September 2017 – Page 56 – Great Bend Post Archive

Kansas woman dies in pickup rollover crash

Posted on September 9, 2017

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — A Kansas woman died in an accident just after 1p.m. Saturday in Montgomery County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Ford Ranger driven by Linda Sue Bruce, 64, Coffeyville, was west bound on U.S. 160 one mile east of Independence.

The pickup drifted right onto the gravel shoulder. The driver overcorrected, drove across the highway, entered the south ditch, overturned and unknown number of times and collided with a fence.

Bruce was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Frontier Forensics. A passenger in the pickup Betty Ann Colgan, 58, Coffeyville, was transported to a hospital in Tulsa. Another passenger Charles Thomas McCabe, 60, Independence, was transported to Labette Health Independence Clinic.

Bruce and McCabe were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

Kansas man admits rape of 2 children over 13-years

Posted on September 9, 2017September 9, 2017

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) A Kansas man has pleaded guilty to raping two children for several years.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports 54-year-old Edwin Wasson pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of rape.

Prosecutors say he raped the first victim between 2002 and 2008 and the second child between 2013 and 2015.

Wasson will be required to register immediately as a sex offender and to remain registered for the rest of his life.

Attorneys on both sides requested a sentence of 24.5 years, or 12 years on each count to run consecutively. He will be sentenced Oct. 20.

The victims are now 23 and 17.

8 Kansans indicted for drug trafficking meth from California

Posted on September 9, 2017

TOPEKA–Nine people have been indicted on federal charges of drug trafficking in Marshall County, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.

The six-count indictment unsealed on Aug. 30, 2017, alleges John Haver, 61, Waterville, Kan., and others obtained methamphetamine from California and distributed it to buyers in Marshall County, Kan. Charges in the indictment include conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to launder money and money laundering. In addition to Haver, defendants named in the indictment include:

Cally Hanshaw, 41, Waterville, Kan.

Jose Martinez, 40, Porterville, Calif.

Clayton Chase, 28, Marysville, Kan.

Philip Pagan, 38, Waterville, Kan.

Curtis Wichman, 39, Blue Rapids, Kan.

Lorinda Patton, 37, Blue Rapids, Kan.

Kimberly Krunze, 26, Waterville, Kan.

Robert Zidek, 43, Blue Rapids, Kan.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:

Count 1: Not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million.

Count 2: Not less than 5 years in federal prison and a fine up to $5 million.

Count 3-6: Up to 20 years and a fine or more than $500,000

Investigative agencies involved in this case include the Waterville, Blue Rapids, and Riley County Police Departments, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Skip Jacobs is prosecuting.

Kansas prisons chief: Outside protests fuel inmate unrest

Posted on September 9, 2017

First responders on the scene during the prison disturbance and fire in Norton Tuesday night-photo courtesy KWCH

JOHN HANNA, Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ top prison official says protests outside the walls are helping to fuel unrest in state prisons by inspiring inmates to use mass demonstrations to air grievances.

Corrections Secretary Joe Norwood said in an Associated Press interview that he doesn’t see any other connection between a recent uprising at the Norton Correctional Facility in northwestern Kansas and past disturbances at the maximum-security prison in El Dorado.

Norwood said Tuesday night’s riot in Norton appeared to be spontaneous. Inmates set small fires, smashed windows, threw rocks and were told they could face lethal force.

He said political protests seem to be more common outside of prison and inmates who have some access to television are noticing.

But some lawmakers said inmate transfers or increased double-bunking are contributing to the unrest.

Judge: Kansas City librarian not guilty after free speech confrontation

Posted on September 9, 2017

Steve Woolfolk -photo courtesy American Library Assn.

KANSAS CITY— (AP) — A Kansas City librarian has been found not guilty of charges he faced after he tried to stop the arrest of a library patron during a public forum.

A municipal court judge on Friday found Steve Woolfolk not guilty of obstruction, interfering with an arrest and assaulting a police officer.

The Kansas City Star reports Woolfolk was charged after a May 2016 confrontation at Kansas City library lecture by Middle East expert and diplomat Dennis Ross. Woolfolk intervened when off-duty police and private guards arrested Jeremy Rothe-Kushel of Lawrence, who was trying to ask Ross several questions.

Library executive director R. Crosby Kemper III publicly criticized the arrest. The library and Woolfolk received national awards for his stance.

City prosecutors had earlier dropped trespassing and resisting arrest charges against Rothe-Kushel.

Sheriff: Pedestrian dead after hit on Kansas highway

Posted on September 9, 2017

DOUGLAS COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal pedestrian accident. Just before 5a.m., first responders were dispatched to Kansas 10 at County Road 1057 after report of a vehicle hit and killed a pedestrian, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department.

Eastbound K10 near CR1057 down to 1 traffic lane due to pedestrian being hit and killed by vehicle. Law enforcement still on scene.

— Douglas Co. Sheriff (@DGSOSheriff) September 9, 2017

Traffic was closed to one lane until almost 9 a.m. as a result of the crash. The Kansas Highway Patrol has not released the name of the victim or details of the crash.

Monday Barton County Commission Meeting Agenda

Posted on September 9, 2017September 7, 2017

BOARD OF BARTON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Agenda Meeting
Monday, September 11, 2017 9:00 a.m. Until Close

I. OPENING BUSINESS:
A. Call Meeting to Order.
B. Recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.
C. Consider Approval of the Agenda.
D. Consider Minutes of the August 28, 2017, Regular Meeting.
E. Any citizen wishing to make statements during the discussion of any item must first be recognized by the Commission Chair. After being recognized, that person should state their name and the name of any organization represented. Statements should be limited to five minutes.
F. Cell phones and other electronic devices, other than those used by the media and law enforcement, should be shut off.

II. APPROVAL OF APPROPRIATIONS:
-An Accounts Payable Register will be submitted to the Commission for the period of August 21, 2017, and ending September 5, 2017. It noted that the Commission will be asked to ratify this Register.

III. OLD BUSINESS – Items tabled, or scheduled, from previous Commission Meetings, will be heard at this time. -There is no Old Business at this time.

IV. NEW BUSINESS – All new business to be considered by the Commission will be heard at this time.

A. COUNTY CLERK’S OFFICE: Request for Approval – Added / Abated / Escaped / Refunded Taxes:
-Donna Zimmerman, County Clerk, will present a listing of Added / Abated / Escaped / Refunded Taxes. Orders for these actions are kept on file in the County Clerk’s Office. These are used to correct assessments and are requested by the County Appraiser’s Office or the County Clerk’s Office.

B. PROCLAMATION 2017-11: Barton County Preparedness Month, September, 2017:
-Barton County Preparedness Month, September 2017, is a part of National
Preparedness Month, an event hosted by the Ready Campaign and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This Proclamation encourages
individuals, businesses and communities to plan and prepare for an emergency.
Amy Miller, Emergency Manager, will present details.

C. 2017 TAX SALE: Update:
-The County recently took judgment on the parcels remaining on the 2017 Tax
Sale. Owners are able to redeem parcels until Noon, Friday, October 6, 2017.
The sale will be held in the Courthouse Conference Room at 10:00 a.m.,
Tuesday, October 10, 2017. At this time, 46 parcels remain. Kevin Wondra,
County Treasurer, will report.

D. COTTONWOOD EXTENSION DISTRICT: Agreement for Occupation:
-The Cottonwood Extension District is housed in the Barton County Office Building
at 12th and Kansas, Great Bend. In light of the change in their status, the District
asked that the Agreement be modified to include their name change and a
longer notification period in the event the County determines that a rental fee
should be charged. The modified Agreement was submitted to local agents for
their approval. Phil Hathcock, Operations Director, will now present the
updated Agreement to the Commission.

E. COUNTY SERVICES: Informational Update:
-Mr. Hathcock will provide the informational report of work completed during
the last period. The report, which will be made available to the media, will serve
as a public reminder of the services provided by the County on a regular basis.

IV. ENDING BUSINESS – After new items are heard by the Commission, the following
items, including announcements, will be heard.

A. ANNOUNCEMENTS:
-Following the close of the Agenda Meeting, the Commission will consider the
authorization of personnel changes for classified positions, sign any
documentation approved during the agenda meeting or sign any other
documentation required for regular County business. Similar action may take
place throughout the day.

B. APPOINTMENTS: SEPTEMBER 11, 2017
9:30 a.m. or following the close of the Agenda Meeting – Regular Business
Discussion – Phil Hathcock, Operations Director, and Donna Zimmerman, County
Clerk. Included will be a discussion of the continuation of Work Fit testing.
9:45 a.m. – CIC Training and Investment of Idle Funds – Jim Jordan, County
Treasurer-Elect, and Matt Patzner, Human Resource / Finance Officer
10:00 a.m. – Department Head Meeting with the Commissioners. Department
Head meetings are held in the Courthouse Conference Room, Room 101. After
the Department Head meeting is closed, the Commission will return to their
Chambers.
11:00 a.m. – Grant Support – Todd Hadnot, Saint Francis
11:30 a.m. – Mr. Hathcock and Ms. Zimmerman will continue regular business
discussion.
THE COUNTY EDITION, KVGB-AM – Thursdays at 11:05 a.m. Amy Miller,
Emergency Risk Manager, is scheduled for September 14, 2017.

V. OTHER BUSINESS:
A. Discussion Items.
B. Citizens or organizations may present requests or proposals for initial
consideration.
C. The Commissioners are available to the Public on Mondays during regular
business hours.
D. The Commissioners may, individually, schedule personal appointments
related to County business at their discretion.
E. The next Regular Meeting will be Monday, September 18, 2017, at 9:00
a.m.

VI. ADJOURN.

Kobach Cites Voter Database As Key Kansas Resource

Posted on September 9, 2017

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is touting a controversial multistate voter database as a key resource in response to U.S. Department of Justice questions about Kansas’ compliance with federal voting law.

In a recent letter to the Justice Department, obtained by the Kansas News Service through an open records request, Kobach describes the database as “one of the most important systems” Kansas uses to check the accuracy of voter rolls.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach responded to a U.S. Justice Department request about voter registration information in an Aug. 31 letter. He cited a multistate voter database as a key resource for Kansas election officials.
FILE PHOTO / KPR

Kobach has long said the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program — which began in 2005 under previous Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh — serves as a valuable tool for protecting the integrity of elections by allowing officials in about 30 states to compare their voter rolls in search of people who are double registered.

Critics, however, question the program’s value, saying poor data quality means there is far greater potential for mistakenly assuming people with the same name and birthdate to be the same person.

In his letter to the Justice Department, Kobach said the database serves to identify “potential duplicate registrations,” which can then be checked further.

His letter is a reply to the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, which in June contacted election officials in all 50 states seeking details about how they comply with the National Voter Registration Act.

Read Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s letter to the Justice Department.

The Justice Department made its request on June 28 — the same day that Kobach, as vice chairman of President Donald Trump’s commission on voter fraud, asked all states for voter roll data.

The Justice Department asked states to reply within 30 days, but the reply from Kobach’s office is dated Aug. 31.

Read the Justice Department letter regarding the National Voter Registration Act.

A Justice Department spokeswoman confirmed this week that Kansas’ letter has been received and is being reviewed. The spokeswoman declined to answer questions about the content of Kansas’ reply, the date of its submission and whether the Justice Department has received responses from all 50 states yet.

Kobach’s office declined to answer questions about the timing of the response and whether the office had sought an extension from the Justice Department.

Among the Justice Department’s questions to Kobach’s office, also obtained through an open records request, are requests for copies of policies and statutes related to removing names from the rolls when voters die or become ineligible because of a change of address. Kobach’s letter points the Justice Department to an online manual for Kansas elections.

The president’s commission on voter fraud, which includes Kobach as vice chairman, will meet Tuesday in New Hampshire.

Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics. You can reach her on Twitter @Celia_LJ.

Friday Statewide Scores

Posted on September 9, 2017

By The Associated Press

KANSAS PREP FOOTBALL
Andale 39, Labette County 0
Anderson County 50, West Franklin 45
Arkansas City 24, Salina Central 21
Atchison 40, KC Sumner 14
Augusta 19, Clearwater 7
Axtell 74, Valley Falls 24
Balko, Okla. 42, Rolla 26
Basehor-Linwood 38, Spring Hill 0
Bennington 42, Little River 20
Bishop Miege 48, Gardner-Edgerton 0
Blue Valley 55, BV West 7
Bluestem 33, Erie 30
Buhler 37, Andover Central 7
Burlingame 60, Hartford 8
Caldwell 38, Attica/Argonia 20
Cedar Vale/Dexter 52, Altoona-Midway 0
Central Plains 44, Ness City 20
Centralia 29, St. Mary’s 8
Centre 66, Goessel 20
Chaparral 56, Medicine Lodge 15
Chapman 28, Southeast Saline 20
Cheney 74, Belle Plaine 22
Cheylin 53, Wheatland-Grinnell 28
Cimarron 70, Johnson-Stanton County 0
Clay Center 28, Concordia 26
Clifton-Clyde 46, Frankfort 0
Coffeyville 48, Parsons 21
Colby 49, LaCrosse 7
Columbus 20, Pawnee, Colo. 14
Conway Springs 60, Wichita Independent 0
Council Grove 32, Northern Heights 12
DeSoto 36, Bonner Springs 0
Dighton/Healy 53, Oberlin-Decatur 8
Dodge City 40, Wichita Southeast 6
Elkhart 32, Southwestern Hts. 6
l-Saline 35, Remington 7
Ellsworth 28, Beloit 22
Eureka 38, Central Heights 20
Fort Scott 56, Independence 6
Fredonia 34, Douglass 28
Galena 28, Frontenac 21
Garden City 16, Castle View, Colo. 7
Garden Plain 49, Wichita Trinity 21
Girard 35, Riverton 0
Goddard 50, Derby 20
Goodland 45, Wray, Colo. 6
Greeley County 54, Quinter 8
Hanover 54, Udall 6
Hays 21, Great Bend 20
Hays-TMP-Marian 49, Ellis 13
Hesston 37, Halstead 22
Hill City 64, Stockton 18
Hoisington 35, Wichita Collegiate 20
Hoxie 46, Lakeside 0
Hugoton 14, Ulysses 13
Humboldt 22, Cherryvale 8
Hutchinson 41, Newton 7
Hutchinson Central Christian 66, Pratt Skyline 12
Hutchinson Trinity 30, Moundridge 19
Ingalls 54, Bucklin 0
Jackson Heights 38, Pleasant Ridge 6
Jayhawk Linn 36, Uniontown 0
Jefferson North 50, Maranatha/Immaculata (FB) 6
Jefferson West 36, Riverside 12
KC Turner 28, KC Washington 6
KC Wyandotte 28, KC Harmon 0
Kapaun Mount Carmel 21, Andover 0
Kingman 20, Hillsboro 6
Lakin 30, Meade 28
Lansing 67, KC Bishop Ward 0
Larned 28, Smoky Valley 14
Lawrence Free State 49, SM South 0
Leavenworth 16, SM West 14
Liberal 49, Guymon, Okla. 3
Linn 49, BV Randolph 0
Logan/Palco 70, Northern Valley 14
Louisburg 35, KC Piper 7
Lyndon 48, Mission Valley 6
Madison/Hamilton 62, Lebo 14
Maize 13, Goddard-Eisenhower 10
Maize South 9, McPherson 0
Manhattan 31, Washburn Rural 7
Marion 64, Inman 13
Marmaton Valley 50, Crest 0
Marysville 43, Abilene 20
Mill Valley 35, BV Northwest 14
Minneapolis 54, Republic County 6
Mulvane 42, Rose Hill 38
Nemaha Central 55, Royal Valley 14
Neodesha 38, Oswego 6
Nickerson 53, Lyons 14
Norton 40, Plainville 10
Oakley 21, Sublette 0
Olathe East 29, Olathe North 12
Olathe South 21, Olathe Northwest 7
Olpe 20, Caney Valley 7
Osage City 59, Chase County 6
Osborne 28, St. John’s Beloit-Tipton 0
Oskaloosa 36, Horton 12
Otis-Bison 56, Ellinwood 0
Ottawa 28, Wamego 13
Paola 34, Baldwin 14
Perry-Lecompton 63, Hiawatha 8
Phillipsburg 23, Smith Center 0
Pike Valley 62, Thunder Ridge 14
Pittsburg 54, Chanute 7
Pittsburg Colgan 31, Baxter Springs 15
Prairie View 21, Iola 0
Pratt 49, Haven 8
Pretty Prairie 54, Fairfield-Cunningham 6
Rawlins County 46, Wallace County 0
Riley County 41, Washington County 0
Rock Creek 42, Rossville 26
Rock Hills 58, Lincoln 8
Russell 49, Salina Sacred Heart 7
SM East 41, SM Northwest 0
Sabetha 21, Holton 0
Santa Fe Trail 36, Burlington 28
Satanta 42, Kiowa County 8
Scott City 23, Holcomb 14
Sedan 24, Burden Central 22
Sedgwick 31, Sterling 21
Shawnee Heights 28, Topeka West 0
Silver Lake def. Wabaunsee, forfeit
Solomon 54, Herington 34
South Barber 46, Norwich 0
South Central 49, Minneola 0
South Gray 40, Trego 26
South Haven 34, Flinthills 26
Southern Coffey 24, Waverly 18
Spearville 64, Hodgeman County 34
St. Francis 56, Triplains-Brewster 0
St. James Academy 38, Blue Valley Southwest 26
St. Paul 48, Chetopa 0
St. Paul, Neb. 48, Chetopa 0
St. Thomas Aquinas 28, BV North 14
Syracuse 32, Beaver, Okla. 6
Tonganoxie 35, Eudora 7
Topeka 42, Junction City 28
Topeka Hayden 20, Emporia 13
Topeka Seaman 47, Highland Park 6
Troy 42, Atchison County 24
Valley Center 21, Wichita Campus 20
Valley Heights 60, Doniphan West 20
Victoria 60, Macksville 12
Wakefield 62, Peabody-Burns 26
Wellington 21, El Dorado 0
Wellsville 34, Osawatomie 14
Weskan 53, Natoma 6
West Elk 56, Oxford 6
Wetmore 62, Onaga 36
Wichita Bishop Carroll 48, Salina South 24
Wichita County 30, Moscow 6
Wichita East 54, Wichita North 0
Wichita Home School 50, Cair Paravel 28
Wichita Life Prep 74, Deerfield 0
Wichita Northwest 37, Wichita Heights 20
Winfield 32, Circle 16
Yates Center 20, Northeast-Arma 14

Twins beat Royals 8-5

Posted on September 9, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — With the start Eddie Rosario gave Minnesota, manager Paul Molitor was hoping to for an easier win. This time of year, of course, he’ll take it.

Rosario homered and drove in four runs over the first four innings, helping the Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 8-5 on Friday night.

Rosario had a sacrifice fly in the first inning, hit his 21st home run in the third inning off Ian Kennedy (4-11) and knocked a two-out, bases-loaded single in the fourth to score Robbie Grossman and Joe Mauer. Rosario has 10 home runs and 28 RBI in his past 30 games.

Ervin Santana (15-7) gave up four runs and five hits over five innings for the victory. He is 4-0 in nine starts since a July 21 loss, and he’s tied for the AL lead in victories.

Eduardo Escobar had three hits and homered for the Twins in the fifth. Still, reliever Trevor Hildenberger had to clean up a mess left by Taylor Rogers in the seventh before Matt Belisle finished for his seventh save.

“There were a lot of momentum changes,” Molitor said. “When you score the first five innings of a game and you have your best pitcher out there, you would like to think the game would be a little less stressful. But credit to the Royals and their fight, they kept finding ways to inch closer.”

Kennedy was pulled after giving up three runs, four hits and three walks over three innings. He is winless in a club-record 18 straight home starts. He is 0-9 since his last home victory on Aug. 20, 2016.

“His shoulder started tightening up in the second inning,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He’s got (rotator) cuff fatigue. He’s been dealing with it for about a month.”

The Twins jumped to a 5-1 lead, but the Royals trimmed it with Eric Hosmer’s solo home run in the third and Whit Merrifield’s two-run double.

Ramon Torres’ seventh-inning single scored Alcides Escobar, cutting the Minnesota lead to 6-5. Hildenberger replaced Rogers with two runners on base and none out and induced Merrifield into a groundball double play.

“Once I saw he wasn’t bunting, I was pitching for a ground ball,” Hildenberger said. “I enjoy ground balls right at people.”

The Twins added two in the eighth with Grossman tripling in one run and Mauer doubling in another.

“The guys just kept battling,” Yost said. “We just couldn’t overcome it.”

HERRERA NO LONGER CLOSER

Yost has removed RHP Kelvin Herrera, who blew a save Thursday, from the closer’s role. He gave up two runs on two hits in the eighth inning Friday.

“He’s not sharp,” Yost said. “He’s pitching about once over five days. We need to get him more in a pitching rhythm. It’s not enough to keep him sharp. We can pitch him in the seventh and eighth innings and get him in more games instead of holding him back for save situations and try to get him sharp again and then reinsert him.”

Yost said he would use a closer by committee, mentioning LHPs Scott Alexander and Mike Minor and RHPs Brandon Maurer and Peter Moylan.

TWINS’ ROTATION

Molitor said RHPs Kyle Gibson and Santana would start Tuesday and Wednesday against the Padres on their normal four days of rest, while others would be pushed back with the team off Monday. Gibson is 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA in his past four starts.