Kansas Klips
Driver accused of traveling 151 mph on Kansas highway
RENO COUNTY—On Saturday night, September 7th, a trooper working the State Fair checked the speed of a Camaro on Kansas 96 in Reno County at 151 mph, according to a social media report from Trooper Chad Crittenden. A pursuit ensued, and the driver was eventually taken into custody. Some of the requested charges include DUI, a felony warrant, and a list of other traffic violations. The KHP did not release the name of the driver. (Hays Post)
Kansas Highway Patrol makes gun arrest at Kansas State Fair
HUTCHINSON—Kansas State Highway Patrol troopers were busy at the Kansas State Fair. On Friday, September 6th, night troopers responded to a subject brandishing a weapon on the fairgrounds, according to a social media report from Trooper Tod Hileman. The subject was placed under arrest for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for possession of a firearm while intoxicated. The KHP released no additional details, including the name of the suspect. (Hays Post)
Sex offender found dead in his NW Kansas prison cell
NORTON—Norton Correctional Facility inmate Joshua Wilburn, 46, died unexpectedly on Tuesday, September 3rd, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Corrections. He was found unresponsive in his cell Tuesday afternoon. Staff began life-saving measures immediately and continued after emergency medical services arrived but were unsuccessful. Wilburn was serving an 18-month sentence for five counts of violating the Kansas Offender Registration Act stemming from convictions in Wisconsin. In 2009, he was convicted of repeated acts of sexual assault against the same child, according to the Kansas Sex Offender Registry. The cause of death is pending the results of an independent autopsy. Per protocol, when a resident dies in the custody of the KDOC, the death is under investigation by the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. (Hays Post)
Woman dead, three adults and three children injured in Northwest Kansas crash
THOMAS COUNTY—The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Jeep Cherokee driven by Kimberly K. Munk, 49, Oakley, was northbound on U.S. 83 approximately two miles north of U.S. 40 on Wednesday, September 11th. The Jeep was turning left into a private driveway. The southbound 2011 Dodge Charger driven by Sara Wilson, 33, Escanaba, Michigan, and the Jeep collided. EMS transported Wilson and passengers in the Dodge, Susan L. Englert, 68, Rochelle, Illinois; Sharon Wilson, 62, Lamar, Colorado; and Levi Wilson, 2, Escanaba, Michigan, to Citizen’s Medical Center, where Englert was pronounced deceased. EMS transported Munk and passengers in the Jeep, an eight-year-old boy and a ten-year-old girl, to the Logan County Hospital.
Everyone was properly restrained according to the KHP. (Hays Post)
Hays USD 489 board votes to close Lincoln Elementary School
HAYS—After 100 years, Lincoln Elementary School will close at the end of this school year. The Hays USD 489 school board voted to close the school at its board meeting on Monday, September 8th. Voters passed a $143 million bond issue in 2022. Lincoln is the oldest operating school in the district and needs significant repairs. When the committee that recommended the bond reviewed the district schools and their future needs, the members determined that renovating Lincoln would be too costly. The district is building a new high school, renovating the current high school into a middle school, and converting the current middle school into a new elementary school. O’Loughlin Elementary School is being expanded and remodeled. An addition and renovations at Roosevelt Elementary School are almost complete. Wilson Elementary School is set to be closed as an elementary school at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. Rockwell Administration Center will also close, and those offices will likely relocate to Wilson. The students attending Lincoln and Wilson will be relocated to the other schools in the district. District leaders have expressed intent to sell Lincoln and Rockwell once they are vacated. However, the Board has not made any final decision on the fate of those two buildings. Revenue from the sale of those buildings could go back into bond projects or be used to pay down the bond. (Hays Post)
Fire Marshal determines cause of explosion at State Fair food trailer
HUTCHINSON —Just after 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 10th, the Hutchinson Fire Department was dispatched to the report of a fire at the Fry Shack, located at 500 20th Avenue on the Kansas State Fairgrounds. Crews arrived to find the concession trailer owned by D Dusek Concessions, which appeared to have had a small explosion. The State Fire Marshal responded to the scene with four agents to assist the Hutchinson Fire Department, which had one truck, one fire engine, and three staff chiefs on the scene. Upon conclusion of the investigation, it was determined that the cause of the incident was an overpressure of a canned food product, which had been stored in the vicinity of the food warmer. The canned food item got too hot, causing a small explosion. Reno County EMS responded to six injured people. Three declined medical assistance, and one declined medical evaluation. Two were transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center, where they were treated for lacerations and discharged that same evening. (Hays Post)
