GEARY COUNTY— Three people died in an accident just after 5:30a.m. Wednesday in Geary County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Chevy Camaro driven by Leroy Allen Myers, 58, Arab, AL., was west bound on Interstate 70 at the Kansas 177.

First responders on the scene of Wednesday’s fatal I-70 crash –photo courtesy WIBW TV

The vehicle entered the median, struck guard rail and vaulted over K177 highway coming to rest on the west side of K177.

Myers and passengers Joey Brannon Tidwell, 21, Albertvile, AL., and Halie Marie Davis, 23, Madison, AL., were pronounced dead at the scene. They were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP

GEARY COUNTY— First responders are working a single vehicle, fatal crash on Interstate 70 at Kansas 177 south of Manhattan, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Troopers responded to the scene just after 5:30a.m. and report three fatalities. We will report additional details as they become available.

UPDATE:

I-70 was not impacted following the single vehicle three-fatality accident early Wednesday morning. Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Ben Gardner confirmed there was some impact on K-177 Highway. “But there is some difficulty for people traveling up and down K-177 just as they get to the scene where they might be guided to a single lane as they navigate through that space.”

The identities of the victims are not yet known. The vehicle involved in the accident left Interstate 70 and wound up on K-177 below about 5:30 a.m. The site is in eastern Geary County south of Manhattan.

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There have been three fatalities in a single vehicle accident on I-70  near K-177 south of Manhattan.

A check with the Kansas Highway Patrol revealed there was a multiple fatality accident. It occurred about 5:30 a.m.

Authorities are working at the scene to gather information and trying to identify the victims. KHP Trooper Ben Gardner said it appeared the vehicle was traveling on I-70 and for an unknown reason left the roadway, went through the median for a time and then down below onto K-177 where it came to rest.

More information should be available later. We will pass it along on Little Apple Post as soon as possible.

The following is a summary of arrests, citations by the Riley County Police Department. Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

By STEPHAN BISAHA

When a student comes home with a C on their report card, it often isn’t clear what that means.

Are they average in geometry? Or did their math proficiency get dragged down by poor class attendance?

Wichita Public Schools is hoping to clarify those grades by isolating academics from everything else that happens in the classroom.

DCJOHN / FLICKR, CREATIVE COMMONS

“We really want to focus on what it is that students know and what can they do,” said Christy O’Toole, the executive director of Curriculum and Instruction for Wichita Public Schools.

For years, elementary schools in Kansas have graded academic performance separately from other skills. Whether a student forgets a pencil or hands in their work late doesn’t affect their final score — often reflected as a number between zero and four.

But Kansas middle and high schools have been slow to adopt the same practices. They’ve found it difficult to lose the A’s and F’s in high school when GPAs are obsessed over by students and their parents.

Standards-based — or standards-referenced — is a method of grading where the teachers emphasize a student’s mastery of one of the state standards. Wichita Public Schools is narrowing its focus on what it sees as critical content.

“If we did ( all the state standards) in the course of a child’s life, K-12, we’d need 15,000 hours, but we only have 9,000 hours with a child,” said Andi Giesen, assistant superintendent at Wichita Public Schools. “So we’re narrowing the focus to the critical content.”

Wichita will start implementing standard-referenced grading in its elementary schools next school year. Other elementary schools in the state have used standard-based grading for years.

Augusta public schools began the practice about seven years ago. Report cards still report nonacademic performance — students receive grades in areas like group work and responsibility.

“When we were kids and parents went to parent-teacher conference, they said, ‘Johnny got an A in math and a B in science’ but they really don’t know what their child knows and what they don’t know,” said Holly Francis, assistant superintendent at Augusta Public Schools.

The practice stops after Augusta students move past fifth grade. While standard-based grading is common in Kansas elementary schools, it’s rare at the middle and high school levels.

“Everyone understands that zero to 100 scale,” said Ryan Arnold, administrative intern with Highland Park High School in Topeka. “That equates to a certain scores for the GPA. And the colleges recognize that as well.

“In my opinion that’s been the kind of sticking point for high schools.”

Wichita Public Schools will implement its new learning standards in its middle schools in 2020 and high schools in 2021. Parents won’t notice much of a difference on the final report card, however, with the grades converted to traditional A’s and B’s.

Yet Wichita high schools will be the exception, with few schools willing to change how grading is done past eighth grade when college applications depend on them.

Advocates point to Iowa for its above-average adoption of standard-based grading. Yet less than 20 high schools in Iowa have made the conversion, according to Matt Townsley, assistant professor of educational leadership at the University of Northern Iowa.

Townsley said for students at schools that haven’t switched, their performance remains foggy.

“It’s possible for a kid to get B’s on all their tests in a high school course and then they complete a bunch of extra credit crossword puzzles, bring some Kleenex boxes to school and get a bunch of homework right and that pads their grade and brings it up to an A,” Townsley said. “It’s really just not an accurate communication of what a student has actually learned.”

Stephan Bisaha reports on education and young adult life for the Kansas News Service. Follow him on @SteveBisaha.

MARSHALL COUNTY —On Wednesday, officers filed a report for burglary in the 2300 block of Harmony Road in Blue Rapids on March 27, 2019, at approximately 11:20 AM.

A 39-year-old victim from Marysville reported an unknown suspect took equipment and tools. The estimated total loss associated with this case is approximately $3,580.00, according to the activity report from the Riley County Police Department.

Police ask that anyone with information please contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.00.

Eagle Communications radio stations including in the Junction City – Manhattan area 107.9 FM, 1420 KJCK, Power Hits 97.5 and Q Country 103.5 have been encouraging donations for Nebraska Flood Relief.

There was an announcement this week that the Hays-based Schmidt Foundation will match those donations up to $25,000. Donations are being accepted through April 4th.

The following is a summary of arrests, citations by the Riley County Police Department. Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Brett Hogan photo Shawnee Co.

TIARA LESCHAE WILLIAMS, 21, Manhattan, Domestic battery; Knowing rude physical contact  w/ family member or dating relationship, Criminal damage to property; Without consent value < $1000; Bond $2000

SALINA — On Aug. 14, 2018, the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report was released. The report exposed a great scandal within the Church and incited Catholics, lay and clergy alike, to demand greater transparency and accountability from the leaders of the Catholic faith. On Sept. 18, 2018, the Diocese of Salina informed the Attorney General’s office that newly appointed Bishop Gerald Vincke would be retaining the independent outside counsel of Cottonwood Law LLC. of Hillsboro to conduct a thorough review of clergy personnel files and identify any potential cases of clergy misconduct with minors. Bishop Vincke had been serving in his new role as the Bishop of Salina for less than a month when he opened the investigation of the clergy files.

Click here for this complete issue of the Register.

From September 2018 to January 2019, Courtney Boehm from Cottonwood Law conducted an audit of the diocesan clergy files. Boehm was selected for her expertise in criminal law and her independence from the Salina Diocese. At the time of the audit, Boehm was the Marion County Attorney and has since been appointed a district court judge in the 8th Judicial District which consists of Dickinson, Geary, Marion and Morris counties. Boehm reviewed 109 clergy files, ranging from clergy serving in the late 1800s to present day. The files reviewed consisted of any member of the clergy with allegations of misconduct against them. Upon the completion of the review, Cottonwood Law submitted a comprehensive report to Bishop Vincke. The report summarized the contents of each clergy misconduct file and the allegations that were made against each priest. The entirety of this comprehensive report was immediately turned over to the Attorney General’s office, who then forwarded it to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI).

Within the report, the auditor recommended which cases needed to be reviewed by the Lay Review Board. The Lay Review Board, formed in February 2000, is a group that reviews any allegation made against a member of the clergy and includes mental and medical health professionals, social service providers, civil and canon law professionals, law enforcement officials and two priests. In order to be as thorough and transparent as possible, Bishop Vincke asked that files recommended by Boehm be reviewed, including those that were previously reviewed. During the month of February 2019, the Lay Review Board met and discussed the cases recommended by Cottonwood Law. Upon the completion of the Lay Review Board’s review of the Cottonwood Law report, 14 cases of diocesan clergy abuse of a minor were found to be substantiated.

The Diocese of Concordia was founded in 1887. The Diocese of Concordia then became the Diocese of Salina in 1944. During a span of 132 years, with approximately 300 diocesan priests having served in the Diocese of Salina, 14 diocesan priests were identified to have substantiated allegations of abuse of a minor. A substantiated allegation is one that has been corroborated with witness statements, documents, emails, photos, texts, or by another source, such as law enforcement. None of the 14 priests are in active ministry today. Of the 14 priests, 12 are deceased and the remaining two are laicized. At this time, the Diocese of Salina is only releasing the names of clerics with substantiated allegations of abuse of a minor. Any cleric with an allegation of abuse of a minor that is unsubstantiated has been excluded from the list. If new information is provided that leads to the substantiation of a case, the Diocese of Salina will update the list of clergy abuse of minors accordingly.

Just as the Salina Diocese conducted an internal audit, so did the Order of Franciscan Minors Capuchin Province of St. Conrad, headquartered in Denver. The Capuchins are a religious order who have had a strong presence within the Salina Diocese, particularly in the Hays and Victoria area. Father Christopher Popravak, Provincial of the Denver Province of Capuchins, shared the results of the Capuchin internal audit with the Salina Diocese. Of the approximate 300 Capuchins who have served in the Salina Diocese, 13 priests/brothers were found to have credible allegations of abuse of a minor. The names of these priests/brothers have been included within this edition of The Register, along with additional information provided to the Diocese of Salina by the Capuchins for release.

Read Bishop Vincke’s full statement here.

“This is a difficult time for the Church,” said Bishop Vincke in a letter entitled Why I Said Yes, released to the public in September 2018, “This purification of the Church by God is painful, but much needed. We need the eyes of faith as we suffer through this. ‘Faith is not a light which scatters all our darkness, but a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the journey (Lumen Fidei #57).’ Jesus is with us as light in the midst of darkness.”

By JOHN HANNA

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers have blown several informal deadlines for boosting funding for public schools to satisfy a court mandate because Republicans who control the Legislature are at odds over how to allocate the new dollars and what policy strings should be attached.

The state’s attorneys must file a written report with the Kansas Supreme Court by April 15, telling the justices how legislators responded to the high court’s ruling last yearthat spending on public schools is insufficient. The Legislature is set to start its annual spring break April 6 and not return to the Statehouse until May 1.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly urged legislators to pass her plan for an education funding increase of roughly $90 million a year by the end of February. Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican, told lawmakers they should finish their work by March 15.

The Senate approved Kelly’s plan March 14. Top House Republicans back a plan to target new dollars to programs for at-risk students but wouldn’t bring it up for a debate this week because it did not have enough votes to pass. The House and Senate plan to begin negotiations next week on the final version of a school funding bill anyway — without a clear sense of their path forward.

“We’ve got to have an answer to the court by the time we go home next week,” Senate Vice President Jeff Longbine, a moderate Emporia Republican, said Wednesday. “Time is of the essence.”

Four local school districts sued the state over education funding in 2010, and the Supreme Court has issued six rulings directing legislators to increase education funding, now more than $4 billion a year. The high court said a 2018 law promising to phase in a $548 million increase by the 2022-23 school year wasn’t sufficient because it did not account for inflation in recent years.

Educators have argued that legislators should just increase the state’s total aid to its 286 school districts, and Kelly’s plan does that.

Top Republicans in the House have argued that new funds should target helping struggling students, including children with behavioral and mental health problems. Their proposal actually would spend $14 million more than Kelly proposes during the budget year that begins in July — but it includes grants for school safety upgrades and other specific programs.

“Why wouldn’t we target it?” said House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, a conservative Wichita Republican. “What’s the purpose of doing this? It’s to move the needle. It’s to make education better.”

Many Republicans, particularly conservatives, also want to tie the money to education policy changes. The strategy worked well for them in 2014, when they successfully repealed a state law guaranteeing tenure to teachers who’d been in the classroom at least three years.

House conservatives initially pushed an education bill that included a proposal to give parents of children in public schools state-funded scholarships so that their children could move to other schools, including private ones. But they backed off that proposal and others, and the House passed a narrower policy bill this week on a 63-61 vote.

Democrats and many moderate Republicans contend that a straightforward funding bill is the best approach and that lawmakers ought to leave decisions about how new dollars are spent to local school boards.

“I think the best way to do it is to stick with what I proposed initially and what the Senate passed, with a clean, simple deal-with-inflation factor and move on,” Kelly told reporters Wednesday.

GEARY COUNTY –The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) arrested  Anthony J. “Tony” Wolf, 44, the Geary County Sheriff, just after 2 p.m. Friday at the Geary County Sheriff’s Office, 826 N. Franklin St. in Junction City.

Geary County Sheriff Tony Wolf

According to a KBI media release, Wolf was arrested for two new counts of felony theft. The charge alleges Wolf used county funds to purchase items that were then sold for personal profit, or maintained for personal use.

On Friday he appeared at a pre-trial conference regarding the charges he was previously arrested for on Oct. 18 that accuse Wolf of giving a county-owned firearm as a gift to a third party, and for misuse of public funds. The misuse of public funds allegation asserts Wolf used public dollars in a manner not authorized by law.

 Wolf was booked into the Geary County Jail. Dickinson County Attorney Andrea Purvis has been appointed as special prosecutor for this case.

The following is a summary of arrests, citations by the Riley County Police Department. Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

By Dewey Terrill

Justin Cook and Gary Ryan took home top team honors at the King Kat Tournament Trail event at Milford Lake Saturday with a total catch of 98.64 pounds. Cook, from New Franklin, Missouri and Ryan from Columbia, Missouri combined to win a total of $4,200 for their first place finish. They also had the second biggest catfish caught in the tournament at 53.42 pounds.

.There were 45 two-man teams who braced the winter weather including snow, rain and a cold win to fish in the tournament. With their first place finish Cook and Ryan have qualified for the national championship event November 1st and 2nd in Decatur, Alabama.

The biggest fish was hauled in by Blake McPherren of Wakefield and Jamie Jackson of Clay Center, at 55.56 pounds.

Cabela’s will host another King Kat Tournament Trail regional qualifier at Milford Lake on March 28th, 2020 and they will bring their national championship event to the lake October 30th and 31st, 2020.

The following is a summary of arrests, citations by the Riley County Police Department. Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

NATHAN ANDREW ELDER, 24, Manhattan, Probation Violation; Bond $5000

Justin Moore has a previous conviction for Aggravated indecent liberties w/ child, according to the Kansas Offender Registry

JUSTIN PERRY MOORE, 20, Rossville, Violate offender registration act; 1st conviction; person; Bond $3500

JASON ALAN WARD, 48, Manhattan, Failure to Appear; Bond $20,000

TREVONN FREDRICK JOE HALL, 20, Ogden, Criminal possession of weapon by felon; Certain felonies w/in 10 yrs; Bond $5000

Little Apple Post has partnered with Flipp to offer interactive online circulars! Check this week’s bargains out here! Don’t see the circular you want in the preview? Click on an ad to pull up a search menu for retailers like Dillons, Walmart, JCPenney and so much more!

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The following is a summary of arrests, citations by the Riley County Police Department. Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Authorities are investigating a weekend crash that injured two at a Kansas race track.

Photo courtesy Heartland Motorsports

Just after 1p.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to Heartland Motorsports Park, 7530 SW Topeka Blvd in Topeka, according to Topeka Police. A single-vehicle crash had occurred on the road course during an event.

The vehicle, a 2019 Corvette left the track, struck a wall, rolled and caught on fire.

The driver, Anthony Dellaria, 42, of Tulsa, OK was transported to a local hospital code yellow and the passenger, Drew T. Casper, 23, of Manhattan, Kansas, was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.

The track’s owner, Enhanced Motorsports Performance, offers private track days at raceways in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, according to their social media page.

Police released no additional details Monday morning.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A burn ban is in effect in 16 Kansas counties through the month of April.

The ban restricts burning trees and brush from land clearing, crop residues, construction debris, yard waste, and the use of backyard chimineas and fire pits.

The counties under the ban are Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cowley, Elk, Geary, Greenwood, Johnson, Lyon, Marion, Morris, Pottawatomie, Riley, Sedgwick, Wabaunsee and Wyandotte.

Effective Monday, no new burn permits will be issued and all previously issued burn permits will be suspended until at least May 1. Live fire training also is suspended.

This ban does not include outdoor cooking devices or ceremonial fires. It also does not include burning for crop, range, pasture, wildlife or watershed management.

The following is a summary of arrests, citations by the Riley County Police Department. Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

On Saturday, April 13th at 8a.m., the K-State Marching Band will kick off the Pink up the Pace 5K race and 1-mile honor walk at 8am.

Things finish up with a party on the patio at Aj’s Pizzeria with beer, pizza and treats for all participants.

All race and walk participants that indicate on the registration form that they are participating as a survivor or participating in honor of someone will be registered to win a beautiful 3 piece pink stone jewelry set courtesy of The Boutique.

Sign up as a team or even as a virtual runner! There are so many ways to show your support for funding the cure. If you or your group would like to volunteer for this race, please contact Gina with Downtown Manhattan. Register to race here:

Topeka – The Kansas Senate voted, 37 – 1, Monday to confirm the appointment of Laura Howard to serve as Secretary for both the Kansas Department for Children and Families and the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, according to a media release from DCF.

Laura Howard-photo courtesy Kansas DCF

“It is a great honor to serve the people of Kansas,” said Secretary Howard. “With the support of Governor Kelly and the Kansas Legislature, I look forward to doing the important work of protecting children and families and promoting adult self-sufficiency.”