Connect with us

Kansas

Here’s where in Topeka food safety inspectors found rodent droppings, other problems

Published

on

Here’s where in Topeka food safety inspectors found rodent droppings, other problems


Kansas food safety and lodging inspectors found several Topeka establishments to be out of compliance with state law in March.

Kansas law delegates to the Kansas Department of Agriculture the authority to regulate food establishments, food processing plants and lodging establishments. Violations — particularly priority violations linked to causes of foodborne illness — can lead to various consequences, including the immediate closure of an establishment.

Kansas Department of Agriculture records show that while most Topeka service establishments passed inspections in March with either no violations or no serious ones, several failed. Most inspections were routine, but inspectors also visited after complaints, for licensing, follow-ups and other reasons.

Out-of-compliance food establishments in Topeka

The following establishments were listed as out of compliance with state law after inspections in March.

Advertisement
  • Breakers Sports Bar and Grill, 8429 S.W. 10th Ave.

The March 26 routine inspection found two violations.

The cold make table in the kitchen had sour cream, ranch, blue cheese, lettuce and shredded cheese that were all too warm. The person in charge told the inspector that they unplug the table at night and plug it back in in the morning, but the inspector said they should leave it plugged in all night to ensure food remains cold.

The walk-in cooler was not keeping raw eggs, raw bacon, shredded cheese and sliced cheese cold enough. The person in charge said he turned it off that morning because an ice block was growing, and a work order had been made to have the equipment looked at.

The foods were thrown away and the kitchen voluntarily closed, as the establishment was without any fully functioning refrigeration equipment.

The inspector wrote that with the cold make table not keeping food cold enough and the walk-in not fully functioning, “The establishment does not have significant equipment to keep foods cold.”

Advertisement

The establishment was back in compliance after a March 27 reopening inspection.

  • Travelers Inn, 3846 S.W. Topeka Blvd.

The March 26 follow-up inspection found one violation for a room that was inaccessible because the lock was not programmed to accept the key card.

The lodging establishment was in compliance after another follow-up inspection later the same day.

  • Gage Center Bowl, 4200 S.W. Huntoon St.

The March 15 routine inspection found two violations.

Inspectors found rodent droppings around a pop shelf and under the counter for the snack bar, plus holes that could have been entry points for pests. The person in charge told inspectors that “they have been dealing with a rodent problem for a few months that was worse during the winter,” but they had been working with a pest control company.

The establishment was back in compliance after a March 25 follow-up inspection.

  • Cafe Barnabas, 1801 S.W. Wanamaker Road, Suite G24.

The March 14 complaint inspection found four violations.

A refrigerator had raw eggs stored on a shelf above sticks of butter. A reach-in cooler had a carton of half and half that was too warm, which the inspector suggested was because the cooler was overstocked. Tea was discarded because the keg cooler did not keep it cold.

Advertisement

The mop sink had issues with the backflow device. The floors were “very sticky” and the walls needed to be cleaned.

The establishment was back in compliance after a March 27 follow-up inspection.

  • West Ridge Lanes and Family Fun Center, 1935 S.W. Westport Drive.

The March 11 routine inspection found three violations.

The inspector found rodent droppings in the kitchen, as well as holes in the wall and gaps in the doors. The person in charge said they have been working with pest control, and the pest control report showed the holes and gaps had been reported.

The establishment was back in compliance after a March 25 follow-up inspection.

  • Holiday Square-Phillips 66, 2901 S.W. Topeka Blvd.

The March 7 routine inspection found four violations.

Inspectors cited beef hot dogs held longer than seven days after opening, as well as cheddar dogs, black olives and mushrooms that did not have open or discard dates.

Advertisement

An employee was washing dishes without sanitizing them. She told the inspector “she did not know what the sanitizing process was and had never been trained.” Additionally, the hot water temperature in the ware-washing sink was not getting hot enough.

The establishment was back in compliance after a March 8 follow-up inspection.

  • Artismo Gallery and Bistro, 816 N. Kansas Ave.

The March 1 routine inspection found four violations.

There was no food thermometer, there were no test strips for the dish sanitizer, a quesadilla maker and a panini bread press were dirty and the business had been operating for a month without a license.

The establishment was back in compliance after a March 22 follow-up inspection.

Inspections found these Topeka establishments were in compliance

The following service establishments were in compliance when inspectors visited in March with either no violations or only relatively minor ones.

Advertisement
  • Five Guys Burgers and Fries, 1191 S.W. Wanamaker Road, Suite B.
  • The Forgotten Grain, 841 N. Washington St., Suite B in Auburn.
  • Gambino’s Pizza, 844 N. Washington in Auburn.
  • Highland Park High School, 2424 S.E. California Ave.
  • Pine Ridge Prep School, 1110 S.E. Highland Ave.
  • Qdoba Mexican Eats, 1025 S.W. Wanamaker Road, Suite A.
  • Hotel Topeka at City Center, 1717 S.W. Topeka Blvd.
  • Arby’s, 1820 S.E. 29th St.
  • Little Caesars’s, 5329 S.W. 21st St.
  • Sonic Drive In, 5922 S.W. 21st St.
  • Wingstop, 2121 S.W. Wanamaker Road, Suite 103.
  • Goodcents Deli Fresh Subs, 2060 N.W. Topeka Blvd.
  • Logan Elementary School, 1124 N.W. Lyman Road.
  • Pollos Junior, 2601 S.W. Sixth Ave.
  • Tecumseh South Elementary, 3346 S.E. Tecumseh Road in Tecumseh.
  • Wendy’s, 728 S.W. Topeka Blvd.
  • Dillons fuel kiosk, 2101 S.W. Fairlawn Road.
  • Dillons, 2815 S.W. 29th St.
  • Eddy’s Mexican Restaurant, 2911 S.W. 29th St.
  • Marjorie French Middle School, 5257 S.W. 33rd St.
  • McClure Elementary School, 2529 S.W. Chelsea Drive.
  • Godfather’s Pizza, 5300 S.W. 17th St.
  • Panda Express, S.W. 1920 Wanamaker Road, Suite 160.
  • Chartwells at Falley Field of Washburn University, 1700 S.W. College Ave.
  • Washburn University softball field and complex, 1700 S.W. College Ave.
  • K Fast Track 2, 1401 S.W. Huntoon St.
  • Pie Five Pizza Co., 1129 S.W. Wanamaker Road.
  • Sonic Drive In, 3520 S.E. 29th St.
  • Dairy Queen, 1700 S.W. Medford Ave.
  • Howdy Come In, 1901 S.W. Wanamaker Road.
  • Super 8, 5968 S.W. 10th Ave.
  • West Ridge 8, 1727 S.W. Wanamaker Road.
  • China Express, 514 S.W. 10th Ave.
  • Fat Shack, 1418 S.W. Lane St.
  • Baskin-Robbins, 4400 S.W. 21st St.
  • PB Gas Station-Phillips 66 on I-70, 1000 S.W. Wanamaker Road.
  • Arbor Court, 4200 S.W. Drury Lane.
  • Church’s Chicken, 3001 S.W. 10th Ave.
  • Pizza Hut, 2007 S.E. 29th St.
  • PT’s Coffee Roasting Co., 929 S.W. University Blvd., Suite 2704-D2.
  • Casey’s General Store, 600 S.E. Rice Road.
  • Christ the King School, 5973 S.W. 25th St.
  • Jay Shideler Elementary School, 4948 S.W. Wanamaker Road.
  • Scott Magnet School, 401 S.E. Market St.
  • Shawnee Heights Elementary School, 2410 S.E. Burton Road.
  • The Smoothie and Pretzel Co., 1801 S.W. Wanamaker Road.
  • Holy Family Catholic Church, 1725 N.E. Seward Ave.
  • Schlotzskys, 2019 S.W. Gage Blvd.
  • Subway, 2003 S.E. 29th St.

Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.





Source link

Kansas

Kansas court sides with Stormont Vail in Medicaid payment dispute

Published

on

Kansas court sides with Stormont Vail in Medicaid payment dispute


Stormont Vail Healthcare is in a legal battle with the state government, alleging the Medicaid program was wrong to refuse payment for the hospitalization of a pregnant patient with complications.

At issue is a disagreement between the Topeka hospital and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment over whether inpatient health care services were medically necessary for the Medicaid patient’s last two weeks of pregnancy.

The Kansas Court of Appeals did not resolve that dispute, but it did side with Stormont Vail in a May 8 decision. The unanimous three-judge panel reversed a decision by Shawnee County District Court Judge Thomas Luedke and vacated an order from KDHE’s State Appeals Committee. The matter now goes back to the appeals committee for reconsideration.

The appellate panel was comprised of Judges Jacy Hurst, Thomas Malone and Stephen Hill, which heard oral arguments on Aug. 5. Hurst wrote the court’s opinion.

Advertisement

The lawsuit stems from a 2018 case of a pregnant patient, who is not named in appellate court documents. She was 28 years old at the time and had an intellectual disability among other complications, including rapid weight loss caused by hyperemesis gravidarum.

The woman was originally admitted at Newman Regional Health in Emporia before she was transferred to Stormont Vail. Part of the hospitalization during her third trimester was covered.

But the final two weeks were not because Sunflower Health Plan, one of the managed care organizations in the state’s privatized Medicaid program known as KanCare, refused to reimburse for the patient’s continued hospitalization through the day the child was born via cesarean section.

Advertisement

“We are here because the Kansas Medicaid program has wrongfully refused to pay for some of an inpatient hospitalization while a Medicaid beneficiary was at Stormont Vail,” said Amanda Wilwert, an attorney for the hospital, during oral arguments. “Stormont believes the inpatient care was medically necessary as defined by the Kansas Medicaid regulations.”

Court records and oral arguments show the state expected Stormont Vail to look into having a home health agency care for the patient in Emporia instead of continued hospitalization — even though home health generally does not take care of pregnant patients and her doctors believed the expectant mother was not stable enough to discharge.

“The way it’s supposed to work,” said Darren Sharp, an attorney representing KDHE, “is the managed care organization, in this case Sunflower Health, on behalf of KDHE reviews the medical records, asks about the appropriate level of care and whether there’s any other interventions that would be more cost effective or appropriate depending on the level of or depending on the patient’s records and the patient’s status.”

Sharp argued medical records showed the patients was getting better because of total parenteral nutrition, or TPN.

Advertisement

“This is when a tube, a PICC, is inserted and your minerals and your electrolytes and all of your nutrition is then intravenously provided,” Sharp said.

He said the treatment “was eliminating her vomiting, her diarrhea, she had no fever, her glucose levels were stabilized.”

In their ruling, the judges indicated the KDHE appeals committee primarily cared about the cost saving of using home health versus hospitalization while disregarding the treating physician for insufficient reasons and ignoring evidence on potential benefits or harms to the patient.

But the judges declined to resolve the dispute. Rather, unless the decision is appealed to the Kansas Supreme Court, the matter goes back to the KDHE administrative process.

Advertisement

There, the agency’s appeals committee must reconsider the case consistent with the Court of Appeal’s ruling. The published decision sets new precedent interpreting state laws and regulations on the Medicaid program.

“While this court provides no opinion on whether the disputed inpatient healthcare services met the definition of medical necessity,” Hurst wrote, “the record shows that some of the (appeals committee’s) factual findings were not supported by the record as a whole and that the (appeals committee) inaccurately applied the law when it failed to consider (the patient’s) individual characteristics and assess the harms and benefits of the healthcare intervention.

“In making a medical necessity determination, the reviewing agency must make an individualized determination based on the record as a whole.”

Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading

Kansas

Kansas Lottery Pick 3, 2 By 2 winning numbers for May 7, 2026

Published

on


The Kansas Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at May 7, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 7 drawing

Midday: 6-2-2

Evening: 0-5-9

Advertisement

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning 2 By 2 numbers from May 7 drawing

Red Balls: 07-15, White Balls: 02-16

Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 7 drawing

05-08-21-44-48, Bonus: 01

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Advertisement

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Kansas Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at select Kansas Lottery offices.

By mail, send a winner claim form and your signed lottery ticket to:

Kansas Lottery Headquarters

128 N Kansas Avenue

Advertisement

Topeka, KS 66603-3638

(785) 296-5700

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a claim form, and deliver the form along with your signed lottery ticket to Kansas Lottery headquarters. 128 N Kansas Avenue, Topeka, KS 66603-3638, (785) 296-5700. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Kansas Lottery.

When are the Kansas Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3 Midday/Evening: 1:10 p.m. and 9:10 p.m. CT daily.
  • 2 By 2: 9:30 p.m. CT daily.
  • Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
  • Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Super Kansas Cash: 9:10 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Kansas editor. You can send feedback using this form.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Kansas

Kansas City, Kansas, becomes sister city to Concepción, Argentina, ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026

Published

on

Kansas City, Kansas, becomes sister city to Concepción, Argentina, ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026


KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland, including Liberty. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.

Kansas City, Kansas, is now a sister city to Concepción, in the Tucumán province of Argentina.

The connection that carries deep personal meaning for members of the Kansas City area’s Argentinian community, with less than six weeks until Lionel Messi and their national team play at Kansas City Stadium (GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium).

Advertisement

Kansas City, Kansas, becomes sister city to Concepción, Argentina, ahead of World Cup

The official Sister Cities Agreement was signed Wednesday at Sporting Park, in a ceremony that also served as the kickoff of a broader cultural and economic initiative connecting Argentina and Kansas.

Federico Carmona has lived in the United States for more than two decades. He spent Wednesday afternoon cheering and smiling.

Advertisement

“This is my dream,” Carmona said.

For Carmona, the moment was personal — a merging of the two places he calls home.

KSHB/ Brian Luton

“This is a blessing,” Carmona said.

He continued, “Argentina is my heart. I was born in Argentina. I have so much passion for soccer. I used to play, my kids play. We never thought that Argentina was going to be in Kansas City. So that was a big, big surprise for us.”

Advertisement

Claudia Luna West, chair of the Sister Cities Association and a native of Concepción, Tucumán, was one of the driving forces behind the partnership.

“It means the world to me,” Luna West said.

Claudia Luna West.png

KSHB/ Brian Luton

She described the pairing of the two cities as a natural collaboration — like the ingredients of a perfect recipe coming together.

“Everything collaborates to be this great thing,” Luna West said.

Advertisement

That recipe metaphor extended to food. The event featured the announcement of a partnership between Kansas BBQ Empanadas and Jack Stack BBQ — a culinary symbol of the two cultures meeting.

“Now, empanadas aren’t going to be just an ethnic food. They’re going to be a landmark of Kansas,” Luna West said.

Mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK, Christal Watson, said the designation reflects the city’s diversity and its ability to connect with the world.

Mayor Christal Watson

KSHB

“I think it’s important that we set a global stage on how diverse we are and how beautifully, wonderfully made we are with all the different cultures,” Watson said.

Advertisement

Watson said shared experiences — including food — are what bring communities together.

Meeting

KSHB

“Food is a common link. Those are the things that get us engaged… those are the things that help us grow and be a better community overall,” Watson said. “We already have a flavor going on.”

Jake Reid, president and CEO of Sporting Kansas City, said the timing of the sister city announcement — with the FIFA World Cup 2026 approaching — felt right.

Jake Reid, President and CEO of Sporting Kansas City .png

KSHB/ Brian Luton

Advertisement

“We’ve been planning this for so long. I think to have it on the doorstep now and be probably a month out is becoming very real and exciting,” Reid said. “They’re meant to be from… kind of everything we’ve got going on right now, for sure.”

For Carmona, the day was a long time coming.

“We can’t wait for all this to happen,” Carmona said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Advertisement
Fernanda Silva





Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending