besides Colorado, the birds are found in grasslands in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Kansas. Biologists estimate there are about 40,000 breeding birds left.

 

Emergency Farm Loans for Clark, Meade Counties

News Release, Kansas Farm Service Agency

September 1

USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) is making emergency loans available to help qualified producers recover from production and physical losses due to severe storms, tornadoes, wind & flooding, in Clark and Meade Counties in Kansas, which occurred June 13 through June 15, 2010.

Eligible loan funds may be used to restore or replace essential property and pay production costs associated with the disaster year. Applicants can borrow up to 100 percent of actual production or physical losses not to exceed $500,000. The current rate for these low interest loans is 3.75 percent. Producers must meet eligibility requirements and not be able to obtain credit from a commercial lender. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. Producers have until March 28, 2011, to apply for an emergency loan under Designation M1926. Contact the FSA office at your local USDA Service Center, or call (620) 227-3731 for more details. USDA is an equal opportunity employer, provider and lender.

Justice Selection Process Faces Legal Challenge

By the Associated Press

September 1

 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The process for choosing a new Kansas Supreme Court justice faces a legal challenge even as it moves forward. Judges and attorneys hoping to fill a vacancy on the court had until noon Wednesday to submit applications by mail or in person. Former Chief Justice Robert Davis retired Aug. 3 and died the next day.
A state nominating commission is set to screen applications and send the names of three finalists to Gov. Mark Parkinson. But four Kansas voters have filed a federal lawsuit to prevent five of the nine commission members from participating. Those members, all attorneys, are chosen only by fellow lawyers. The voters contend the process is undemocratic and violates their right to participate in the selection process.

 

August Tax Collections in Kansas Higher Than Expected

By the Associated Press

August 31

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - A new report says Kansas saw tax collections exceed expectations by nearly $38 million in August. The Department of Revenue issued preliminary figures Tuesday showing that the state collected $414 million in taxes. That's 10 percent higher than the $376 million projected.
That's good news for state officials, because it more than makes up for a small shortfall in tax collections in July. For the current fiscal year, which began July 1, the state's tax collections are about $35 million ahead of expectations. If the state were falling significantly short of expectations, Gov. Mark Parkinson might be forced to revise the state's $13.7 billion budget. He made budget reductions last year because of revenue shortfalls.

A One Vehicle Accident Takes 8 Year old Life in Grant Co.

By Eddie Ochoa

August 30

A one-vehicle accident took the life of an 8-year-old on Sunday. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, Guillermina Goitia of Liberal was traveling North on K-190 just 1.3 miles east of Ryus, KS when she entered a curve and failed to steer through the curve and ran off the roadway and rolled the 2000 Nissan Pathfinder. She and 3-year-old Karen Cortez were taken to the Satanta Dist. Hospital with their injuries. Jacqueline Goitia, 8-years-old, was ejected from the vehicle. The driver Guillermina and the 3-year-old wore safety restraints.

Rural Highways To Be Discussed

By the Associated Press

August 30

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Top Kansas transportation and agricultural officials will be in Wichita to discuss a national report examining highway capacity issues in rural America. Transportation Secretary Deb Miller and Agriculture Secretary Josh Svaty were scheduled to be at the parking lot of Wichita Street Fabricators at 11 a.m. Monday. They planned to talk about the importance of transportation infrastructure to agriculture and freight movement.

Groundbreaking Ceremony for Scott County Hospital Monday

By Adam Kadavy

August 27

A groundbreaking ceremony for the brand new Scott County Hospital will take place Monday, August 30 at 10 am. The lot for the brand new hospital will be located just to the east of the Best Western El Quartelejo Inn and Pamida in the southeast part of Scott City. The community is invited to attend.

Obama Agriculture Workshop in Colorado

By the Associated Press

August 27

 

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) - Meatpackers, feeders and hundreds of ranchers from around the country are attending a workshop the Obama administration is holding in Colorado to discuss antitrust issues in the livestock industry. The daylong workshop Friday in Fort Collins is one of five the administration set this year to hear about competition in an increasingly consolidated industry. Many attendees are concerned about an antitrust rule the Obama administration proposed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the rule would keep markets fair and competitive for livestock producers, but those producers sharply disagree on whether the rule would help or hurt. Attorney General Eric Holder and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack are both attending.

 

Body of Missing Great Bend Teen Found, Identified

By the Associated Press

August 26

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A charred body found near Great Bend this week has been identified as 14-year-old Alicia DeBolt, who had been missing since Saturday night.

Kansas Attorney General Steve Six is asking anyone who saw, called or texted DeBolt on Saturday evening to come forward. Six announced the positive identification Thursday at a news conference in Great Bend, where Alicia would have started her freshman year in high school this week.

The girl's body was found near an asphalt plant outside of Great Bend on Tuesday. Investigators say she was burned beyond recognition and had to be identified through dental records.

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Services Today for Great Bend Teenager

By the Associated Press

September 3

GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) - A "celebration of life" service for a slain 14-year-old girl was scheduled Friday in Great Bend. The service for Alicia DeBolt will be at 10 a.m. at the First Assembly of God in Great Bend. The Rev. Kyle Ermoian will officiate. A private family inurnment will take place after the service.
Alicia's family last saw her late on the night of Aug. 21, when she left home to go to a party. Her burned body was found three days later at an asphalt plant outside Great Bend. No one has yet been charged in her death, but a so-called person of interest has been arrested on vehicular burglary and theft charges related to a van stolen from the asphalt plant where the body was found.

 

Kansas Buys School Tests

By the Associated Press

September 2

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas plans to buy 60,000 exams so that public schools can help eighth- and 10th-graders prepare for college or job training after high school. The ACT Explore and ACT Plan tests are similar to the ACT college entrance exam and come from the same nonprofit organization.

The Kansas Department of Education says it will buy 30,000 of each exam with up to $555,000 in federal funds, so that schools won't have to charge students who want to take them. The ACT Explore exam is for eighth-graders and identifies their academic strengths and weaknesses. The ACT Plan is similar but can be used to help students decide on possible career paths.

 

New Community Dental Clinic in Dodge City

By Eric Allen

September 1

A new community dental clinic to serve those in need will soon open in Dodge City. It's a project and service created by the Ford County Oral Health Coalition and United Methodist Mexican American Ministries--a non-profit group serving the underinsured and uninsured in southwest Kansas. Officials with the groups say the goal is to provide dental care to people who might not otherwise be able to afford it. Patients will be charged their fee on a sliding scale that is based on income levels and federal poverty guidelines.

Officials say the staff will be made up of several area dentists and professionals volunteering their time at the clinic, which will be open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. The new dental clinic will be at 2011 Central Avenue, where the Kansas Farmers Service Organization has donated their unused office space, according to UMMAM officials. The clinic is scheduled to open September 8.

Massive Pot Bust in Eastern Kansas

By the Associated Press

September 1

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) - Officers with an eastern Kansas county confiscated more than 800 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $1.6 million. Geary County Sheriff Jim Jensen says the marijuana was found last Saturday during a stop on Interstate 70. Jensen says St. Mark Maschmeier pulled over a tractor-trailer truck for a routine traffic stop near Manhattan and searched the vehicle after becoming
suspicious of the driver. Jensen says Maschmeier discovered the marijuana bales, which weighed 830 pounds, concealed in a false ceiling compartment. Jensen said it was one of the largest marijuana seizures in Geary County history. The Manhattan Mercury reports that the driver of the truck, who was from California, was arrested and is being held in Geary County jail.

Water Work in Downtown Dodge

By Eric Allen

August 31

Water work in downtown Dodge City means some temporary detours for drivers. Dodge City officials say for the rest of this week there will be periodic road closures and detours in the downtown area, as utility crews work to replace and add water valves to the city service. Officials say this will help utility crews in the future by allowing them to better localize a water shutoff if necessary--such as during a water main break--and will not make it necessary to shut off water in a larger part of the area.

State Tax Collection Figures Due Out Today

By the Associated Press

August 31

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas officials are hoping the state's tax collections in August met expectations. The state Department of Revenue planned to release preliminary figures Tuesday. Tax collections in July were close to expectations, falling about $3 million short of the state's official estimate of $379 million. The shortfall was less than 1 percent. If the state falls significantly short of expectations for several months, Gov. Mark Parkinson could be forced to consider revising the state's $13.7 billion budget. He made budget reductions last year because of revenue shortfalls. But Parkinson has been optimistic that the state's finances stabilized after Kansas increased it sales tax on July 1 from 5.3 percent to 6.3 percent.

New Website for Republican River Issues

By the Associated Press

August 30

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - The National Drought Mitigation Center and some natural resources districts have developed a website that focuses on the Republican River basin. The portal includes news, basin history, legal information, links to current water and drought monitoring and sections on management, planning, education and research.
The Republican River flows through Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas. The three states are joined under a compact that guides water use in the basin and have waged legal battles over compliance with that agreement. The Upper Republican Natural Resources District is hosting the portal, online at http://www.rrbdp.org.
The National Drought Mitigation Center is based in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources.

Person of Interest in Great Bend Teen Death Investigation

By Eric Allen

August 27

Authorities say they now have a person of interest in the death investigation of a 14-year-old girl from Great Bend. The announcement from the state attorney general's office...a 36-year-old man is currently being held in Barton County on a warrant for a stolen vehicle. Authorities have not indicated at this point if he is a suspect. A statewide alert was issued Friday morning in an attempt to locate this person of interest. He was found the same morning off of Interstate 70, west of Salina.

Meanwhile, authorities continue their investigation, and continue to ask the public for any information regarding 14-year-old Alicia DeBolt, the Great Bend teenager who was last seen alive last Saturday. A body was discovered Tuesday and later identified as Alicia.

Slower Rails Called For in Western Kansas

By the Associated Press

August 27

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) - BNFS Railway has told Amtrak to slow down its trains on segments of deteriorating tracks in parts of western Kansas. BNFS, which owns the lines and contracts with Amtrak to use the rail lines, imposed the reduced speeds on Aug. 20 after an inspection of the lines. BNSF spokesman Andy Williams says the new speed limits have been reduced from 79 mph to 60 mph for passenger trains and 40 mph for freight. Williams says the tracks would have to be replaced before the speed limit could return to 79 mph, and that is not likely to happen anytime soon. The Hutchinson News reports that the lines involved were installed between 1940 and 1951. BNSF wouldn't identify the segments of track where slower limits were imposed.

Concussion Testing Coming to Kansas High Schools

By the Associated Press

August 27

DE SOTO, Kan. (AP) - More than a dozen high schools in northeastern Kansas are testing how the brains of their student-athletes work normally in case any of them suffer concussions. De Soto High School athletic trainer Steve Hawkins says the high schools are relying on something called ImPACT, which stands for Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing. A handful of Kansas high schools used the test last year, but most are adding it this fall. The test can be taken at the beginning at the season and measures such things as the athletes' memories. If an athlete suffers a suspected concussion, the test can be retaken, and the post-injury results can be compared to the
pre-injury results. The program already is used by the NFL, NHL, Major League Baseball, NBA teams and universities across the country.