RENO COUNTY — A Kansas man accused of setting fire to his home on July 4, appeared via video from the Reno County Correctional Facility Friday for the formal reading of charges.

Kerry Getz, 64, rural Reno County, now faces two cases, including one where he’s charged with arson for setting fire to his home in the 5000 block of Nickerson Boulevard.

He’s also charged with interference with law enforcement for blocking access to the property. Fire crews had trouble reaching the home at the time of the call because his truck was parked in the way.

When law enforcement made contact with Getz, he appeared intoxicated and smelled of gasoline.

In a separate case, he’s charged with three counts of criminal threat, including two against his ex-wife. In one case, he apparently threatened to shoot her in the head. That was on May 22, according to court testimony.

In another threat, he told another person that he would “gut her like a pig because she didn’t keep her vows.” He also threatened to go to church and slit the throat of a Hutchinson man. Both of those threats occurred on July 8.

In court, his wife told Magistrate Judge Cheryl Allen she’s afraid of him because of his erratic behavior. She says he had threatened in the past to burn the house down and finally did.

The state asked that the bonds in both cases be raised, calling him a danger to the community. Judge Allen agreed to double the total bonds from $15,000 to $30,000.

In July of 2016, Getz entered a plea to a single count of making a criminal threat and was granted one year of probation after he chased a sub-contracted employee of Westar Energy who was at the home replacing an electrical meter.

Getz had been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery causing reckless bodily harm and criminal damage to property. However, as part of a plea agreement, the state dropped all the other charges.

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN

A new math class being piloted by dozens of high schools across Kansas seeks to save students stress, time and money when they reach college.

Currently, about one-third of students who continue to two- and four-year colleges in Kansas don’t score high enough on placement tests to enroll directly in college algebra, a class most need in order to graduate.

Instead, they work their way up through remedial classes, a process that can take multiple semesters.

Melissa Fast, a math specialist with the Kansas State Department of Education, said that adds to the expense of higher education.

“If I had five courses and they were three hours each, that’s 15 hours,” she said. “And if they’re $100, that’s $1,500 I’m paying out of my pocket just for that class.”

Moreover, the remedial math classes — or developmental classes, as they’re also called — don’t count for college credit and can’t be paid for with student loans.

Jim Porter, chairman of the Kansas State Board of Education and a former superintendent of the Fredonia school district, expressed hope that Kansas’ new one-year class, introduced last school year, would have an impact.

“I find that unacceptable,” he said of the current remediation rates among high school graduates. “And this is an effort to address that issue.”

Last school year, more than 35 high schools piloted the Transition to College Algebra class, which involves collaboration between high school and college math teachers and is based on research conducted at the University of Texas. At least 15 other high schools will join this school year.

Fast is still in the process of gathering and comparing pre-class and post-class test results from the course’s first year. Preliminary outcomes look promising, she said.

“They’re understanding the math that they didn’t understand maybe when they took the pre-test,” Fast said. “And a lot of them are placing directly into college algebra.”

Porter said he looks forward to the state reaping enough data from the program to know with certainty whether it is effective.

“I want to know whether or not it’s working,” he said. “And if not, let’s do something else.”

For Fast, the course has an added benefit beyond helping students save time at college and avoid remediation costs.

Teenagers in the class have struggled with math and often lack confidence about their capacity for the subject. But teachers have told her the curriculum’s style — less lecturing, more class collaboration and more work tied to topics familiar to teens— seems to be helping students overcome that feeling.

“I love to see students as seniors go, ‘Huh. OK, this isn’t as hard as I thought it was,’” she said.

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

MANHATTAN — Join agriculture leaders from across the state at the second annual Kansas Governor’s Summit on Agricultural Growth on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, at the Manhattan Conference Center at the Hilton Garden Inn. Growth in agriculture has a direct impact on statewide economic growth: agriculture accounts for 43 percent of the state’s economy, and is valued at more than $64 billion.

“We know that to grow the Kansas economy, we need to grow agriculture, and we can do that by increasing opportunities for the farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses of Kansas,” said Kansas Governor Sam Brownback. “Last year’s summit was instrumental in developing a statewide strategy for agricultural growth, and this year that collaborative effort will continue to expand.”

The first Ag Growth Summit, in August 2016, was attended by nearly 400 stakeholders in agriculture representing a variety of agricultural interests from across the state. Feedback from discussions at the 2016 Summit resulted in the development of sector-specific desired growth outcomes for 19 sectors of agriculture, ranging from beef and wheat to specialty livestock and unmanned aerial systems. The 2017 Summit will build upon those growth outcomes, and attendees will work with other agriculture leaders to identify actions that can be taken to achieve the outcomes within each sector. Sessions at the Summit will again focus on the specific agricultural sectors, as well as on industry-wide topics that affect all sectors.

This year’s Summit will also include an evening social event on Wednesday, Aug. 23, beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the Stanley Stout Center on the north side of the K-State campus. The Ag Growth Summit will take place on Thursday, Aug. 24, at the Manhattan Conference Center at the Hilton Garden Inn. Registration will begin at 8:00 a.m. and the program will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. including a complimentary lunch.

Participation in the Summit and the social is free and open to the public, but registration is requested. Please register by August 10 to guarantee lunch at the Summit and/or dinner at the social event. A block of rooms is available at the Hilton Garden Inn; call 785-532-9116 by July 24 to reserve a room.

More information about the Summit, including a link to the registration site, can be found at agriculture.ks.gov/summit. If you have questions about the Summit, call KDA at 785-564-6700 or email Taylor.Fry@ks.gov.

SEDGWICK COUNTY -The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Sedgwick County Division of Health reports a confirmed case of measles in a Sedgwick County resident.

According to a media release from Sedgwick County, there is concern that a number of people in the general population may have potentially been exposed to the person with measles in Sedgwick County while contagious.

To prevent further spread of the disease, KDHE is asking anyone that visited the following locations to please call us at the KDHE Epidemiology Hotline at 1-877-427-7317 for further evaluation.

· Monday, July 10, 2017, between 6:45 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Lamar’s Donuts located at 10051 West 21st Street
· Monday, July 10, 2017, between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Pathway Church located at 2001 North Maize Road
· Tuesday, July 11, 2017, between 2:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Walmart located at 21st and Maize
· Tuesday, July 11, 2017, between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Kwik Shop located at 37th and Maize
· Tuesday, July 11, 2017, between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Jason’s Deli located at 21st and Ridge
· Wednesday, July 12, 2017, between 3:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Jiffy Lube located at 21st and Ridge
· Wednesday, July 12, 2017, between 4:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Academy Sports located at 2710 North Maize Road
· Wednesday, July 12, 2017, between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Michael’s located at 2441 North Maize Road
· Wednesday, July 12, 2017, between 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Family Video located at 29th and Tyler
· Thursday July 13, 2017, between 8:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. Moxley and Wagle Periodontics located at 825 South Hillside
· Thursday July 13, 2017, between 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Vermillion Elementary located at 501 South James Avenue.
If you visited one or more of these locations during the times listed above, please call the hotline 1-877-427-7317. We will ask you about the time that you spent in each of the locations listed above. If we determine that you were potentially exposed to measles, we will ask about immunization status, any signs or symptoms of measles, and will ask questions to assess whether you are at risk for developing measles. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines individuals at high risk as infants aged less than 12 months, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.
To report visiting any of the locations mentioned above during the date and times listed above, please call the KDHE Epidemiology Hotline at 1-877-427-7317. Healthcare providers that have questions should also call the Epidemiology Hotline.
Measles is a respiratory disease caused by a virus. Measles is highly contagious and is spread through the air by breathing, coughing, or sneezing. The signs and symptoms of measles typically begin one to two weeks after someone is exposed to an infected person. Symptoms include:
· Fever
· Blotchy rash on the skin, which spreads from the head to the trunk then to the lower extremities (measles can be spread to others from four days before to four days after the rash appears)
· Cough
· Runny nose
· Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis)
· Feeling run down, achy
· Tiny white spots with bluish-white centers found inside the mouth (Koplik spots)
KDHE and the Sedgwick County Division of Health recommend that contacts stay home if they have a fever, except to see a healthcare provider. Before visiting a healthcare provider or the Emergency Room, call ahead so that the provider can take measures to protect other patients and staff. For general questions regarding measles, please dial the United Way at 211.
For more information about measles, please visit here.

GALENA, Kan. (AP) — A restored viaduct along the historic Route 66 will be dedicated next week near the southeast Kansas town of Galena.

The Joplin Globe reports that the bridge serves as a gateway to Galena’s historic district and the famous “Cars on the Route” stop. That’s the old Kan-O-Tex Station that’s home to the truck “Tow Tater,” which served as the inspiration for Tow Mater in the Pixar movie “Cars.”

The mayor of 3,000-resident Galena, Dale Oglesby, calls the restoration “the best project since we did downtown.”

Kansas has the shortest segment of Route 66 — 13.2 miles — of any state that the highway crossed.

The viaduct will be dedicated during a ceremony next Saturday.

GREELEY COUNTY- A woman died in an accident just before 1p.m. Saturday in Greeley County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1997 Subaru 4-door driven by Gayla Fae Rutledge, 56, Laramie, WY, was westbound on Kansas 96 six miles east of Kansas 25.

The vehicle traveled onto the right shoulder. The driver over corrected and the vehicle traveled into the left ditch and rolled.

Rutledge was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Price & Sons Funeral Home. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas man is accused in Missouri of being intoxicated when his vehicle crashed into another one, killing the other driver.

Jackson County prosecutors have charged 20-year-old Jason Evans of Leavenworth with felony driving while intoxicated.

Court filings allege that Evans’ vehicle was traveling at a high speed late July 13 when it hit a vehicle driven by Stephen Russell in an intersection. Russell died later at a hospital, and Evans was injured.

Online court records don’t show whether Evans has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

Prosecutors have requested a $100,000 bond for Evans.

By DEANGELA MCDOUGALD

Over 150 soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division Headquarters returned to Fort Riley Friday evening.

The final welcome home ceremony for the Division Headquarters celebrated the return of the soldiers from a nine month deployment to Iraq where the 1st Infantry Division assumed the role of Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command (CJFLCC) – Operation Inherent Resolve. As part of that role, the Division served in an assist capacity to the Iraqi Security Forces as part of a 23 nation coalition.

Major General Joseph Martin, 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley Commanding General, served as the Commanding General of CJFLCC.

The Division was successful in liberating nearly 2 million people in Mosul, Iraq – a city that has been under ISIS control since 2014. Additionally, more than 350,000 children returned to school in Mosul, 320 schools have reopened and nearly 200,000 internally displaced persons have returned to their homes in Mosul.

Brigadier General William “Bill” Turner, 1st ID and Fort Riley Acting Senior Commander, said that it’s a rewarding experience to serve in the First Infantry Division.

“In addition to this deployment, we’ve also had several of our brigades that have been deployed around the globe; we had our 1st Brigade that was deployed over in the Republic of Korea in the Korean peninsula deterring North Korean aggression, we had our Combat Aviation Brigade that was deployed to Afghanistan, and then really topping it off is having the Division Headquarters over in Iraq supporting the Iraqi Security Forces.”

Turner said that it’s “beyond words to express our gratitude” to the soldiers returning from deployment.

“This will be the first time in quite a long time that really most of the Division – all of its brigades, and Headquarters – are back together again on Fort Riley,” said Turner.

There is one aviation battalion that is currently deployed to Korea.

The 1st Infantry Division will continue to celebrate 100 years during Victory Week festivities in August.

 

 

JEFFERSON COUNTY – A Kansas man died in an accident just before 12:30 a.m. Saturday in Jefferson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Harley Davidson driven by Lance D. Elliot, 49, Carbondale, and a 2010 Harley Davidson driven by Vicki M. Allen, 56, Oskaloosa, were westbound on U.S. 24 at Phillips Road.

The motorcycles collided, traveled into the south ditch and both drivers were ejected.

Elliott was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Barnett’s Funeral Home. Allen was not seriously injured. They were not wearing helmets, according to the KHP.

By JIM MCLEAN

 

Kansas state Sen. Steve Fitzgerald says he’s running for Congress in the 2nd District to keep the seat in Republican hands.

Five-term Republican Lynn Jenkins now holds the seat, but she is not running for re-election.

A former Army officer and Green Beret from Leavenworth, Fitzgerald has earned a reputation at the Statehouse as an outspoken, often blunt conservative. He trumpeted that reputation Thursday in announcing his candidacy to a crowd of about 40 supporters in Topeka.

“We do not need politicians who tell us what they think we want to hear rather than what we need to know,” Fitzgerald said. “Politicians with big plans for themselves but have never been toe to toe with those who deny the right to life, who are eager to limit your 2nd Amendment and other rights, and who see your wallet as the answer to their government spending problems.”

Illustrating a tendency to defy political convention, Fitzgerald went out of his way to link himself to President Donald Trump despite the president’s free fall in national polls.

“My vision for the next Congress is the rapid accomplishment of that agenda that President Trump brought to us and we approved in the last election — a strong, free and prosperous America,” Fitzgerald said.

Noting reports that Democrats have circled the 2nd District seat as one they hope to pick up in their effort to regain control of the U.S. House, Fitzgerald said Republicans need a candidate capable of keeping it in GOP hands.

“Bernie and Hillary’s Democrats are desperate to retake Congress and resume their death march to socialism,” he said. “We cannot let that happen.”

At the moment, the race for the GOP nomination is between Fitzgerald and Basehor City Councilman Vernon Fields. But others, including state Sen. Caryn Tyson of Parker, are looking at joining the GOP field.

Former Kansas House Minority Leader Paul Davis has launched an exploratory campaign for the Democratic nomination but has not officially filed. Davis has been out of politics since losing a close race for governor to Sam Brownback in 2014.

Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of kcur.org,  Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks. Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to kcur.org.