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UPDATE: Victim in fatal Manhattan crash identified

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MANHATTAN – Law enforcement authorities have identified the victim of a fatal Saturday afternoon accident in Manhattan.

Just before 12:15p.m. Saturday, first responders were dispatched to the intersection of Seth Child Road. and Tuttle Creek Boulevard in Manhattan after report of an injury accident involving 2 vehicles, according to a media release.

When officers arrived on scene, they found that a blue 2009 Toyota Camry, driven by Gayla Fief, 53,  Manhattan, had been struck by a black 2006 Chevrolet Silverado, driven by Romelia Sutton, 52, Marysville.

Fief was entrapped in her vehicle, and was extracted by Manhattan Fire Department before being transported by Lifestar to Stormont Vail in Topeka where she died.

Both Sutton and her passenger, Jazmin Vera-Galvan, 39, Marysville, were transported by EMS to Via Christi in Manhattan for treatment of their injuries.

During the course of the accident investigation, it was determined that Fief pulled out in front of Sutton, who did not have time to avoid the collision.

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MANHATTAN – A 53-year-old woman injured in an accident just after after noon in Manhattan on Saturday was flown to a hospital in Topeka where she died, according to the Riley County Police Department.

The crash briefly closed Seth Child and Tuttle Creek Boulevard.

Details on the accident that involved a pickup and a sedan and name of the victim were not released.

Police are expected to release additional details on Sunday afternoon.

Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

State’s largest engineering college adds bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering

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MANHATTAN — The College of Engineering at Kansas State University, with recent approval from the Kansas Board of Regents, will add biomedical engineering as its 11th Bachelor of Science degree program.

Offered through the electrical and computer engineering department, the curriculum of 133 credit hours will be officially available in fall 2018.

Biomedical engineering applies engineering principles to design challenges faced by the medical and life science communities.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for biomedical engineers is projected to grow nationally by more than 20 percent from 2014 to 2024, with biomedical companies in the Midwest representing a significant portion of that growth.

“We will initially offer two different areas of emphasis, taking advantage of the strengths of our existing faculty and their research programs,” said Don Gruenbacher, department head of electrical and computer engineering. “These will be biomedical sensors and devices, and biomedical computation.”

The following electrical and computer engineering faculty members will bring their extensive biomedical engineering backgrounds to the program, as well as experience in teaching biomedical courses and serving as investigators on numerous biomedical research grants: Steve Warren, professor, and lead faculty member of the biomedical group and director of the Medical Component Design Lab; Punit Prakash, assistant professor, and director of the Biomedical Computing and Devices Lab; Caterina Scoglio, professor, and director of the Network Science and Engineering Group; and David Thompson, assistant professor, whose research includes brain-computer interfaces and medical devices.

“We are pleased and excited to add the biomedical engineering degree to our program offerings,” said Darren Dawson, dean of the College of Engineering. “As the largest engineering program in the state of Kansas, it is our continuous goal to ensure our educational product is relevant and at the forefront of society’s needs.”

The College of Engineering will seek accreditation by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET for the biomedical engineering program after the first graduates of the program have completed their degrees, which is the standard ABET process for accreditation of new programs.

Sen. Moran Urges USTR to Strengthen Agricultural Trade in NAFTA Negotiations

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) joined his colleagues to urge U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to strengthen agricultural trade as the administration prepares to begin negotiations to update the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The letter was led by U.S. Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.).

“As Senators representing states with significant agricultural exports, we appreciate the careful approach the administration is taking to strengthen the NAFTA agreement, while ensuring that no changes are made that could result in harm to U.S. agriculture,” the senators wrote. “We look forward to working with you throughout the congressional consultation process to ensure that NAFTA continues its substantial economic contributions to U.S. farmers and ranchers and to the growth of our agricultural economy.”

Last month, the Trump administration notified Congress of its intent to open negotiations with Canada and Mexico with respect to NAFTA. The notification triggers a 90-day consultation period under the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (TPA), and the administration is required to provide specific negotiating objectives at least 30 days before any negotiations begin.

Since NAFTA was signed into law in 1993, Canada and Mexico have been two of the top five destinations for U.S. agriculture products. Last year, the two countries accounted for 28 percent of the value of total agriculture exports from the United States. Since NAFTA’s enactment, livestock and meat exports to Canada have doubled and agriculture commodity exports to Mexico have increased significantly.

Click here to read Sen. Moran’s statement on the administration’s plans to renegotiate NAFTA.

Sundown Salute 2017: Quiet Riot rocks the stage in Heritage Park – Video

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Between five and six thousand people were in attendance Saturday night to rock out with Sundown Salute headline performer Quiet Riot.

Nikki Londene, Sundown Salute Committee Chair, said that the annual Fourth of July celebration has exceeded expectations thus far.

“I feel like we kind of started over from ground zero this year; we redid our format for the genres of music, we’re a brand new board, we had to eliminate some things because of budget and we brought in some things because of budget,” said Londene. “We just really hoped to come out ahead this year and pay off last year’s debt, and I feel like we’re on the right track for that.”

Dennis Beson, Volunteer Executive Director, echoed similar sentiments.

“I’ve had a lot of people talk about country night, so I’m pretty excited about seeing the kind of crowd we have tomorrow; I think if we can have good weather and we have as much of a crowd or near as much of a crowd, we’ll do fine,” said Beson.

In addition to the attendance in excess of 5000 people Saturday night, beer sales were also reported to be in excess of $6500.

Sundown Salute 2017 continues on Sunday with Gospel music in the early afternoon followed by Country music in the evening. Monday features local and regional artists, and the Fourth of July is jam packed with the Freedom Run, Parade, Veteran’s Ceremony, Patriotic themed music and performances by 1st Infantry Division Band/Rock band as well as the highly anticipated fireworks show.

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Sunday Sundown Schedule

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Sundown Salute

The day three Sundown Salute schedule in Junction City includes a joint Ecumenical Church Service downtown from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

Later in the evening the emphasis will shift to country music performers on the stage downtown. Adam Capps will perform at 6 p.m. followed by Faith Jackson at 7:30 and Tate Stevens at 9 p.m.

 

UnitedHealthcare Appoints New CEO in Kansas

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NEWS RELEASE

KANSAS CITY, Kans. (June 27, 2017) – UnitedHealthcare has named Robert A. Broomfield as chief executive officer of the company’s Employer and Individual (E&I) business for Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. Broomfield will operate from the company’s office in Overland Park, Kansas.

Prior to this role, Broomfield served as the regional vice president of sales and account management across 15 states in the Midwest. Before joining UnitedHealthcare, Broomfield was a practice leader and consultant for a major employee benefits consulting firm. He has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance and financial services industry.

Broomfield graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1992 with a degree in finance and served in both the Nebraska and Iowa Army National Guard.

Kansas Association of Community College Trustees and Kansas State University to launch dual-advising initiative

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MANHATTAN — A new initiative between Kansas community colleges and Kansas State University will provide community college students with additional support as they prepare to transition to the university.

The Kansas Association of Community College Trustees and Kansas State University recently signed a memorandum of agreement to support a dual-advising initiative at the university called DirectLink. The initiative is designed to assist community college transfer students as they transition to a bachelor’s degree program at Kansas State University through consistent and frequent interaction between the student, the community college advisor and the university academic advisor.

“Kansas State University is pleased to partner with the Kansas Association of Community College Trustees on this important initiative,” said Sue Maes, dean of K-State Global Campus. “Students will receive a clear and direct pathway to obtaining a bachelor’s degree, as well as customized support along the way to minimize obstacles and improve their rates of success.”

DirectLink will launch in fall 2017 with nine pilot bachelor’s degree programs at Kansas State University. The programs include options from the colleges of Agriculture, Business Administration, Education, Engineering and Human Ecology. DirectLink will be coordinated through K-State Global Campus.

“The community colleges are excited about DirectLink, which embraces a concept we have been working on for several years: streamlining the process for our transfer students and clearing pathways,” said Linda Fund, executive director of the Kansas Association of Community College Trustees. “Ultimately, this concept can save money and increase completion while providing dual-advising support. We thank K-State for its vision.”

Students who participate in the initiative will receive recognition for achievements made while completing the associate degree and will be provided with curriculum sequence information that will guide them through the most efficient and effective timeline to obtaining a bachelor’s degree. Students also will have access to Kansas State University resources, customized campus visits, degree audits and activities designed specifically for DirectLink transfer students.

The consistent and frequent interaction between the student, the community college advisor and the Kansas State University academic advisor will help the student make a smoother transition to the university, and changes in curriculum or degree requirements can be communicated more quickly.

Yearout Resigns from Planning and Zoning Administrator Position

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The Planning Administrator for Geary County has resigned.

Geary County Commission Chairman Ben Bennett confirmed David Yearout resigned via mutual agreement with the County. Yearout had recently been placed on administrative leave.

The County’s GIS Director, Troy Livingston, will continue to handle those duties and serve as the Interim Planning and Zoning Director.

Sundown Salute Off to Good Start

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Sundown Salute ferris wheel

The five-day Sundown Salute celebration in Junction City opened Friday night with DJ music, Ottoway Amusement Carnival rides, arts and crafts booths and multiple food vendors.

The crowd was estimated roughly at more than 2,500 people, possibly as high as 3,000.

One of the carnival rides drawing a lot of interest was “The Freak Out.” Sundown Salute Director Nikki Londene rode “The Freak Out.” “It’s a lot of fun, it really is. It goes a little higher than I remembered last year.” Londene said it’s not scary but “kind of grabs your stomach on the way down. You just kind of get off and whoo.”

The coordinator of the food vendors, Sam Niemczyk, said they offer items ranging from chicken on a stick to Greek food. “We’ve actually got pizza this year, pizza by the slice. We’ve got mini-doughnuts, new this year.” Funnel cake, slushies, snow cones, big turkey legs and Philly cheesesteak sandwiches are all part of the food offerings in the vendor area in Heritage Park.

The volunteer executive director for the celebration, Dennis Beson, said he liked the diversity of turnout on the opening night. “We made a very concentrated effort to cater some different ethnicities. Along with our African American community we have very, very good representation in our Latin community tonight. And they turned out in good numbers.”

Sundown Salute continues Saturday through Tuesday. The headline concert performers, “Quiet Riot” will be on stage beginning at 9 p.m. Saturday. This group was known for their rock songs in the 1980’s. No original member remains in the band, but drummer Frankie Banali has been with Quiet Riot since the 1980’s. . Londene noted two of the songs most people will recognize will be “Come On Field of Noise and Mental Health. “They have a new album coming out in August and they’ve obviously regrouped with a new lead singer.” That singer is  James Durbin.

Londene added the group has a new album coming out in August, and they’ll probably going to do some previews of that this weekend.”

Also performing in concert Saturday evening will be Madman’s Diary at 6 p.m. and The Banned at 7:30 p.m.

 

Celebrate safely this Fourth of July with tips from State Fire Marshal

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Topeka, KS. – The Office of the State Fire Marshal with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Safe Kids Kansas remind Kansans of the importance of safety around fireworks. Fireworks can be dangerous to both adults and children if not handled properly.

According to the Kansas Syndromic Surveillance Program, in 2016 there were 123 reported fireworks-related injuries. Injuries to hands were involved in 39 percent of incidents and 34 percent involved injuries to the eyes, face and head.

The most common victims of fireworks injuries are adult males and children. According to statistics from the Kansas Fireworks Injury Survey, a voluntary reporting system for Kansas hospitals, adult males represented 40 percent of all reported fireworks-related injuries, with another 40 percent of reported fireworks injuries affecting children under the age of 18.

“While shooting your own fireworks can be a thrill, they can also cause serious injuries and fires if not handled properly,” says Doug Jorgensen, Fire Marshal for the State of Kansas. “The safest approach to enjoying fireworks is to visit public fireworks displays conducted by trained professionals who know how to properly handle fireworks. We want all our Kansas kids to enjoy this summer’s festivities as safely as possible.”

To help the public celebrate safely, the Office of the State Fire Marshal and Safe Kids Kansas offers the following tips for the safe use of fireworks:

  • Always purchase high quality fireworks from reliable and legitimate sources
  • Always read and follow label directions
  • Have an adult supervise all fireworks activities
  • Always ignite fireworks outdoors
  • Have water nearby
  • Never experiment or attempt to make your own fireworks
  • Light only one firework at a time
  • Never re-ignite malfunctioning fireworks
  • Never give fireworks to small children
  • Store fireworks in a cool, dry place
  • Dispose of fireworks properly
  • Never throw fireworks at another person
  • Never carry fireworks in your pocket
  • Never shoot fireworks in metal or glass containers

In addition, bottle rockets and M80s are dangerous and illegal in the State of Kansas. The use or sale of these banned fireworks is considered a crime under Kansas law.

For more information on fireworks safety, visit FireMarshal.ks.gov/fireworkssafety or SafeKidsKansas.org.

 

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