Kansas City (AP) – Applebee’s has temporarily closed a restaurant and fired three employees accused of falsely accusing two black women of “dining and dashing.”
The Kansas City Star reports that Applebee’s said in a statement that it doesn’t “tolerate racism, bigotry or harassment.” The statement said it was closing the restaurant in the Independence Center shopping mall so employees can “regroup, learn and grow.”
There’ve been more than 2 million views of the video Alexis Brison posted Saturday to Facebook of her and a friend denying allegations that they previously left the Applebee’s without paying. Brison, of St. Louis, began recording after being confronted by a police officer, mall security guard and an Applebee’s manager.
She can be heard saying in the video, “This is what black people have to deal with.”
The Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center in Hutchinson has been around since 1968 as the state’s training facility for officers. For the past 13 years, they have been keeping records of the comprehensive written test given out at the academy.
Hoisington Police Department Officer Chelsey Hachmeister was able to tie the highest score every recorded from the police academy.
Hoisington Police Chief Kenton Doze says Hachmeister shined at the academy.
Kenton Doze Audio
Kansas law enforcement officers must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 560 hours of basic law enforcement training to attain their law enforcement certification. The 560-hour program is conducted in a 14-week format and has tests throughout the time.
Kenton Doze Audio
Not only did Hachmeister have the highest score from her graduating class on January 26, 2018, but she also tied the highest score recorded over the past 13 years.
Hachmeister started full-time with the Hoisington Police Department last June after serving in a part-time roll for roughly a year and a half. Hachmeister also became the first full-time female officer in Hoisington in over a decade.
6A Boys
1. OP-Blue Valley Northwest
2. Lawrence Free State
3. Wichita Southeast
4. OP-Blue Valley North
5. Olathe Northwest
6. Olathe North
7. Derby
8. Topeka
9. Shawnee Mission East
10. Shawnee Mission West
5A Boys
1. Goddard Eisenhower
2. Wichita Heights
3. Maize
4. Pittsburg
5. KC Schlagle
6. Emporia
7. Salina Central
8. Bishop Carroll
9. Topeka Seaman
10. Topeka West
4A-Div 1-Boys
1. Bishop Miege
2. McPherson
3. Bonner Springs
4. Eudora
5. Augusta
6. Andover Central
7. Basehor-Linwood 8. Hays
9. Buhler
10. Arkansas City
3A Boys
1. Phillipsburg
2. Cheney 3. Halstead
4. Caney Valley 5. Hesston
6. Maur Hill
7. Lakin
8. Perry Lecompton
9. Nemaha Central
10. Belle Plaine
2A Boys 1. Central Plains
2. Hoxie
3. Lyndon
4. Pittsburg-St. Mary’s Colgan
5. Maranatha Academy 6. Ness City
7. Berean Academy 8. Hillsboro
9. Olpe
10. Howard-West Elk
1A Div. 1 Boys
1. Montezuma-South Gray
2. Doniphan West
3. Hanover 4. St. John
5. Osborne
6. Clifton-Clyde
7. St. Paul
8. Centralia
9. Rawlins County
10. Lakeside
1A Div. 2 Boys
1. Almena-Northern Valley
2. Elyria-Elyria Christian
3. Logan
4. Beloit-St. John’s/Tipton
5. Hutchinson-Central Christian
6. Kiowa-South Barber
7. Attica
8. Moscow
9. Ashland
10. Grainfield-Wheatland/Grinnell
GIRLS RANKINGS
6A Girls
1. Olathe East
2. Derby
3. Manhattan
4. Wichita South
5. Blue Valley North
6. Olathe Northwest
7. Washburn Rural
8. Shawnee Mission Northwest
9. Wichita East
10. Lawrence
5A Girls
1. St. Thomas Aquinas
2. Shawnee-Mill Valley 3. Liberal
4. Bishop Carroll
5. Salina Central
6. Maize
7. Newton
8. Topeka-Highland Park
9. KC Schlagle
10. Lansing
4A D1-Girls
1. Bishop Miege
2. McPherson
3. KC Piper
4. Labette County
5. Towanda Circle
6. Kansas City Sumner
7. Abilene
8. Augusta
9. Andover Central
10. Ulysses
4A D2-Girls
1. Baldwin
2. Clay Center
3. Jefferson West
4. Burlington
5. Galena
6. Andale
7. Marysville
8. Holton
9. Santa Fe Trail
10. Hugoton
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Kansas election officials are putting the brakes on a dog’s campaign for governor.
KWCH-TV reports that Terran Woolley, of Hutchinson, decided to file the paperwork over the weekend for his 3-year-old pooch, Angus, to run for the state’s top office after reading stories about six teenage candidates. The teens entered the race after learning Kansas doesn’t have an age requirement, something lawmakers are seeking to change.
Angus is a type of hunting dog called a wire-haired Vizsla. Woolley figured Angus would need to run as a Republican. He described Angus as a “caring, nurturing individual who cares about the best for humanity and all creatures other than squirrels.”
But the Kansas Secretary of State’s office says man’s best friend is not capable of serving the responsibilities required of the governor.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas inmate has pleaded guilty to stabbing and injuring a corrections officer.
Schroeder-photo KDOC
Twenty-seven-year-old Allen Thomas Schroeder Jr. pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree attempted murder and conspiracy to commit second-degree attempted murder in the April attack on Shawnee County corrections officer Lacy Noll.
She alleges Schroeder became angry after she threatened to write him up for screaming and inciting a riot. Witnesses testify that Schroeder sharpened a broken drawer handle to stab Noll. She says she was struck on her face, back and shoulder.
Sentencing is set for March 7. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend a sentence of 25 years, to be served after his current 16-month sentence for an unrelated attempted aggravated battery case.
Are you willing to commit six weeks of your life to become a healthier you? Get fit? Lose weight? The 4th Annual Battle of the Bulge, organized by Club 1 Fitness, returns in 2018.
Club 1 General Manager Chris Berger says the six-week program is condensed to still see results but keep participants committed. The weight loss competition provides all participants workouts, a chance to talk with a certified health coach, and personal trainers with personal workouts for you.
Chris Berger Audio
Berger says weigh in is this Thursday, February 15 at 6:30 p.m. The competition will end on April 1.
Not only is there motivation to get fit, stay accountable, but cash and prizes will be given out in four categories based on percent of weight loss and total inches lost.
Registration is $49 for gym members and $75 for non-members.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – TCU heads into the 2018 college baseball season looking to join Stanford as the only programs to make five straight College World Series appearances since the NCAA went to its current tournament format in 1999. The Horned Frogs have the makings for one of the top pitching staffs in the nation. The biggest question mark is their everyday lineup.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – Teddy Allen scored 16 points off the bench to lead No. 20 West Virginia to an 82-66 win over TCU. James “Beetle” Bolden added 14 points, Daxter Miles Jr. scored 13 and Wes Harris had 11 points for West Virginia. Desmond Bane had 16 points, Vlad Brodziansky added 15 and Kouat Noi scored 12 for TCU. West Virginia has had trouble holding onto leads throughout the Big 12 season but didn’t let the Horned Frogs come back from a 38-27 halftime deficit.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Jo Lual-Acuil Jr.’s follow-up dunk with 8 seconds left in double overtime sent Baylor to a 74-73 win over Texas. It was the fourth straight victory for the resurgent Bears after a miserable start to the Big 12 season. Texas had taken the lead on Kerwin Roach II’s twisting layup with 20 seconds left. The dunk came off miss by Bears’ guard Manu Lecomte. Terry Maston scored 26 points.
AMES, Iowa (AP) – After beating a ranked opponent on Saturday for the third time in three weeks, Iowa State remains in last place in the Big 12. Yet how the Cyclones beat then-No. 17 Oklahoma reminded the rest of the league that their time in the cellar should be short lived. Iowa State (13-11, 4-8 Big 12) defeated Oklahoma 88-80 on Saturday thanks to the performances of its cornerstone freshmen, Lindell Wigginton and Cameron Lard.
National Headlines
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) – Chloe Kim put on a dominant display in winning the women’s halfpipe and giving the U.S. its third gold medal of the Pyeongchang Olmpics. The 17-year-old Californian put up a score of 93.75 on the first of her three finals runs and then bettered it with a near-perfect 98.75 on her last run with the gold already well in hand. American Arielle Gold edged teammate and three-time Olympic medalist Kelly Clark for bronze. Canada has beaten Finland 4-1 in pursuit of the country’s fifth straight gold medal in women’s hockey
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Virginia has ascended to No. 1 in the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll despite Saturday’s one-point loss against visiting Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers received 30 of 65 first-place votes to reach the top of the poll for the first time since December 1982. Second-ranked Michigan State is second in the poll with 21 first-place votes and is followed in the poll by former No. 1 Villanova, Xavier and Cincinnati.
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi men’s basketball coach Andy Kennedy says he will step down at the end of the season. The decision comes two days after Ole Miss lost at LSU to extend its losing streak to five and drop to 11-14 overall, 4-8 in the SEC. Kennedy is the winningest coach at Ole Miss with 245 wins, ranking 18th in SEC history.
NEW YORK (AP) – Olympic swimmer Ariana Kukors says her former coach “stole so much” from her in the decade she alleges he sexually abused her starting when she was 13. Kukors told The Associated Press in an emotional interview that she can’t get that time back but can speak out so others recognize signs of abuse. Sean Hutchison has denied abusing Kukors. He has said they were in a consensual relationship after the 2012 Olympics, when she was 23.
BRYAN, Texas (AP) – Former National League Rookie of the Year Wally Moon has died at 87. Moon was the 1954 NL Rookie of the Year after hitting .304 with 12 homers and 76 RBIs. He also won three World Series with the Dodgers from 1959-65. Moon batted .289 with a .371 on-base percentage, 142 homers and 661 RBS in 1,457 career regular-season games.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Steve Kerr handed over coaching duties to his players while the Golden State Warriors were completing a 129-83 thrashing of Phoenix. Kerr stayed outside the huddle during timeouts and let a rotating group of players take over the whiteboard, with injured Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala (ih-wah-DAH’-lah) getting most of the chances. Stephen (STEH’-fehn) Curry contributed 22 points and Omri Casspi added 19 as the Warriors won their third in a row to move one game ahead of Houston in the battle for the NBA’s best record.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Donovan Mitchell scored 25 points and the Utah Jazz extended the league’s longest current winning streak to 10 games by downing the San Antonio Spurs, 101-99. Mitchell hit a pair of go-ahead baskets and a free throw in the final minute after they trailed by as many as 13 in the fourth quarter. Joe Ingles added 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Utah, while teammate Derrick Favors chipped in 19 points and eight boards.
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (14) North Carolina 83 Notre Dame 66
Final (20) West Virginia 82 TCU 66
Two of three female ceramic torsos created by Dolores Baker of the Great Bend area that depict a women’s journey through breast cancer. The art is on display now at the Hays Arts Council.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Dolores Baker didn’t realize when she created three female figures representing a women’s journey through breast cancer she would soon be touched by the illness.
Baker created the ceramic models of women’s torsos in memory of friends and family members who had fought breast cancer and some who had lost their lives.
This female torso depicts healing, joy and beauty after breast cancer.
Baker had a biopsy once before for suspected cancer, but she thought she was in the clear. At the end of 2015, six months after she finished the cancer pieces, she went in for a routine mammogram, and the cancer was discovered. She was shocked. Breast cancer did not run in her family.
Baker thought she might be able to escape with just a lumpectomy. However, she ended up having radiation treatments and four surgeries, including the removal of both of her breasts.
The Hays Arts Council opened a new exhibit this week featuring artists from the Great Bend area. Baker’s torsos along with a series of masks titled “Faces of Breast Cancer” are part of the exhibit.
Baker is cancer-free now. She said the message she was trying to convey with the torsos has not changed even though her own body has.
“I think the main theme is that the feminine body is beautiful with or without breasts,” she said, noting that this is contrary to what our culture tells us.
Baker said she hopes the art pieces will spark discussion among the people who see them about the subject of breast cancer.
“I am thinking I want the subject of breast cancer to no longer be taboo,” she said. “When I was creating the pieces at the college, young women confided in me about their family members who had suffered from cancer and their own fears of being a gene carrier. I want people to be able to discuss the issue out in the open.”
Baker said after her battle with cancer, her perception of the art pieces changed.
“In some ways, there was a sense of transition and moving from grief to joy and interior growth,” she said.
Dolores Baker of the Great Bend area depicts the journey through breast cancer with her ceramic pieces. Baker, a cancer survivor, said the female form should be viewed as beautiful with or without breasts.
Six months after her surgeries, Baker created “Faces of Cancer,” a series of masks that she said reflected her own journey through breast cancer.
“There was grief and feeling broken. I believe there is a screw in the mouth of one of the faces. There was both fear and the anger and then moving on to just being puzzled and then to joy,” she said.
Baker, 75, has not always been an artist. She retired as elementary school teacher and the height of her artistic creations for many years was drawing stick figures. When she retired, she started doing creative writing, but saw a clay demonstration at Barton County Community College. Twelve years ago, she started taking classes from Bill Forst, making bowls and cups.
But Baker said she wants more, “Now I want to say something with my art.”
The other artists in the exhibit include Virginia Bitter, ceramics; husband and wife Rose Dudek, oils, and Steve Dudek, watercolors; and husband and wife Karole Erikson, photography; and Jay Miller, photography.
Both Erikson and Miller were recently featured in the Hays Arts Council’s Five State Photography Exhibition and have won awards in the past. They have also won placement in the HAC’s annual Smoky Hill Art Exhibition.
You will see wildlife photography from both artists side by side, but you will notice different styles. Miller has a portrait of a squirrel, near an image of taken by Erikson of a kingfisher snatching a fish out of the water. Miller also has a grouping of photos in the exhibit of a Kansas ranch during an annual burn, whereas Erickson’s images include scenes from decaying cemetery.
Steve Dudek is an award-winning watercolor artist and instructor at Barton County Community College.
Rose Dudek helped put together the exhibition. Brenda Meder, HAC executive director, described her art as nonobjective, abstract oils.
Bitter also has ceramics on display at the center, but Meder said the two artists have very different styles.
“There are very perceptible individualities to Virginia’s and Dolores’ ceramics,” she said.
The artists reception will be 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 23. The exhibit will be on display until Friday, March 23.
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – An man was sentenced Monday to 73 months in federal prison for driving the getaway car in a $53,000 holdup at a Verizon store in Village West, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister. The robbers held store employees at gunpoint and bound them with zip ties.
Terry Curtis, 34, Rockford, Il., pleaded guilty to one count of commercial robbery. In his plea, he admitted that on Sept. 14, 2016, he was involved when four men robbed the Verizon Wireless store at 10621 Village West Parkway. Two of the robbers entered the store, followed two minutes later by the other two. The robbers locked the door and ordered the employees and a customer into a break room. The robbers ordered them to lay face down on the floor and tied their hands behind their backs. The robbers forced an employee to open a safe before they fled the store with phones and cash worth $53,000. Eventually, an employee managed to get loose and call police.
Investigators used surveillance photos from the robbery to tie the Kansas City robbery to a similar robbery weeks earlier at an AT&T Store in Rochester, Minn. They also received an anonymous call that led them to one of the co-defendants who was on parole in Illinois.
During the investigations, agents learned that some of the defendants in the Verizon robbery were part of a group involved in dozens of similar robberies in several states.
Co-defendants who are awaiting trial include:
Mario Lambert, 33, Rockford, Il.
Sir T. Love, 32, Rockford, Il.
Domonique V. Walker, 26, Rockford, Il.
Sharod Pitts, 35, Chicago, Il.
McAllister commended the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their work on the case.
