Kansas
Kansas Court of Appeals Judge Anthony Powell to retire June 30 – Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — Choose Anthony Powell is making ready to retire from the Kansas Court docket of Appeals after 9 years within the function.
Powell, appointed to the state appeals courtroom in January 2013 by then-Gov. Sam Brownback, will step away June 30, the courtroom introduced Monday. After his appointment, Powell was the primary choose to proceed to stay and primarily work in Wichita.
Two extra judges on the Court docket of Appeals now stay and work in Wichita and one other in Salina, a geographic variety that Powell mentioned advantages the courtroom.
“My hope was that by proving this might be carried out efficiently, it might encourage others from outdoors of northeast Kansas to use and serve on the Court docket of Appeals,” Powell mentioned. “I feel I’ve succeeded.”
Throughout his time on the courtroom, Powell heard greater than 2,000 circumstances and wrote 672 opinions.
Earlier than his appointment, Powell served 4 phrases within the Kansas Home of Representatives, whereas he labored in non-public follow earlier than changing into a district choose in Sedgwick County for 11 years. He was impressed to change into a choose after filling the function in a moot courtroom competitors at Washburn College Faculty of Legislation.
“I’m very proud that I stored my guarantees to the folks of Kansas once I turned a choose — to faithfully observe the legislation and do not forget that each case is necessary to the litigants,” Powell mentioned. “I’ve been very proud to be a guardian of our constitutional rights.”
Powell was born in Minnesota, graduated from George Washington College and labored within the U.S. Home and Senate earlier than coming to Topeka to attend legislation faculty.
“Choose Powell has been a state consultant, lawyer, and congressional aide, and an lively member of his neighborhood,” Brownback mentioned in a information launch on the time of Powell’s appointment. “He’s an achieved legal professional, and I’m assured that he’ll serve with honor and distinction.”
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has 60 days from June 30 to nominate a alternative, topic to a majority affirmation vote within the Senate. After serving one 12 months in workplace, a brand new choose should stand for a retention vote within the first common election.
As soon as retained, the choose serves a four-year time period.
A state appeals courtroom choose have to be not less than 30 years outdated and have been a Kansas lawyer, choose or full-time instructor for at least 10 years.
Kelly has efficiently appointed 5 judges to the Kansas Court docket of Appeals: Sarah Warner in 2019, Amy Cline, Jacy Hurst and Lesley Ann Isherwood in 2021, and Angela Coble in 2022. The Senate twice rejected the nomination of Carl Folsom to the courtroom, complaining of his singular profession expertise in public protection.
Kansas
Kansas influencer SB Mowing raises over $750K for elderly homeowner who faced fine from city for overgrown lawn
A Kansas influencer raised over $793,000 to save a disabled elderly woman who faced a hefty fine from her town for failing to trim her overgrown yard.
Spencer, a content creator known for his landscaping business SB Mowing, said he met homeowner Beth last summer when a town official familiar with his social media videos contacted him and asked if he could help fix her lawn.
He was warned that Beth, who uses a cane to move around her property, needed to trim the yard or pay $240 for the town, which was not revealed in the video, to cut it for her.
‘I’ve spent a month trying to get someone to come mow,” Beth said in a video uploaded on Jan. 10. “They won’t answer their phones.”
Beth revealed that the town officials had implemented a date for when she was required to have the yard cut before she faced the financial loss.
Spencer described the lawn that surrounded Beth’s small white house as unkept and was “getting crazy.”
“I can get that taken care of for ya,” Spencer assured her, offering his landscaping service at no cost.
“I can’t believe it that’s great,” Beth replied.
Spencer transformed her lawn by clearing grass from the driveway cracks, trimming the bushes, removing trees and mowing very tall grass.
“I cried on and off just listening to your machine,” Beth told Spencer after the big reveal.
Spencer added that he was happy to help Beth as she became emotional over the gesture.
“Your work makes me twinkle so I really appreciate you. I can’t tell you how much. No one’s been happy to help me,” she added.
On top of the lawn issues, Spencer then noticed the home needed improvements to accommodate Beth, who was “in desperate need of help.”
Spencer launched a GoFundMe when he noticed how Beth’s old stairs posed an issue for her to walk on and that the driveway cracks could cause her to fall.
The small business owner raised over a half million dollars within a day to help her “gain accessibility and comfort” on other parts of her property.
Funds raised will help address accessibility issues she faces including building a new ramp outside so it’s easier for her to get to her front door, a smooth driveway and a chair lift that will allow her to get up and down stairs for her laundry.
The money will also pay a lawn care company to maintain her yard for the “next few years” because Spencer lives too far away.
The elderly homeowner was stunned when she received the life-changing donation.
“I can’t even cry,” Beth said. “I can’t even think.”
“I never expected help ever, ever, ever. I always help people until I got down and out,” Beth added.
“We’re gonna be able to do a little bit more than just your driveway and your ramp here,” Spencer revealed.
Spencer is making sure all the money that was raised doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
“I am also working with an attorney to set up a trust for her to make sure that all of the funds are protected,” Spencer wrote in an update on the GoFundMe page. “I don’t want anybody trying to take advantage of her and I want to make sure that the funds are used properly.”
Kansas
Kansas City-based Jack Cooper Transport to lay off 406 employees after losing Ford contract
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jack Cooper Transport Company, LLC, notified state officials last week of its plans to lay off more than 400 people and terminate its Kansas City operations, according to a filing obtained by KSHB 41.
Last week, KSHB 41 News reported on details that the Kansas City-based company had lost a key contract to transport vehicles at several Ford assembly plants across the country, including Ford’s Claycomo Assembly Plant.
In a Jan. 6 letter to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, a company human resources representative said 129 casual yard workers, 116 drivers and 107 yard employees would lose their jobs by Feb. 2.
The company also said it planned to close its facility at 1240 Claycomo Road, which is adjacent to Ford’s Claycomo plant.
A Ford spokesperson said the company does not comment “on our contracts or relationships with individual suppliers.”
“We manage supplier relationships in line with our sourcing strategy, designed to enable us to best serve our customers,” the spokesperson said.
Jack Cooper Transport, founded in 1928, originally helped transport vehicles for General Motors at its Leeds Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Missouri.
The transport company’s website states Jack Cooper is one of the largest privately owned auto transport and specialized vehicle logistics providers in the United States.
Workers are represented by Teamsters Union Local 41.
Teamster’s Union General President Sean O’Brien said last week on social media the union would “defend our members.”
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Kansas
LifeSave Kansas Earns Prestigious CAMTS Accreditation
Recognition underscores commitment to safety and clinical excellence, as demonstrated by recent long-distance transport of a special infant
LifeSave Kansas aircraft
Wichita, KS, Jan. 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The LifeSave Kansas emergency air medical program is proud to announce its accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS). This accreditation affirms the program’s unwavering commitment to safety and clinical excellence over its 24 years of life-saving service to the state of Kansas.
“Our LifeSave bases in Emporia, Wichita, Liberal, and Garden City were inspected and found to meet the stringent safety and quality requirements to achieve full CAMTS accreditation,” said Kandi Sagehorn, clinical director with Air Methods, the nation’s leading air medical service provider and parent company of LifeSave Kansas. “This is an exciting accomplishment, and I am proud of the LifeSave team members and leaders who continually work to ensure each base’s compliance with the accreditation standards.”
CAMTS accreditation indicates the program meets or exceeds rigorous standards for safety, patient care, and clinical quality. It also acknowledges organizations that implement best practices and work to continually improve performance.
“It highlights the dedication, expertise, and hard work of our entire team,” said Shannon Kilmartin, a flight nurse with LifeSave 21 in Emporia. “I’m thankful to everyone who works to maintain the rigorous standards required for this honor.”
One example of this commitment to excellence was seen last August when the fixed wing crew from LifeSave 15 in Wichita transported seven-month-old Hazel Randolph from her home in Bartlesville, OK to Palo Alto, CA for heart surgery.
When the Randolph family learned of Hazel’s severe congenital heart defect shortly after her birth, they were told she was an unlikely candidate for surgery, and she was put on hospice care. Undeterred by this diagnosis, Hazel’s mother, Loren Randolph, searched for options until she learned that doctors at Stanford University Medical Center had pioneered a specialized surgery to treat the condition.
The family flew on a commercial airplane to California for the surgery but had to cancel it when they contracted COVID. The family drove back home to Oklahoma knowing they had to find a safer way to get Hazel back to the surgeons at Stanford. Thankfully, an air medical flight was approved by their insurance provider, so she was safely flown to her surgery under the loving care of the LifeSave Kansas clinical crew.
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